British boxer Tyson Fury gave an interesting video interview in which he talked about Agita Kabayel, Alexander Usik, Saudi Arabia and their plans:
– Agit Kabayel. What do you think about it?
– I first met him in 2016 when I invited him to a training camp in the Netherlands before his fight with Klitschko. Afterwards, he constantly came to England and trained with us. This is how our relationship developed; We have known each other for more than 10 years.
– Why did you invite Agit to training?
– It was German, European style; continuous progress, good work.
– What was your first impression of him as a person?
– Listen, people are people. All boxers are normal. I’ve never met a “bad” person. Usually the people who get punched in the face for money are pretty decent people.
– What impressions did your first discussion leave on you? Kabayel said there were 8 tough rounds.
– I don’t even remember how many rounds it was. I was the current world heavyweight champion, I had just beaten Klitschko. It was an ordinary work day for me. Nothing special. But over the years we grew closer, spent a lot of time together and became friends.
– How did you initially evaluate his boxing skills? Did he see the potential to reach the top?
“Then I didn’t think anything of it.” I just kept an eye on him and stayed in touch with him and his manager. We met and talked about boxing. I kept him on my radar and when opportunities arose to put him on the undercard I did so. So he came to Saudi Arabia.
– What role did you play in his participation in the Riyadh Season show?
– At that time, Agit was almost unknown. He was known only in Germany and among the Kurdish community. He was a European champion, signed with Top Rank, but apparently couldn’t even get a fight. He was number one in the IBF rankings for a long time but in reality he remained inactive neither here nor there. It even looks like Top Rank gave him his contract back. It was as if he had been stuck in time for three years.
When the opportunity arose to exhibit this in Saudi Arabia, I suggested it. Everyone asked: Who is this? I replied: Believe me, he knows how to box. She had to be set up with a big Russian man, Makhmudov. Everyone thought he would destroy him in a few rounds, but I said: no, he can handle it. I remember his fight with Dereck Chisora in 2017 – it was a good fight.
– He is known as a boxer who works hard on his body. How do you evaluate his style?
“I think the boxing world has only seen a small fraction of what he can do. He doesn’t just go forward and strike to the body. Agit knows how to box: good footwork, good skills. I even taught him the “three step” move around his opponent. He’s very technical.
– How dangerous is the future “home” struggle (January 10)? After all, Damian Knyba is a very hungry opponent.
– All fights in the heavyweight division are dangerous, especially with such a big man. Knyba is a big, undefeated Polish puncher. Maybe the next Mariusz Wach; strong, durable. We don’t know how good he is. This is a difficult but correct choice. This fight will take 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 true emergence.
– Nearly 10 years have passed since your fight with Klitschko in Germany. How important is it to bring big boxing back there?
– This is good. Germany hasn’t had a big star for a long time. The early 2000s had Klitschko, Arthur Abraham, Marco Huck – a real era. Then after Klitschko everything seemed to die, there was a void. I think Agit can fill that.
– Your brother Roman Fury will also be on the card. Will we see you at ringside?
– I’ll try to come. I’ll be at ringside if I can.
– How do you see the path to the championship fight if Kabayel wins?
“The thing is, it’s not just about fighting ability. Fighting ability is about 10% of everything. You have to be commercially attractive. You have to be popular. All of those things go together. The ability to be a ‘destroyer’ in the ring is just a small part. And I’ve heard Spence touch on that before: you need to build an audience on social media, you need to be known worldwide. And he’s moving in that direction. He’s working on it.”
Yes, the WBC has already scheduled Okolie vs. Itauma as a mandatory fight for the title, but Agit is the interim champion. So yes, they should force Usyk to either defend the belt or release it. I personally don’t think Usyk will fight someone in the WBC rankings because it doesn’t make commercial sense. There’s no money in these fights.
Will he make big money from his fight with Agit Kabayel? Or will he make big money to fight Lawrence Okolie? No. If you’ve already made big money fighting Tyson Fury, you don’t go back and fight someone else for little money. So I don’t see Usyk defending the title against any of these names. So he’s looking at a fight with Wilder or someone with a big name and a big audience.
I think Usyk will leave the WBC belt just like he left the WBO. He will also need to release the WBC, and then Agit will be promoted to a full-fledged world champion. And only then will he be able to defend his title against the winner of the fight between Okolie and Itauma.
– What do you think would happen if we imagine a fight between Usik and Kabayel?
– It won’t happen. It’s like saying: Can I fly a plane? No, I can’t. But if I could… But I can’t. I don’t think this fight between Usyk and Kabayel will ever happen. There is no commercial sense in this. It’s like you said to me: Do you want to fight those people over there for 50 pounds, or do you want to fight Anthony Joshua for 20 million? Do you know what I mean?
This doesn’t make any sense. And remember: boxing is a business. We’re all here to make money, have fun, and get out of here. That’s what matters. Winning the world championship is a great thing. And to make money you need to win titles.
But at Usyk’s current level, you want the biggest fights and the biggest paydays. You want to walk away with the big jackpot. You don’t want to fight the toughest opponents without money. Agit is a challenge for everyone. But right now it doesn’t make commercial sense for Usyk to fight Agit or anyone else in the WBC top 10 because neither of them are big names yet.
– If Agit still wins the WBC title, is a fight between him and him possible?
– Listen, Agit and I have been friends for a very long time. And we return to the same scenario again. I won’t fight with random people without money. I need the biggest fees. The days of struggling for money are long gone. I’m not 20 years old anymore. I’m actually approaching 40. So if I go back, like I said before, I go back to a quarter billion. I won’t be back for 50p.
