"Usyk is scared of me" - Agit Kabayel makes major claim about Oleksandr Usyk, feels he'd rematch Rico Verhoeven

Agit Kabayel appears to have upped the ante over the past few days, relentlessly pursuing a shot at becoming the WBC heavyweight champion. 

The 33-year-old unbeaten pro boxer is currently the WBC interim heavyweight champion, while Ukraine's Oleksandr Usyk is the WBC heavyweight kingpin. 

Agit Kabayel is a key figure in the title picture involving Oleksandr Usyk and Rico Verhoeven

WBC and unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk is coming off a grueling 11th-round TKO victory over kickboxing great Rico Verhoeven. They headlined the 'Glory in Giza' event earlier this month. Many had expected the Ukrainian fighter to decisively outskill Verhoeven, who's relatively inexperienced in the sport of boxing. 

Nevertheless, heading into round 11, two judges had the match scored even at 95-95, while one had it 96-94 in Verhoeven's favor. 

Ultimately, Usyk scored a knockdown late in round 11, and the fight was waved off after he attacked Verhoeven with another barrage of punches. While Usyk emerged victorious via 11th-round TKO and defended his unified heavyweight crown, many argued that the referee's stoppage was premature and that Verhoeven deserves an immediate rematch. 

Well, Agit Kabayel was in attendance and was hailed as a key figure in the heavyweight championship landscape heading into the Usyk-Verhoeven matchup. Several fans have campaigned for Kabayel, rather than Verhoeven, to be given a title shot against Usyk. 

Agit Kabayel claims Oleksandr Usyk is afraid of him, feels "The Cat" would prefer the Rico Verhoeven rematch

In an appearance on talkSPORTBoxing after the Oleksandr Usyk vs. Rico Verhoeven fight, Agit Kabayel chimed in with his assessment of the heavyweight championship picture. He alluded to being the mandatory challenger for Usyk's WBC heavyweight belt. 

Kabayel's promoter, Frank Warren of Queensberry Promotions, has lately indicated that he'd like his client to get the Usyk fight or the latter must vacate his WBC title. Also, the WBC could strip Usyk of his title and elevate Kabayel to full-champion status if their fight doesn't materialize soon. 

Moreover, Kabayel and Usyk participated in an in-ring faceoff after the Usyk-Verhoeven fight. Saudi Arabian boxing promoter, His Excellency Turki Alalshikh, was also monitoring the situation and asserted that Kabayel deserves his long-awaited title shot.

However, Alalshikh clarified that Usyk would have to decide whether he'd face Verhoeven in a rematch next or fight Kabayel. 

Considering the variables at play, Kabayel has now affirmed that Usyk would try to rematch Verhoeven and could perform better than he did in his first encounter against the Dutch combatant. 

Furthermore, Kabayel jibed at Usyk, stating, "I wait so long for the opportunity. I'm the next for Usyk for the WBC title. But now, when I come back to Germany, I think Usyk is scared of me. He will not fight with Kabayel. I think he will make rematch fight with Rico... I think he's scared of Kabayel." 

Kabayel cited Alalshikh's statements about his potential fight against Usyk, noted that he's the WBC mandatory challenger for Usyk's belt, and even highlighted that their fight could sell out a stadium in Germany. 

Incidentally, Kabayel's aforementioned statements against Usyk come at a time when he'd also suggested that he'd refrain from engaging in trash talk against his opponents. 

 

Watch Agit Kabayel discuss the topic below (*comments at the 22:37-minute mark of the video):