Promoter Frank Warren has added extra pressure on Oleksandr Usyk and the WBC for them to honor the mandatory status of interim champion Agit Kabayel.
Kabayel (27-0, 19 KOs) expressed his frustration at not being mentioned in Usyk’s three-fight retirement plan. Usyk meets kickboxing legend Rico Verhoeven at the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt on May 23, where he will defend his WBC heavyweight title.
“Usyk has been granted a voluntary defense of the WBC heavyweight title,” Warren, who promotes Kabayel, said on his verified social media channels. “After that, a mandatory defense is due to the WBC interim champion Agit Kabayel. If Usyk wants to fight the [Fabio] Wardley v. [Daniel] Dubois winner after his voluntary, obviously by the WBC’s recent ruling he would need to drop the belt.
“We would hope that he would fulfill his mandatory, as Agit has been waiting a long time for his shot, and that is one of the best fights that can be made in the division.”
The WBC president, Mauricio Sulaiman, has ordered Usyk to defend his title against Kabayel after a voluntary defense against Verhoeven. “Kabayel was not available because he had a fight scheduled in January,” Sulaiman told boxing analyst Chris Mannix. “So, [Usyk] requested a voluntary title defense, which is very customary… He was given that opportunity, and he must fight the interim champion next. That’s the ruling.”
Usyk (24-0, 15 KOs) is also the current IBF and WBA champion, but it has not been announced if he will also defend those belts alongside the WBC title against Verhoeven. Neither the IBF nor the WBA has announced if Usyk will be mandated to defend their titles. However, promoter Kalle Sauerland has pressed for Usyk to vacate or be stripped, with Derek Chisora next in line in the rankings. Chisora will square off with Deontay Wilder on April 4, who is not ranked by the IBF.
There has also been pressure from WBA regular champion Murat Gassiev for Usyk to defend or vacate the title, from his promoter Al Siesta.
