BAD BLOOD
AGIT KABAYEL WILL make a first defence of his WBC world heavyweight title when he takes on the undefeated Albanian star Nelson Hysa on Saturday November 28 at the 60,000 capacity Merkur Spiel Arena Dusseldorf.
Dusseldorf is close to the Bochum home of the unbeaten champion Kabayel, who made a successful return to fighting in his home country in January when he stopped the previously undefeated Damian Knyba in the third round in front of a sold-out Rudolf Weber Arena in Oberhausen.
Kabayel, 34, who became WBC Interim world champion with his defeat of Zhilei Zhang in early 2025, was upgraded to full champion in June of this year following unified champion Oleksandr Usyk relinquishing his titles.
Previously, the Kabayel success story included a sequence of wins over Arslanbek Makhmudov and Frank Sanchez, ahead of his triumph over Zhang.
The big-punching Albanian Hysa (25-0, 23 KOs) sought out Kabayel (27-0, 19 KOs) with a call to fight following his recent second round stoppage of Thomas Narmo on the undercard of the Hrgovic-Itauma world title card in London, with the two embarking on an increasingly heated social media back and forth since.
The 42-year-old retained his WBO Global title, with him previously being a long-standing holder of the WBO European title.
Fittingly, for the hugely popular Hysa, his world title showdown falls on Albanian Independence Day and, like Kabayel, he is sure to enjoy a massive support inside the stadium.
Please note: Entry to the event is not permitted for anyone under the age of 16. ID checks will be carried out at the entrance.
