The World Boxing Council (WBC) has officially clarified the future of the heavyweight title held by unified champion Oleksandr Usyk. The organization's president, Mauricio Sulaiman, clarified matters in a conversation with The Ring: the Ukrainian will indeed be allowed one voluntary defense, but immediately following it, he will face a mandatory meeting with WBC interim champion Agit Kabayel.
“Kabayel couldn't fight earlier due to his own bout in January. Therefore, we have accommodated Usyk and allowed him to have a voluntary defense — this is standard practice. But the rules are strict going forward: he must meet our interim champion. There's no other option,” emphasized Sulaiman.
The undefeated German Agit Kabayel is confidently strengthening his position: in February last year, he stopped Zhilei Zhang, and in January he quickly dealt with Damian Knyba.
Usyk himself has not yet announced who his next opponent will be. Earlier, Deontay Wilder was considered the most likely option, but the 'Bronze Bomber' unexpectedly chose a fight with Dereck Chisora. Other possible names include Andy Ruiz Jr. and even kickboxer Rico Verhoeven, but there is no official confirmation yet.
