This is the kind of fight both men should have to go through before getting a title shot. Admittedly, Kabayel has done slightly more to deserve a shot. But, he really hasn't done all that much, and, is woefully inactive for someone who claims to want a title shot.
After seeing Ituama tired by round 5 against Franklin, and telling his corner the pace was too fast after round 1, if I were Kabayel I'd try to set a really high pace and wear him out. Kabayel always comes in fatter than he should, but he's got a damn good engine and seems like he can fight at a pace that would cause Ituama issues.
Puts things in perspective. Parker would’ve fought Itauma for the right money no doubt. Maybe @BubblesUK did have a point with his criticism of Kabayel’s opposition after all.
He definitely had a point but this stance makes total sense It'll come as no great shock if Uysk drops the WBC after this Rico circus (worlds smallest circus too) and he can be either elevated or take the actual Uysk fight if that scenario doesn't play out Kabayel seems to be more business minded than sporting Look at the outcome of Joyce and Parker respectively when they risked it
I can see it from Agit’s point of view, but you shouldn’t be making any decisions relying on WBC doing the right thing especially when you’re close to your mid-30s. Wouldn’t be the worst idea to milk the interim WBC crown against the most profitable opponent and try to build up your resume while you wait for Usyk who takes his sweet time these days.
I agree . Kabayel has a mission to become a world champion in germany . Most probably when usyk drops the wbc belt in a year or so . Kabayel has just to wait and not risk loosing . Seeing his last performance against knyba i would not laugh if itauma out of a sudden knocks him out inside first two rounds . It would be a big danger for kabayel. Yes , it is a duck somehow . He simply does not want to "make the parker"
In fairness, Itauma hasn't exactly got the deepest resume - if Kabayel wanted a definite international level challenge, it'd be fair enough to want a bit more proof. Then again, Itauma at 21 has beaten a shot gatekeeper (Wach), a shot legit contender (Whyte) and knocked out a very durable journeyman (Franklin)... And he looks quick and dangerous to the point that it's entirely possible he could potentially present a genuine challenge to Kabayel. And the defence of wanting a more proven difficult opponent is tough to sell when you've just gone out and targeted a 41 year old who fights exclusively domestic level guys, and when that fell through you fought another domestic level guy... And that's exactly what Kabayel did in targeting Hysa and Knyba - both of whom are very poor opponents for an interim world champ. TBH, it wouldn't surprise me if neither of them wanted that one, yet.
Absolutely makes sense why he's doing it... Doesn't change that it's cowardly, of course, to hide against guys who aren't even international level at all - guys like Hysa and Knyba realistically aren't even as good as a Franklin. Thing is, that's where I think the orgs are far too soft. We all know the guys in position will often/usually try to maintain that position with as little risk as possible, whilst still making enough money to put food on the table... But ultimately it comes down to the orgs to draw those lines as to what maintains position - the fighters might still stay safe within those lines, but the lines themselves could reduce the pisstake quite a bit. For example - they could enforce minimum standards and strip guys who fight below those levels... The WBC in recent years has been particularly poor when it comes to letting it's HW rankings become a joke and allowing it's top guys to fight poor opponents without reprimand.
It would be a very interesting fight, but unfortunately, after his victory over Franklin, Warren didn't name Kabayel as Itauma's next opponent (the Ring Magazine article is from six days ago, before Itauma-Franklin). The English promoter instead mentioned Usyk, saying that a match between the Ukrainian and Itauma would fill Wembley Stadium. Given how Itauma has been handled so far I don't think Warren would let him fight Kabayel now, I see other opponents as more likely, like Gassiev for example. In any case, I think Kabayel would fight anyone for a good purse. The German clearly wants a fight against Usyk (and rightly so, because he's the WBC interim champion), but, in my opinion, this fight will never happen.
So why not Usyk first v Kabayel i feel he's being ducked by Usyk.Winner faces Itauma this would give Itauma one more fight to face the winner.
Itauma needs to seriously step it up if he's going to be in discussions for bigger fights. But the thing is, he's young at 21 and has 14 fights. He does NOT need to be rushed. Keep him doing what he's doing for another year or two. If I had to rank him. I can see him maybe at # 15-20 range. Agit would be the rightful favorite if they were to fight.
Is it really a duck if Agit (and about everyone) thinks Itauma has done little to nothing as a pro so far? Ducking is reserved for those basically on the same level.