Agit Kabayel got dropped, but came back to knock Zhilei Zhang out in the sixth round.
Agit Kabayel continued his stunning march up the heavyweight ranks today, coming off the canvas in round five to knock out Zhilei Zhang in the sixth.
Kabayel (26-0, 18 KO) made it three straight noteworthy wins on cards in Riyadh, as he has now reached a pretty clear top five status in the hot and busy heavyweight division. The former European champion has come somewhat out of left field as a serious and dangerous contender, not only winning but doing so in destructive and entertaining fashion.
The win nets Kabayel the interim WBC heavyweight title.
The 41-year-old Zhang (27-3-1, 22 KO) started faster than normal in the first round, but Kabayel, 32, was able to weather that and start pouring on his now-trademark pressure attack, working the body and hastening the normal gassing of his enormous opponent.
Zhang did clip Kabayel in the fifth round, with the German hitting the canvas, but the round was otherwise controlled by Kabayel, and Zhang looked absolutely shot to bits in the sixth. With Kabayel continuing to batter away, the veteran Chinese southpaw simply withered and dropped to a knee, where he was counted out by referee Mark Lyson.
Kabayel has now put himself into serious consideration for just about any fight in the division, probably short of Oleksandr Usyk if only because Usyk has said he intends to fight just two more times, and more likely than not they’ll want bigger “name brand” opposition than Kabayel. But he’s on the radar for anyone else, this is a serious contender who has fought his way to that position.
As for Zhang, every fight is one closer to retirement, especially now that it’s quite clear he’s simply not going to be winning a world title beyond some sort of miracle. He’s dangerous as hell for about five or six rounds still, and if he catches you clean, he can knock out anyone, especially early. But the gas tank — which was never a strength — is gone and time is marching on, as it does for us all.
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