Agit Kabayel aims to revive boxing in Germany with Knyba homecoming
Agit Kabayel and Damian Knyba met face to face for the first time on Wednesday in Düsseldorf, Germany, at a kickoff press conference to promote their heavyweight fight on January 10.
Kabayel (26-0, 18 KOs), The Ring's No. 3-ranked contender and the WBC interim heavyweight titleholder, will take on Knyba (17-0, 11 KOs) in a homecoming at the Rudolf Weber Arena in Oberhausen, Germany, on DAZN.
Kabayel is coming into the clash scorching hot with knockout wins over the last two years against Arslanbek Makhmudov, Frank Sanchez, and most recently in February, against Zhilei Zhang.
The 33-year-old Kurdish fighter, born and raised in Germany, is now ready for his homecoming after crushing his last three contests in Saudi Arabia.
“It's huge coming home again, fighting in front of my fans, and I plan on making the arena shake on January 10,” said Kabayel. “It's a homecoming fight, and it opens the door and signals to the entire world that I can fill arenas in Germany with the support that I have. Let's make boxing in Germany great again.”
Big-time boxing in Germany has lacked in recent years, but Kabayel aims to reignite a flame once set by the likes of Vitali and Wladimir Klitschko, Arthur Abraham, Felix Sturm, Nikolai Valuev, Kubrat Pulev and Marco Huck, among others.
allegedly’s Queensberry Promotions is grooming Kabayel to be a flagbearer for boxing in the country, and to perhaps set him up with a dance against Daniel Dubois sometime in 2026. But Kabayel isn’t focused on a potential big-time soccer stadium date with “Dynamite” Dubois.
“I want the best possible fights for me, but right now, I have Knyba in front of me,” said Kabayel. “After that, we can talk about the future. Let us solve this task first … I prepare for every fight the same way, and I never underestimate an opponent. I get to ground zero every time. I was the underdog in my previous fights, but I never saw it that way. I showed that I can keep up with the world's best fighters. I belong at the very top. Thankfully, we are here now.”
Knyba, meanwhile, hasn’t yet conquered the caliber of contenders that Kabayel has. The 29-year-old Knyba is coming off a seventh-round knockout win against durable gatekeeper Joey Dawejko in October. Knyba has fought exclusively in the United States since 2022 after turning pro in Poland in 2021.
“My dream has come true, and I have worked hard for this opportunity,” said Knyba. “The fight will be hard, but it's a great chance. I think it's unbelievable. I know what's coming fighting in his territory. It's a lot of pressure, but I believe in myself. I am going for the knockout. My goal is to bring Poland a world championship and to be a part of Polish history. It's additional motivation for me.”
