Boxing
Is Usyk 'ducking' Kabayel test with decision to vacate?
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Agit Kabayel is sitting pretty at the top of the world - but it is probably not the way that the German would have wanted it.
Oleksandr Usyk's decision to vacate his unified heavyweight titles has blown the glamour division wide open this summer.
Kabayel has been the first and most obvious beneficiary. The WBC wasted little time in upgrading him from interim status.
But at the same time, the star could feel hard done by, having missed out on the chance to bid for all three of Usyk's belts.
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As the mandatory challenger following the Ukrainian's win over Rico Verhoeven, the veteran appears to have ducked him instead.
Is that truly the case, however? DAZN News looks at the paths both men have taken - and why matters may not be so clean-cut.
How did Usyk and Kabayel reach the summit?
Usyk's story, by now, is well documented. But to recap, the former undisputed cruiserweight star has conquered all comers.
His 2021 win over Anthony Joshua earned him WBA, WBO, and IBF honours, which he subsequently retained in a rematch a year later.
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He then batted aside Daniel Dubois, took the WBC crown from Tyson Fury, defended those straps and then beat Dubois again.
Kabayel, conversely, has had fewer star names on his resume, though a studied 2017 win over Derek Chisora was a highlight.
Wins over Frank Sanchez and Zhilei Zhang earned him the WBC interim strap, which he retained against Damian Knyba in January.
Why has Usyk elected to vacate the belts?
This is the bigger question, and one with multiple answers in play, all of which can lend plausible fuel to Usyk's next moves.
With the WBC mandatory order in play, the obvious suggestion is that vacating that strap means he avoided facing Kabayel.
But in ditching both the WBA and IBF belts too, it feels as if Usyk is not particularly fussed to wrangle with governing politics.
After a lengthy career where he has conquered every mountain, the Ukrainian is unlikely to want others dictating his terms.
Freeing up the belts rids him of a burden on who he must face next too - and, as may be the case, allows him to pick his path.
What has Kabayel said about Usyk's choice?
Intriguingly, the German has sympathy for his onetime rival, admitting that he does not believe the move is a slight against him.
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“No, I don’t think he ducked," he told The Ring on Usyk's decision. "This is [going to be] his last fight, and he will finish his career."
Kabayel acknowledged Usyk likely has other designs too, adding: "You heard maybe Jon Jones or Deontay [Wilder as options].
"I cannot change things. I gave everything – I went to Egypt, I went in the ring, I called him out, said let’s give the fans a fight.
"After I went back to Germany, I made three videos to promote the fight. [But] it is what it is; I cannot change it, and I must respect it.”
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