Damian Knyba and Agit Kabayel are both undefeated heavyweights. Yet there’s a big difference between Knyba and the man he’ll be challenging for the WBC’s interim title on January 10 in Oberhausen, Germany.
Knyba, 17-0 (11 KOs), a 29-year-old from Poland, is not rated by any of the four major sanctioning bodies and has not yet defeated any other ranked contenders. Meanwhile the record of Kabayel, 26-0 (18 KOs), shows that the 33-year-old from Germany has beaten three straight notable fighters, knocking out Arslanbek Makhmudov in four rounds, Frank Sanchez in seven and Zhilei Zhang in six.
“His run is absolutely spectacular,” Knyba said in an interview with BoxNation. “I think he’s top two in the world. For me, it’s a great honor to fight someone like him. In a sense, this is a dream come true, but this isn’t the end of it. I want to be the best in the world. And in order to be the best in the world, I have to beat Agit Kabayel.”
The most notable foes Knyba’s faced and beaten are Andrzej Wawrzyk – stopped in three rounds in February – and Joey Dawejko, a seventh-round stoppage in October. Knyba has at least gotten to spar with the likes of Daniel Dubois, Robert Helenius, Filip Hrgovic, Oleksandr Usyk and Zhang.
“It’s definitely a huge step up in competition,” Knyba said. “A lot of people are saying that it’s too soon, but I know it’s not. I know that if I’m in the best shape of my life, which I will be, I will 100 per cent win this fight.”
At 6ft7ins, Knyba is four inches taller than Kabayel. That may actually prove an advantage to Kabayel, who is a body-punching aficionado.
As for what awaits the winner – possibly graduating to an even more difficult challenge. Being the WBC interim titleholder ostensibly puts the winner in line for a fight with the undisputed heavyweight champion Usyk – or, if Usyk decides to vacate, for an upgrade to the status of primary titleholder.
David Greisman, who has covered boxing since 2004, is on Twitter @FightingWords2. David’s book, “Fighting Words: The Heart and Heartbreak of Boxing,” is available on Amazon.
