Queensberry Promotions founder Frank Warren has warned WBC heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk (24-0, 15 KOs) that he must defend his title against mandatory challenger Agit Kabayel or vacate the belt after his scheduled May 23 bout with kickboxing great Rico Verhoeven.
Speaking to Oscar Bevis on The Stomping Ground podcast, Warren criticised the WBC for sanctioning Usyk vs. Verhoeven as a full world title defence and laid out a mandatory sequence he believes the governing body should enforce: Usyk faces Fabio Wardley first, then Kabayel.
The Giza bout, branded “Glory in Giza” and set for broadcast on DAZN pay-per-view, pits Usyk against a fighter with one professional boxing contest, a 2014 knockout win over Janos Finfera. Verhoeven (1-0, 1 KO) is a dominant kickboxing champion who went unbeaten in that sport for 11 years, but his boxing pedigree remains thin by heavyweight title-fight standards.
WBC Sanctioning Under Pressure
The WBC Board of Governors approved the voluntary defence after what it described as “careful consideration” of Usyk’s activity record, which included a fifth-round stoppage of Daniel Dubois in their July 2025 rematch. WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman initially muddied the waters by suggesting the bout might carry a “special belt” rather than the full title, but the organisation later confirmed it as an official defence.
Warren’s position is that the sanctioning sets a precedent. He cannot order Usyk to vacate, only the WBC can do that, but as the promoter behind several ranked heavyweights including Wardley, he carries influence in the mandatory conversation. His preferred route would see Wardley face Usyk before Kabayel gets his shot, an approach that involves both his interests as a promoter and the status of the title.
Kabayel’s Frustration
Agit Kabayel (27-0, 19 KOs), the WBC interim heavyweight champion, has already voiced frustration at being excluded from Usyk’s reported three-fight retirement plan, which is said to include Verhoeven, the winner of Wardley vs. Dubois, and a trilogy with Tyson Fury.
“How can he not name the number one in the rankings, his mandatory challenger?” Kabayel said in an interview with RTL/ntv. “He’s only interested in money; everything else is of no interest to him.”
Kabayel defended his interim belt on January 10 with a third-round stoppage of Damian Knyba, keeping his mandatory status active. Yet despite sitting at the front of the queue, he remains frozen out of the champion’s timeline.
The WBC approved the Verhoeven voluntary defence at its 63rd Annual Convention in Bangkok last year. Once that fight is over, the question of whether the body enforces Kabayel’s mandatory position, or allows Usyk another detour, becomes the central issue in the heavyweight division.
