Usyk Confirms Three-Fight Retirement Plan

Oleksandr Usyk has put a number on how many more fight he will have.

The WBC, WBA and IBF heavyweight champ faces Rico Verhoeven on Saturday, as he confirmed he is approaching the end of his career and intends to fight three more times: "Three fights including Verhoeven and finished. It's not 100 percent, but when I say I'm retired, I won't be back,” Usyk said

Usyk is 37 years old, has beaten every credible opponent placed in front of him across two undisputed title reigns, and is now working through the final chapter of a career that has run out of meaningful challenges at the top of the division.

Agit Kabayel emerges from that landscape as one of the few remaining contenders who has not yet received a title shot. The German is unbeaten at 27-0 with nineteen knockouts, holds WBC interim status, and has built one of the division's stronger recent records quietly and consistently.

He has not fought the names Fury, Joshua, and Dubois have faced, which means the question of how he performs at the very top level remains unanswered — and Usyk, with two fights to fill after Verhoeven, is in a position to provide that answer. Kabayel is ready for that fight.

Kabayel Reacts

“You know, first about Usyk fight with Rico, and I think for the fight fans, for the boxing fans this is the biggest fight we can make now. Now he fight with Anthony Joshua, he fight with Tyson Fury, he fight with Daniel Dubois and when he win with Rico, why not Kabayel with Usyk in Germany? I think we can easy, easy sell out a stadium.

“I think ‘Kabayel name is not too big’, you know, but too much risk.I think he’s not scared, but I think he’s a big sportsman. I respect him a lot, he’s a very good boxer. I think he thinks Kabayel is not a big name but when he sees this, come to Germany, we’ll sell out the arena stadium easy, and after this he will understand Kabayel is really big name in Germany,” Kabayel stated