Agit Kabayel

Agit Kabayel
Kabayel in 2023
Born	(1992-09-23) 23 September 1992 (age 32) Leverkusen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
Statistics
Weight(s)	Heavyweight
Height	6 ft 3 in (191 cm)
Reach	80 in (203 cm)
Stance	Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights	26
Wins	26
Wins by KO	18

Agit Kabayel (born 23 September 1992) is a German professional boxer. He has held the World Boxing Council (WBC) interim heavyweight title since February 2025. At regional level, he has held multiple heavyweight championships, including the European title twice between 2017 and 2024.

As of February 2025, Kabayel is ranked as the world's second-best active heavyweight by BoxRec ^[1] and fourth by The Ring. ^[2]

Professional career

European champion

Kabayel compiled a perfect record of 15–0 before winning the vacant European heavyweight title with a unanimous decision victory against Herve Hubeaux on 24 February 2017 in Cologne, Germany. ^[3]

In his next fight, Kabayel defended his European heavyweight title against former WBC world title challenger Derek Chisora at the Casino de Monte Carlo Salle Medcin in Monte Carlo, Monaco on 4 November 2017. Chisora was ranked #8 by the WBC at the time. ^[4] In a largely low-key affair, Kabayel outboxed his opponent to a majority decision victory. The judges' scorecards read 115–113, 115–114, 114–114 in Kabayel's favour, handing Chisora his 8th professional loss. Chisora started the fight slow, remaining patient. He became more active after round 6, but failed to bustle the attack on Kabayel, who moved well with his feet. Kabayel also used quick combinations and jabs to win many of the rounds. ^{[5] [6]}

On 2 March 2019, Kabayel beat Andriy Rudenko by unanimous decision in a 12 round contest. ^[7]

Rise up the ranks

On 18 July 2020, Kabayel beat Evgenios Lazaridis by unanimous decision in their 10 round contest to win the vacant WBA Continental heavyweight title. The scorecards read 98–92, 100–90, 99–91 in favour of Kabayel. ^[8]

In November 2020, it was revealed that Kabayel was in talks to challenge then-undefeated WBC and The Ring heavyweight champion Tyson Fury on 5 December 2020 at the Royal Albert Hall, London, and that he had been sent a contract by Fury's promoter Frank Warren. ^{[9] [10]} However, the fight was ultimately cancelled, due to complications with Fury's contractual disputes with former WBC champion Deontay Wilder regarding a potential trilogy fight between them. ^[11]

On 5 June 2021, Kabayel returned to the ring to face former world title challenger Kevin Johnson. He retained his WBA Continental title and undefeated record with a wide unanimous decision, with scores of 118–111, 118–111, and 119–110 in his favour. ^[12] Kabayel next faced Pavel Sour on 14 May 2022. He won the fight by a first-round technical knockout. ^[13]

On 23 December 2023, Kabayel faced undefeated prospect Arslanbek Makhmudov in the Day of Reckoning event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Entering the bout as the underdog, Kabayel produced a surprise upset, knocking Makhmudov down three times en route to a fourth round technical knockout victory. ^[14]

On May 18, 2024, Agit Kabayel faced the undefeated Cuban contender Frank Sánchez at the Ring of Fire event in the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The bout served as a WBC eliminator, positioning the winner as a mandatory challenger for the WBC heavyweight world title. Entering as the underdog, Kabayel delivered a commanding performance, employing strategic body shots and combinations to dominate the fight. In the seventh round, he knocked Sánchez down twice, leading to a knockout victory. ^[15]

On February 22, 2025, Agit Kabayel faced Zhilei Zhang at The Last Crescendo event in The Venue Riyadh Season in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for the vacant WBC interim heavyweight title. Despite being knocked down in the fifth round, Kabayel secured a knockout victory in the sixth round with a powerful liver shot that left Zhang unable to continue. This win improved Kabayel's record to 26–0. ^[16]

Personal life

Kabayel currently resides in Bochum, North Rhine-Westphalia. ^[17] His parents are Kurdish of origin ^[18] from Pazarcık, in the Turkish province of Kahramanmaraş.^{[ citation needed ]} His cousin is KC Rebell, a German rapper of Kurdish origin.

Professional boxing record

26 fights	26 wins	0 losses
By knockout	18	0
By decision	8	0

No.	Result	Record	Opponent	Type	Round, time	Date	Location	Notes
26	Win	26–0	Zhilei Zhang	KO	6 (12), 2:29	22 Feb 2025	The Venue Riyadh Season, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia	Won vacant WBC interim heavyweight title
25	Win	25–0	Frank Sánchez	KO	7 (12), 2:29	18 May 2024	Kingdom Arena, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia	Won WBC Continental Americas and WBO-NABO heavyweight titles
24	Win	24–0	Arslanbek Makhmudov	TKO	4 (10), 2:03	23 Dec 2023	Kingdom Arena, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia	Won WBC-NABF and WBA Inter-Continental heavyweight titles
23	Win	23–0	Agron Smakici	TKO	3 (12), 2:37	4 Mar 2023	RuhrCongress, Bochum, Germany	Won vacant European heavyweight title
22	Win	22–0	Pavel Sour	TKO	1 (8), 1:50	14 May 2022	Seebühne, Magdeburg, Germany
21	Win	21–0	Kevin Johnson	UD	12	5 Jun 2021	Seebühne, Magdeburg, Germany	Retained WBA Continental heavyweight title
20	Win	20–0	Evgenios Lazaridis	UD	10	18 Jul 2020	Seebühne, Magdeburg, Germany	Won vacant WBA Continental heavyweight title
19	Win	19–0	Andriy Rudenko	UD	12	2 Mar 2019	Maritim Hotel, Magdeburg, Germany	Retained European heavyweight title
18	Win	18–0	Miljan Rovcanin	TKO	3 (12), 2:25	21 Apr 2018	Estrel Berlin Convention Hall II, Berlin, Germany	Retained European heavyweight title
17	Win	17–0	Derek Chisora	MD	12	4 Nov 2017	Casino de Salle Médecin, Monte Carlo, Monaco	Retained European heavyweight title
16	Win	16–0	Herve Hubeaux	UD	12	24 Feb 2017	Maritim Hotel, Magdeburg, Germany	Won vacant European heavyweight title
15	Win	15–0	Christian Lewandowski	KO	7 (12), 0:20	4 Jun 2016	Seebühne, Magdeburg, Germany	Won vacant European Union heavyweight title
14	Win	14–0	Lawrence Tauasa	TKO	3 (8), 2:29	9 Jan 2016	Maritim proArte Hotel, Berlin, Germany
13	Win	13–0	Shalva Jomardashvili	KO	1 (8), 1:27	5 Dec 2015	Saarlandhalle, Saarbrücken, Germany
12	Win	12–0	Maksym Pedyura	TKO	2 (8)	17 Oct 2015	Dm-Arena, Karlsruhe, Germany
11	Win	11–0	Artsiom Charniakevich	TKO	3 (10)	14 Dec 2014	Maritim Hotel Köln, Cologne, Germany
10	Win	10–0	Gbenga Oloukun	SD	10	22 Mar 2014	Atatürk Spor Salonu, Tekirdağ, Turkey	Won vacant WBC Mediterranean heavyweight title
9	Win	9–0	Wladimir Letr	KO	1 (6), 0:12	1 Feb 2014	Hala Okrąglak, Opole, Poland
8	Win	8–0	Pavel Siska	TKO	2 (8), 2:05	15 Dec 2013	Docks, Hamburg, Germany
7	Win	7–0	Alexander Kahl	TKO	1 (6), 1:21	27 Sep 2013	Atatürk Spor Salonu, Tekirdağ, Turkey
6	Win	6–0	Engin Solmaz	TKO	2 (6), 1:42	27 Jul 2013	Kugelbake-Halle, Cuxhaven, Germany
5	Win	5–0	Ivan Ćirković	TKO	2 (6), 2:20	6 Apr 2013	SPC Vojvodina, Novi Sad, Serbia
4	Win	4–0	Waldemar Pahl	PTS	4	2 Jun 2012	Kolpinghaus Beckum, Beckum, Germany
3	Win	3–0	Waldemar Pahl	TKO	3 (4), 1:50	30 Mar 2012	Maritim Hotel Köln, Cologne, Germany
2	Win	2–0	Selcuk Dinc	PTS	4	23 Jul 2011	Tai-Kien Gym, Aachen, Germany
1	Win	1–0	Yeton Abdullah	TKO	4 (4)	23 Jun 2011	Butan Gym, Wuppertal, Germany

References

1. "BoxRec: Heavyweight Ratings". boxrec.com. Retrieved 8 February 2025.
2. "Ring Magazine: Heavyweight Ratings". ringmagazine.com. Retrieved 22 February 2025.
3. Sukachev, Alexey (4 February 2017). "Agit Kabayel Decisions Herve Hubeaux, Becomes Euro Champion". BoxingScene.com. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
4. "Kabayel vs Chisora - News, Tape, Ringwalk, TV, Streaming & Tickets". Box.Live. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
5. "Dereck Chisora suffers points defeat to European champion Agit Kabayel in Monaco". Sky Sports. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
6. "Chisora beaten by champion Kabayel". BBC Sport. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
7. "Kabayel vs Rudenko - News, Tape, Ringwalk, TV, Streaming & Tickets". Box.Live. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
8. "Kabayel vs Lazaridis - News, Tape, Ringwalk, TV, Streaming & Tickets". Box.Live. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
9. "Warren: Agit Kabayel sent contract to fight Tyson Fury | DAZN News UK". DAZN. 2 November 2020. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
10. "Tyson Fury selects Agit Kabayel as opponent for December 5 homecoming fight". talkSPORT. 2 November 2020. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
11. "Tyson Fury fight on December 5 at Royal Albert Hall cancelled". Gareth A Davies. 18 November 2020. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
12. "Agit Kabayel Turns Back Kevin Johnson With Unanimous Decision Win". BoxingScene.com. 6 June 2021. Retrieved 29 October 2021.
13. Persson, Per Ake (16 May 2022). "Euro News: Agit Kabayel, Cissokho vs. Saidi, Legrand, Ziani, Prat, More". boxingscene.com. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
14. Staff, BoxingScene (23 December 2023). "Agit Kabayel Drops Arslanbek Makhmudov Three Times To Stop Him in Four Round Shocker". BoxingScene.com. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
15. "RingSide24: German Boxer Agit Kabayel Defeats Frank Sanchez in Seventh Round KO". ringside24.com. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
16. "talkSPORT: Agit Kabayel leaves Zhilei Zhang gasping for air as he knocks out 'Big Bang' with sickening body shot". talksport.com. Retrieved 22 February 2025.
17. "BoxRec: Agit Kabayel". boxrec.com. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
18. "Undefeated heavyweight Agit Kabayel signs promotional contract with Top Rank".

External links

• Boxing record for Agit Kabayel from BoxRec (registration required)
• Agit Kabayel - Profile, News Archive & Current Rankings at Box.Live

Sporting positions
Regional boxing titles
Vacant Title last held by Manuel Charr	WBC Mediterranean heavyweight champion 22 March 2014 – February 2015 Vacated	Vacant Title next held by Mohamed Al-Zein
Vacant Title last held by Erkan Teper	European Union heavyweight champion 4 June 2016 – April 2018 Vacated	Vacant Title next held by Otto Wallin
Vacant Title last held by Kubrat Pulev	European heavyweight champion 4 February 2017 – November 2020 Vacated	Vacant Title next held by Joe Joyce
Vacant Title last held by David Price	WBA Continental heavyweight champion 18 July 2020 – March 2022 Vacated	Vacant Title next held by Fabio Wardley
Vacant Title last held by Joe Joyce	European heavyweight champion 4 March 2023 – 4 January 2024 Vacated	Vacant Title next held by Oleksandr Zakhozhyi
Preceded by Arslanbek Makhmudov	NABF heavyweight champion 23 December 2023 – August 2024 Vacated	Vacant Title next held by Martin Bakole
	WBA Inter-Continental heavyweight champion 23 December 2023 – April 2024 Vacated	Vacant Title next held by Johnny Fisher
Preceded by Frank Sánchez	WBC Continental Americas heavyweight champion 18 May 2024 – 22 February 2025 Won interim world title	Vacant
	NABO heavyweight champion 18 May 2024 – 22 February 2025 Vacated	Vacant Title next held by Richard Torrez
World boxing titles
Vacant Title last held by Dillian Whyte	WBC heavyweight champion Interim title 22 February 2025 – present	Incumbent