Usyk Ordered to Face Kabayel After Tough Verhoeven Defense
Oleksandr Usyk is set for his next title defense against mandatory challenger Agit Kabayel following a hard-fought victory over Rico Verhoeven.
After successfully defending his unified heavyweight titles against Rico Verhoeven, Oleksandr Usyk has been officially ordered to negotiate a fight with Agit Kabayel. The bout comes less than two weeks after Usyk faced a surprising challenge from Verhoeven, who, despite having only one previous boxing match, managed to disrupt Usyk's rhythm and even led on one scorecard going into the final rounds.
In a dramatic turn, Usyk scored a crucial knockdown against Verhoeven, prompting referee Mark Lyson to controversially stop the fight after a flurry of punches. Following this victory, WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman confirmed on June 1 that Usyk's next fight would be a mandatory defense against Kabayel, who has earned his shot with notable victories over fighters like Frank Sanchez and Zhilei Zhang.
While the matchup presents a lucrative opportunity in Germany, where Kabayel has a strong following, doubts linger about whether Usyk will accept the fight. His team has indicated that if he continues to fight at 39 years old, it will only be for a 'major event.'
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