Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury called out by Kabayel

The heavyweight division just lost its ruler and gained a salesman with a belt.

Agit Kabayel has been upgraded from dangerous contender to WBC heavyweight champion after Oleksandr Usyk vacated the WBA (Super), WBC and IBF titles in June. That change does not make Kabayel the man who beat the man, and nobody serious would pretend otherwise. But it does give him something Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury both understand better than almost anyone: a world-title shortcut with real money attached.

Usyk’s decision came after his taxing win over Rico Verhoeven, a TKO that left the unbeaten Ukrainian at 25-0 and still refusing, for now, to close the door on fighting. He had already given up the WBO belt in 2025, a vacancy that led to Fabio Wardley becoming champion. Now three more major titles have moved out of Usyk’s hands, and Kabayel is wasting no time trying to drag Britain’s two biggest heavyweights toward his corner of the map.

Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury targeted for WBC heavyweight title fight

Kabayel’s pitch is not subtle, which is part of the charm. Speaking to Sky Sports, the German made it plain that he is open to either Joshua or Fury challenging him, presenting himself as a champion who wants the hardest names rather than a careful first defence. His message to the two former champions was sharpened around their own history: both men know another heavyweight belt would change the tone around the final stage of their careers.

There is a reason Kabayel’s name is suddenly more than a good opponent on somebody else’s schedule. He became WBC interim champion in 2025 by beating Zhilei Zhang in Saudi Arabia, then defended that interim status against Damian Knyba in January. With Usyk out of the WBC picture, the interim tag has been stripped away and Kabayel has inherited the full championship. His one short line aimed at the British pair carried the right amount of needle: “Kabayel will wait for you.”

Agit Kabayel’s rise changes the heavyweight title math

For Joshua and Fury, Kabayel represents opportunity and risk in the same pair of gloves. He is not Usyk, whose footwork and timing have already rewritten the careers of both men, but he is unbeaten, physically fresh by heavyweight standards and now holds the one belt with the cleanest public pathway. A Joshua-Kabayel or Fury-Kabayel fight would not erase what Usyk did to the era, yet it would give the winner a legitimate title claim while the rest of the division adjusts to life after the Ukrainian’s reign.

• Oleksandr Usyk vacated the WBA (Super), WBC and IBF heavyweight titles in June.
• Usyk remains unbeaten at 25-0 after stopping Rico Verhoeven.
• Agit Kabayel has been elevated from WBC interim champion to full WBC heavyweight champion.
• Kabayel is expected by Sky Sports to make his first defence in September or October.

Joshua vs Fury still looms before Kabayel gets his answer

The complication is that Joshua and Fury already have business in front of them. Fury is due to face Mariusz Wach in Pattaya, Thailand, while Joshua is set for Kristian Prenga in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, one day later. If both come through, the long-discussed all-British meeting is still expected to be the bigger immediate target in 2026. Kabayel knows that, and even he has acknowledged that British fans want Joshua against Fury before anything else.

That is where the politics become almost as important as the punching. Kabayel benefits if Joshua and Fury fight because the winner would arrive with momentum, attention and a natural title story. He also risks being made to wait while two aging superstars settle a rivalry that has survived failed negotiations, changing belts and repeated public impatience. For the WBC, the cleanest sporting move is a champion defending quickly; the richest commercial move may be allowing the British collision to create the next challenger.

Kabayel has done the sensible thing: grab the belt, call the famous names, and frame himself as the champion willing to travel to a stadium in Germany or the United Kingdom. Joshua and Fury still have to win their upcoming assignments before that invitation becomes anything more than leverage, but the title door is open now because Usyk vacated the WBC heavyweight championship in June.