WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman expressed confidence that Oleksandr Usyk will follow the sanctioning body’s directive to face interim heavyweight champion Agit Kabayel. Usyk, undefeated with 24 wins (15 by knockout), is a heavy favorite to defeat kickboxer Rico Verhoeven in the main event of a Saudi Arabia-funded card at Egypt’s Pyramids of Giza this Saturday.

Upcoming Fight in Istanbul

Earlier this week, Saudi Arabia’s boxing financier Turki Alalshikh announced a 2027 boxing card for Usyk in Istanbul, Turkey, which is ideal for Germany’s Agit Kabayel, who is also undefeated with 27 wins (19 by knockout). Kabayel can expect strong fan support if the fight goes ahead, given that an estimated 20 million Kurds reside in Turkey.

“I’m very confident that Usyk will want to fight Kabayel next,” Sulaiman said.

Sulaiman was previously criticized for not enforcing a title fight between Canelo Alvarez and David Benavidez. When asked if he would strip Usyk’s belt for not fighting Kabayel, Sulaiman said, “I don’t like to approach it that way.” Instead, he is relying on the goodwill and camaraderie evident between Usyk and the WBC when the two-division unified champion was honored late last year at the WBC convention in Bangkok.

Usyk's Future Plans

Usyk, 39, has stated he only expects two more fights after his upcoming bout with Verhoeven. Kabayel, who has a perfect 3-0 record with three knockouts in Saudi Arabia bouts, told reporters in Egypt that Usyk “must” fight him. Usyk has previously defeated Daniel Dubois, Tyson Fury, and Anthony Joshua, each twice, in his career.