WBC elevates Agit Kabayel to heavyweight champion after Usyk vacates
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Body | World Boxing Council (WBC) |
| New champion | Agit Kabayel (Germany) |
| Date | June 27, 2026 |
| How | Elevated from interim champion |
| Record | 27-0 (19 KOs) as of January 2026 |
| Previous champion | Oleksandr Usyk (vacated June 26) |
The WBC has a new heavyweight champion without a punch being thrown. Its board of governors voted to elevate Germany’s Agit Kabayel from interim to full champion after Oleksandr Usyk vacated, WBC president Mauricio Sulaimán announced on June 27, 2026.
Kabayel won the interim title by knocking out Zhilei Zhang in the sixth round in Riyadh in February 2025 and defended it in January 2026, stopping Damian Knyba in the third round in Oberhausen.
The heavyweight picture after Usyk
At the time of the announcement the other bodies were less settled. The WBA had not made its plans clear, with its ‘Regular’ title held by Murat Gassiev; Frank Sanchez’s IBF final eliminator win over Richard Torrez Jr. put him next in line for the vacant IBF belt; and the WBO title was held by Daniel Dubois, who had beaten Fabio Wardley for it in May.
| Belt | Status on June 27, 2026 | Update (October 2026) |
|---|---|---|
| WBC | Agit Kabayel elevated | Kabayel champion; no fight since January |
| WBO | Daniel Dubois (won May 9) | Dubois retained vs. Wardley, Oct 17 |
| IBF | Vacant; Sanchez in line | Filip Hrgovic beat Moses Itauma for the title, Aug 29 |
| WBA | Plans unclear; Gassiev holds 'Regular' title | Not settled |
Our take
Elevation is the least satisfying way to win a world title, but Kabayel earned his position: an unbeaten record, a knockout of former WBO interim champion Zhilei Zhang and a mandatory status that Usyk was never going to address. The WBC made the logical decision.
The problem is activity. Kabayel had not fought since January when he was elevated, and through mid-October he still had not. With Dubois and Hrgovic both calling for unification fights, the WBC champion risks being left out of the division’s biggest nights.
See the full lineage on our WBC heavyweight champions page.
Kabayel's route to the title
| Date | Fight | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Feb 22, 2025 | vs. Zhilei Zhang, Riyadh | KO 6 — won the vacant WBC interim title |
| Jan 10, 2026 | vs. Damian Knyba, Oberhausen | TKO 3 — retained the interim title |
| Jun 27, 2026 | — | Elevated to full WBC champion |
Kabayel’s style is unusual for a modern heavyweight: he does his best work to the body, breaking opponents down over several rounds. That approach beat Zhang, a powerful southpaw, and it will be tested against the division’s other champions if a unification can be made.
What elevation means
When a champion vacates, a sanctioning body can either order a fight for the vacant title or elevate its interim champion. The WBC chose elevation because Kabayel had already won his interim title in a sanctioned fight and defended it. Elevated champions are full champions in every respect, though critics argue a title should be won in the ring.