Agit Kabayel crowned first German heavyweight champion since Max Schmeling after Usyk vacates WBC belt

A title without a fight

Agit Kabayel, the 33-year-old boxer from Bochum, was relaxing on holiday in Spain when he received the news that would rewrite German boxing history. On Saturday, the World Boxing Council (WBC) elevated him from interim to full heavyweight champion after the previous titleholder, Oleksandr Usyk, vacated the belt. The promotion makes Kabayel the first German heavyweight world champion since Max Schmeling in 1932, a gap of nearly 94 years.

“17 years of hard work and finally we've reached the goal. And the new! Now we stand in the history books. With Muhammad Ali, Mike Tyson, Lennox Lewis. I still can't really realize it.”

The path to the top

Kabayel earned the status of mandatory challenger by knocking out Zhilei Zhang in early 2025 to claim the interim WBC title, then defending it with a stoppage victory over Damian Knyba in Oberhausen in January 2026. In February, the WBC ordered a mandatory fight between him and Usyk, who had unified the major belts in 2024. But the 39-year-old Ukrainian, widely considered one of the greatest heavyweights, did not commit to the bout.

“Of course it would have been nice. But I think Usyk, at 39, is no longer seeking the sporting challenge. It's not easy to go from hunter to hunted. Maybe he doesn't want to be hunted anymore at his age and no longer has that spirit.”

Reaction and the asterisk

Former German heavyweight Axel Schulz congratulated Kabayel but expressed regret that the title was won without a fight. "It's a shame for Agit, because his last three fights were sensational. He resolved those tests impressively. To become world champion without a fight is a bit unfortunate," Schulz told the German Press Agency. He also criticized the proliferation of sanctioning bodies and the lack of free-to-air broadcasts. Kabayel's manager Lasse Krüger announced a "big party" in Bochum with fans before the boxer returns to the ring.

What comes next

Krüger told dpa that Kabayel intends to defend his title this autumn, ideally in the stadium in Düsseldorf. Negotiations with the WBC about an opponent are ongoing. The new champion, who boasts an unbeaten record of 27 wins with no losses, will now attempt to cement his place alongside the legends he invoked in his Instagram video.