Kabayel Maps Out Two-Fight Plan With Hrgovic Unification in Sight

Agit Kabayel has a plan, and it comes in two parts. The unbeaten 27-0 (19 KO) German expects to finalize his first WBC heavyweight title defence by the end of this week, targeting a November date on home soil, according to his manager Spencer Brown. After that, the ambition sharpens: a 2027 unification with newly-crowned IBF champion Filip Hrgovic.

Kabayel earned this position the hard way. He stopped Zhilei Zhang last February to claim the WBC interim strap, then defended it against Damian Knyba with a third-round TKO. When Oleksandr Usyk vacated rather than face the mandatory challenger, Kabayel was elevated to full champion — making him the first German to rule the division since Max Schmeling nearly a century ago.

The Homecoming Angle

A November fight in Germany would carry serious weight beyond the belt. It'd be the first heavyweight world title bout staged there in over a decade — the last being Tyson Fury's celebrated 2015 dethroning of Wladimir Klitschko. For a champion who's spent his career grinding rather than headlining, that's a fitting stage.

The identity of the opponent hasn't been confirmed. Nelson Hysa made a public pitch after knocking out Thomas Narmo recently, but he sits outside the WBC's top 15, so he's not a realistic candidate for now.

Why Hrgovic Has to Wait

The unification isn't a next-step affair. Hrgovic won the IBF belt last month by beating Moses Itauma, and he's carrying a pre-agreed mandatory defence against Frank Sanchez that he has to clear first. Sanchez, ranked #7 at 26-1 (19 KO), is coming off a second-round knockout of Richard Torrez, so that's no gimme.

Kabayel's calculus is straightforward: bank a defence at home, then chase the belts that came free when Usyk stepped aside. It's a patient route for a body-puncher who's never lost, and one that keeps him moving toward the only fight that actually matters in this division — the one that unifies it.