David Haye thinks there is one man out there who can challenge Oleksandr Usyk.
Usyk is one of the most accomplished and impressive boxers of the last 20 years, and a potential all-time great.
The former Olympic Gold medallist spent the first six years of his professional career clearing out the cruiserweight division and then in 2018 moved up to heavyweight.
Within another six years, Usyk had beaten Derek Chisora, and twice bested Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua and Daniel Dubois to become history’s first-ever two-time undisputed heavyweight ruler in the four-belt era.
Across all those fights, he has rarely looked hurt and has never legitimately been put down. This week, he vacated his WBO belt, so whether he has plans to retire or has eyes on a big fight on his own terms is unclear as yet.
Another man that has been world champion at both cruiserweight and heavyweight is Haye, and speaking to BoxNation, he was asked if Agit Kabayel might be the man to dethrone Usyk.
“I would give him a shot for sure. He’s been bubbling under the surface, he’s fought some good names, he’s fought some guys people want to avoid and he’s done it in style.
“The fight with Zhilei Zhang was a tough fight for him, but he chopped him down and proved he can not only beat these guys but he can take them out.
“He’s taken tough fights against guys with great records, the guys everyone else wants to avoid, and here he is still unbeaten. He deserves a shot at one stage.”
Kabayel stopped Zhang back in February in six rounds and has also beaten the well-ranked likes of Frank Sanchez and Aslanbek Makhmudov. His next fight is a WBC interim heavyweight title defence against Damian Knyba at home in Germany on January 10, 2026.
