Agit Kabayel pulled off a stunning victory over Zhilei Zhang to claim the WBC 'Interim' heavyweight title. The German fighter weathered an early storm and came back from a knockdown to stop Zhang in the sixth round.
Zhang, known as one of the hardest hitters in the division, started strong. He landed thunderous left hands that had Kabayel in trouble early on. But the 32-year-old German soaked up the punishment and kept moving forward.
The fight took a dramatic turn in the fifth round. Zhang dropped Kabayel hard, and it looked like the end was near. But the Chinese fighter, who had started fast, was visibly tiring.
Kabayel seized his opportunity in the sixth. He unleashed a vicious body attack that sent Zhang crashing to the canvas. The referee counted out the 40-year-old Chinese boxer, handing him the first stoppage loss of his career.
"Kabayel has a nasty body attack. Best I've seen in a while. I'm curious as to how Zhang will hold up if it goes past 6,"
Stephen Edwards tweeted during the fight, proving prophetic as Zhang couldn't make it past that round.
The victory puts Kabayel in the mix for major heavyweight fights. He showed grit and skill in overcoming one of the division's most dangerous punchers.
"Well done, Agit Kabayel getting off the canvas to win! Kabayel will fight anyone and is now the interim WBC champion. Ortiz vs Madrimov next; the fights keep coming,"
promoter Frank Warren praised on Twitter.
Former cruiserweight world champion Tony Bellew noted the difficulty of Kabayel's task.
"Kabayel trying to use the Joe Parker tactics against Zhang! It's a lot easier talking about it than implementing it as you're seeing here! Zhang is one of the biggest punchers in the world!"
The fight's dramatic conclusion left fans and experts impressed.
"THAT'S IT! Kabayel beats down Zhang, body shots drop him and he is counted out in rd 6! He wins the vacant WBC interim heavyweight title. Huge win!"
exclaimed boxing journalist Dan Rafael.
Former lightweight world champion Anthony Crolla summed up Kabayel's performance:
"Went into the eye of the storm against Zhang and came through."
With this victory, Kabayel has announced himself as a serious contender in the heavyweight division. The boxing world will watch with interest to see who he faces next.
