Kabayel Stops Knyba In Three, Wants Usyk Next In Germany
German-born Kurd Agit Kabayel successfully defended his interim WBC heavyweight title against Poland’s Damian Knyba on Saturday night in Oberhausen, Germany. Kabayel faced significant challenges right from the opening round, as he struggled to deal with the tall Pole’s jab and unorthodox style, which resulted in a cut on his right eyelid.
In the second round, Kabayel began to assert himself, finding his rhythm with punches aimed at both Knyba’s head and body. By the third round, Kabayel connected with a solid right to Knyba’s head, retaliating with a cut on the Pole’s left eye.
A combination of body shots and right hands to the head started to visibly weaken Knyba. Multiple right hands left Knyba staggering around the ring with shaky legs. Referee Mark Lyson decided he had seen enough and intervened to protect Knyba from further harm. The stoppage came at 2:36 of the third round. Kabayel’s record improves to 27-0, 19 KOs, while Knyba’s now stands at 17-1, 11 KOs.
The energy in the arena, filled with thirty thousand fans, was electric. When asked, “Who’s next?” the crowd began chanting, “Usyk…Usyk…Usyk!” Kabayel seemed eager for the match, and the team behind Queensberry Promotions is likely to advocate for it as well.
In the co-main event, Granit Shala (Germany) squared off against Peter Milas (Croatia) for Shala’s IBF international heavyweight title. The match was tough to score over nine rounds, with both fighters having their moments in a tactical bout.
Out of nowhere, during the 10th round, the two fighters stood toe-to-toe when Milas landed a significant right hand that sent Shala to the canvas. He stood up with a severe cut on his left eye but was quickly pushed to the ropes by a barrage of punches. As Shala staggered back into the ring’s center, Milas indicated to the referee to halt the match, pointing to the struggling Shala.
The referee did not act, so Milas took control, landing another powerful right that sent Shala crashing to the canvas once more. While the referee counted slowly, Shala’s corner threw in the towel, a gesture that went unnoticed. The referee continued his count as Shala managed to rise, gripping the ropes for support. He counted to 10 and finally waved it off at 1:29 of the round.
Milas captures the IBF intercontinental heavyweight title and rises to 20-1, 16 KOs. Shala suffers his second defeat, dropping to 18-2, 7 KOs.
Nelson Birchall (UK) had the opportunity to fight Wilbert Panttin (Spain via Nicaragua) on this Saturday night card in Germany after receiving the call on Wednesday. He seized the chance and put in five solid rounds of work, as Panttin opted to forfeit on his stool between rounds 5 and 6 after a thoroughly one-sided contest. Birchall will carry his record of 10-0, 7 KOs into a matchup in two weeks against Ryan Griffiths on the Itauma – Franklin undercard. Panttin’s record is now 7-7, 4 KOs.
#1 ranked Jadier Herrera (Dubai, originally from Cuba) faced off against #3 ranked Ricardo Nuñez (Panama) in a fierce battle for the vacant interim WBC lightweight title. A strong right hand put Herrera down in the first round. He fought back valiantly, pushing Nuñez back with a powerful left in the fourth round.
Herrera connected with a series of hard combinations along the ropes in the fifth round, gradually regaining control of the fight following the early knockdown. Unexpectedly, a flurry of punches along the ropes had Nuñez seemingly out on his feet, leading referee Daniel Van de Wiele to intervene and prevent further punishment.
The referee found himself in an awkward situation, approaching from behind Herrera. As he attempted to position himself between the two boxers, his feet became entangled with Herrera’s, causing him to crash to the mat! While Herrera celebrated, Nuñez remained dazed against the ropes, and Van de Wiele struggled to get back up. Upon regaining his footing, he headed straight over to Nuñez and halted the bout at 2:15 of the eighth round.
Herrera is now the interim WBC lightweight champion. He could move up to full Champion status if the current champion Shakur Stevenson secures the WBO super lightweight title against Champion Teofimo Lopez. Herrera’s record now stands at 18-0, 16 KOs, while the unfortunate Nuñez drops to 26-8, 22 KOs.
Roman Fury, the younger brother of former heavyweight champion Tyson, stopped Kevin Greenwood standing at 2:52 of the fourth round. Greenwood endured relentless punishment without responding. Fury’s record advances to 6-0, 3 KOs, while Greenwood’s falls to 6-12, 1 KO.
To open the card, former German Olympian Nelvie Tiafack faced Poland’s Piotr Cwik, knocking him down once in the second round before the referee intervened to stop the bout while Cwik was still on his feet at 1:50 of the round. Tiafack is now 3-0, 3 KOs, whereas Cwik falls to 9-6, 8 KOs.
Published: 2026-01-11 04:06:00
source: fightnews.com
