Oleksandr Usyk’s undefeated record remains intact, but his former sparring partner Dave Allen believes that there is one heavyweight rival who can put an end to that streak.
During his 13-year professional career, the Ukrainian has had a few close calls but ultimately is deemed to have merited the wins in each of his tight decision triumphs over Mairis Briedis, Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury.
Last month, Usyk came closer than ever to losing his ‘0’, as Dutch kickboxer Rico Verhoeven almost pulled off a Buster Douglas-esque upset to put an end to his legendary reign as heavyweight world champion.
Now, Verhoeven is in hot pursuit of a rematch with the 39-year-old, but it appears as though Usyk will instead be made to face WBC mandatory challenger Agit Kabayel, who has been waiting to challenge for the title since halting Zhilei Zhang in February 2025.
Speaking on his social media, Usyk’s former sparring partner Allen declared that he was always believed that ‘Kabayel is the man to beat Usyk’.
“I have always thought that Kabayel was the man to beat Usyk and that’s not just after the Verhoeven fight, I’ve always thought that Kabayel just had the style to beat him. Kabayel can do a bit of everything. He can make himself compact and put the pressure on, and he is a very, very good body puncher.
“I have always thought that Kabayel was the man to beat him and I still do. So, hopefully [it happens], not that I want to see him get beat, but I want to see Kabayel get his opportunity.”
Frank Warren had previously promised that Kabayel will get his shot at world honours in September, but Usyk may require additional time to recover after his arduous battle, both physically and mentally, with Verhoeven.
