Kabayel versus Knyba outcome: Agit Kabayel halts Knyba in the third round, remains unbeaten

Agit Kabayel was greeted with a hero’s welcome in his Germany homecoming bout, and responded to the atmosphere with a third round TKO win over Damian Knyba to retain the interim WBC heavyweight title and remain undefeated.

Kabayel stoppage not without some debate

The stoppage from referee Mark Lyson was a little premature, probably, but it definitely did appear as though Kabayel (27-0, 19 KO) had taken over the fight after struggling a bit with the reach of Knyba (17-1, 11 KO), but the Polish underdog really had just the one idea, and once Kabayel accepted it and started doing what he does, attacking both the head and body, Knyba appeared to be fading rapidly.

That said, Knyba wasn’t dropped, he was only wobbled when referee Lyson stepped in. It’s possible Lyson heard and/or saw something we can’t from the TV angle, and it’s generally wise to defer to a referee, or at least consider their viewpoint, but Knyba was given no chance at all. The smart money was on Kabayel getting him out of there, but you can’t help but feel for Knyba a bit, too.

Kabayel vs Knyba highlights

What’s next for Kabayel?

Kabayel asked the audience who they want next, and the overwhelming response was Oleksandr Usyk. For some goofy reason, DAZN’s interviewer offered Tony Yoka as an idea, which would stink.

“I’ve waited so long for a title shot. I’ve beaten three monsters in Riyadh, give me the world title fight. I’m ready,” he said, making clear what he wants next.

Oberhausen atmosphere was electric

“This is the best atmosphere I’ve been at in boxing since I’ve worked in boxing, and I’m not just saying that,” Queensberry Promotions’ George Warren said.

“I’ve experienced Wembley Stadium. The noise, and I don’t know if it’s coming across on TV, it is deafening.”

We can confirm for Warren that the noise came across on TV. The atmosphere in Oberhausen was unbelievable for this fight and for Kabayel, and those fans made a good fight — short, but good — even better. The fans were the loudest we’ve heard for a boxing show in years, frankly — when Warren says it was that special, he’s not doing any of the normal boxing promoter exaggeration. That’s legit.

That’s two straight weekends, following Amanda Serrano in Puerto Rico last Saturday, that we’ve been reminded of what a main event fight sounds and feels like when the fans in attendance actually care about what’s happening, something that has become increasingly and unfortunately rare with the shift in boxing promotion following Turki Alalshikh’s entrance into the sport.

One thing Kabayel definitely was able to prove today is that there is an audience for his fights in Germany, and you have to expect they would travel in good numbers to the UK for any potential big fight there, and there are plenty of names, including WBO titleholder Fabio Wardley, which could be a phenomenal slugfest matchup.