“The famous British boxer talked about Agit Kabayel and Oleksandr Usyk”, — write: sport.ua
– Agit Kabayel. What do you think about him?
– I first met him in the Netherlands when I invited him to a training camp in 2016 before the fight with Klitschko. Then he constantly came to England, trained with us. That’s how our relationship developed – we’ve known each other for over 10 years.
– Why did you invite Agit to sparring in the first place?
– It was German, European style – constant movement forward, good work.
– What was your first impression of him as a person?
– Listen, people are people. All boxers are normal. I have never met the “bad ones”. Usually those who are slapped in the face for money are quite decent people.
– What impressions did the first sparring sessions leave? Kabael said it was 8 very tough rounds.
– I don’t even remember how many rounds there were. I was the current heavyweight champion of the world, having just beaten Klitschko. It was just another working day for me. Nothing special. But over the years we got closer, spent a lot of time together, became friends.
– How did you rate his boxing skills at the start? Did you see the potential in him to reach the top?
– Then I didn’t think about anything at all. Just followed him, kept in touch with him and his manager. We met, talked about boxing. I kept him in my sights and when opportunities arose to put him on the undercard, I did. That’s how he ended up in Saudi Arabia.
– What role did you play in getting him to the Riyadh Season show?
– At that time Agit was practically unknown. He was known only in Germany and among the Kurdish community. He was European champion, signed a contract with Top Rank, but didn’t even seem to get a fight. He was number one in the IBF ranking for a long time, but he really stood still – neither here nor there. Top Rank even seems to have given him his contract back. It was like he was stuck in time for three years.
When the opportunity arose to put him in a show in Saudi Arabia, I offered him. Everyone asked: who is this? I answered: believe me, he knows how to box. He was supposed to be married to a great Russian guy – Makhmudov. Everyone thought that he would destroy him in a couple of rounds, but I said: no, he will finish. I remember his fight with Derek Chisora in 2017 – it was a good fight.
– He is known as a boxer who works a lot on the body. How do you rate his style?
– I think the boxing world has seen only a small part of what he is capable of. He does not just go forward and hit the hull. Agit can box: good footwork, good skills. I even taught him the “three-step” movement around the opponent. He is very technical.
– How dangerous is his upcoming “home” fight (January 10)? After all, Damian Knyba is a very hungry opponent.
– In heavyweight, all fights are dangerous, especially with such a big guy. Knyba is a great, undefeated Polish puncher. Can be the next Mariusz Wach – strong, durable. We don’t know how good he is. It is a difficult but correct choice. This fight will bring Agit to the top. This is his return home, to Germany. Yes, everyone will come to the arena, many tickets have been sold. This is his real way out into the world.
– About 10 years have passed since your fight with Klitschko in Germany. How important is it to get the big box back there?
– That’s good. Germany has not had a big star for a long time. In the early 2000s, Klitschko, Artur Abraham, Marko Hook were there – a real era. Then, after the Klitschkos, everything seemed to die, a void was created. I think Agit can fill it.
– Your brother Roman Fury will also be in the squad. Will we see you ringside?
– I will try to come. If I can, I will be at ringside.
– If Kabael wins, how do you see his path to the title fight?
– The point is that it is not only about the ability to fight. The ability to fight is about 10% of everything. You must be commercially attractive. You must be popular. All this together. The ability to be a “destroyer” in the ring is only a small part. And I’ve heard Spence touch on this before: you need to build an audience on social media, you need to be recognized around the world. And he is moving in this direction. He is working on it.
Yes, the WBC has already scheduled a fight between Okoli and Itauma, between mandatory contenders for the title, but Agit is the interim champion. So yes, they should make Usyk either defend the belt or vacate it. Personally, I don’t think that Usyk will fight someone from the WBC ranking, because it does not make any commercial sense. There is no money in these fights.
Will he get a lot of money for the fight with Agit Kabayel? Will he get paid big money to fight Lawrence Okolie? No. When you’ve already fought Tyson Fury and won a lot of money, you don’t go back and fight someone else for a small thing. So I don’t see Usyk defending the title against any of those names. That is why he is looking towards a fight with Wilder or someone who has a big name and a big audience.
I think Usyk will vacate the WBC belt, just as he vacated the WBO. He will also have to vacate the WBC, and then Agita will be promoted to full world champion.
And only then he will be able to defend the title against the winner of the fight between Okoli and Itauma.
– If you imagine a fight between Usyk and Kabael, how do you think it would go?
– It will not happen. It’s like saying, can I fly an airplane? No, I can’t. But if I could… But I can’t. I don’t see this fight ever happening – Usyk vs. Kabayel. There is no commercial sense in this. It’s like if you said to me, do you want to go fight the man down there for 50 pounds or do you want to fight Anthony Joshua for 20 million? Do you understand what I mean?
It doesn’t make any sense. And don’t forget: boxing is a business. We are all here to get paid, have fun and get out of here. That’s the point. To win a world title is great. And titles need to be won to earn.
But at the level where Usyk is now, you want the biggest fights and the biggest fees. You want to take the big pot and leave. You don’t want to fight the most difficult opponents in the absence of money. Campaigning is a tough battle for anyone. But at this point, it doesn’t make any commercial sense for Usyk to fight Agit or anyone in the WBC’s top 10 because neither of them is a big name yet.
– If Agit does win the WBC title, is a fight between you and him possible?
– Listen, I have been friends with Agit for a long time. And again, we’re back to the same scenario. I’m not going to fight random people for lack of money. I want the highest fees. My days of fighting for pennies are long gone. I am not 20 years old anymore. I’m actually getting to 40. So if I’m coming back, I’m coming back for a quarter of a billion, as I said before. I won’t go back for 50p.