Overview
- Kabayel retained the WBC interim heavyweight belt with a third-round TKO in Oberhausen, improving to 27-0.
- More than 13,000 fans packed the sold-out Rudolf-Weber-Arena as the German contender headlined at home.
- After suffering a first-round cut over his right eye, Kabayel surged in the third with heavy head and body shots to force the referee’s stoppage.
- Promoter George Warren plans to pressure the WBC for a championship opportunity, and a summer event in a German football stadium is under discussion.
- Warren indicated Oleksandr Usyk is likely to face Deontay Wilder in the spring, so Kabayel could take a stay-busy bout against a British heavyweight, while fans chanted for Usyk as the desired opponent; Roman Fury’s fourth-round TKO on the undercard drew boos for an early stoppage.