Kabayel to potentially appear in unification fight.
A few weeks ago, Oleksandr Usyk released his hold on the unified heavyweight champion, scattering the three belts he owned into the boxing landscape.
What this meant is that instead of there being a one-man reign over the division, there would be multiple titleholders who were previously awaiting their chance.
And quickly, two of the belts were picked up. While the WBO trinket was already in the hands of Daniel Dubois (who snatched it from Fabio Wardley this May), the WBC and WBA were rewarded to two fighters.
Agit Kabayel (previously the WBC interim champion) was upgraded to full beltholder, while Murat Gassiev (the former WBA (Regular) champion) was also elevated to full titleholder status.
The IBF title remains vacant. However, it is likely that the belt will be on the line when Frank Sanchez fights the winner of Moses Itauma vs. Filip Hrgovic.
Recently, Gassiev made his first successful defence as champion when he stopped Peter Kadiru. Afterwards, a fight with Derek Chisora was teased in the ring.
However, it would appear that the Russian will instead be looking at taking part in a unification fight with WBC counterpart Kabayel.
Indeed, reports are now stating that the two are currently in discussions to stage a two-belt world title fight that will crown a new unified beltholder of the division.
With Gassiev having just claimed a dominant victory over his countryman, Kabayel would be hoping to get his own back for his country and prove why he’s the first German to hold a major heavyweight title since the great Max Schmeling.
That’s if the bout gets made. Whether or not it does, the heavyweight class is just waiting for a shift to occur.
A heavyweight unification bout between WBC champ Agit Kabayel and WBA champ Murat Gassiev is being explored for later this year, Kabayel’s promoter, Spencer Brown told The Ring’s @MikeCoppinger. pic.twitter.com/XzSjP3Wufw
— InsideRingShow (@InsideRingShow) July 20, 2026
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