Kabayel Searches for New Title Challenger

Agit Kabayel needs a new opponent for his first defence as the full WBC heavyweight champion. According to promoter Frank Warren, Nelson Hysa withdrew from the planned bout after terms and the contract had already been agreed. Warren now says Kabayel will face a challenger from the WBC top 10.

The home defence in Germany is still expected to take place. Planning and confirmation must remain separate, however: no replacement opponent, date or venue has been officially announced. Warren's account is also the only public explanation for the collapse so far; Hysa has not publicly stated why he stepped away.

From public callout to collapsed agreement

Hysa put himself forward after stopping Thomas Narmo in the second round on August 29. The unbeaten Albanian confronted Kabayel at ringside, called for the title fight and offered to travel to Germany. Kabayel then said he was willing to face him.

Warren described the next stage in an interview with IFL TV. He said Hysa came to his office and the parties settled the terms and contract, only for Hysa to send a message days later saying he did not want the fight. Warren did not say whether money, timing or another condition remained disputed. Without Hysa's account, the reason for the reversal cannot be established.

A top-10 opponent would be more than a replacement

Warren now promises an opponent from the first ten places in the WBC rankings. The list updated on September 3 includes Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua, Frank Sanchez, Deontay Wilder, Moses Itauma, Efe Ajagba, Joseph Parker, Rico Verhoeven, Richard Riakporhe and Andrii Novitskyi. This is not a shortlist: several have plans of their own, and none has been confirmed for Kabayel.

The promise still increases the pressure on the promoter. Hysa was not ranked inside the WBC top 10. If Kabayel receives an opponent from that group, the change would not simply produce an emergency substitute but a more demanding first defence. Kabayel's stoppage run against Arslanbek Makhmudov, Frank Sanchez, Zhilei Zhang and Damian Knyba warrants that level.

Oberhausen is a plan, not a confirmation

Current reports in Germany identify November 28 and Rudolf Weber Arena in Oberhausen as the intended setting. The event has not been officially confirmed, and it was not listed in the arena's public calendar at the latest check. Kabayel stopped Knyba in the third round at the same venue in January. A return therefore makes sense, but it remains a working plan until the formal announcement.

The first defence shapes the next step

The WBC recognised Kabayel as its full heavyweight champion on June 27 after Oleksandr Usyk vacated the title. Kabayel is 27-0 with 19 stoppage wins. His body of work is strong; his first fight with the full belt now has to give that new status a sporting continuation. CS.C examined that unusual position in Kabayel's Ghost Crown.

Warren expects to reveal the replacement next week. The plan is then to pursue a unification fight in 2027. Until a name becomes official, the central point is clear: the Hysa matchup is over according to Warren, but Kabayel's home defence is not.