On January 10th, heavyweight boxing will kick off 2026 with a high-caliber showdown at the Rudolf Weber-Arena in Germany. The current WBC interim champion, Germany’s Agit Kabayel (pictured), will put his crown and his undefeated record on the line against the Polish giant Damien Knyba. Coming off a win over Zhilei Zhang, Kabayel (26-0, 18 KOs) will be a local hero arriving at the peak of his career. Known for his relentless pressure and exceptional conditioning, Kabayel bases his success on body work and masterful ring generalship, tactics that have allowed him to dominate elite opponents. Less known is Knyba (17-0, 11 KOs). He will enjoy a significant physical advantage, a nd no doubt will look to impose his height and long reach to his advantage. The Pole relies on mobility and a sharp jab to maintain distance and neutralize exchanges on the inside.
Event promoter, Queensberry, wrote: Kabayel, of course, has become the feared man of the division following his win-treble comprising of Arslanbek Makhmudov, Frank Sanchez and Zhilei Zhang while on Riyadh Season duty. Now he gets to perform on German soil and there is a mighty appetite to see him in action. The 11,000 tickets were snapped up in an instant, with perhaps the added spice of him facing an undefeated Pole in Damian Knyba contributing to the ticket-rush.
Kabayel can force his way right to the front of heavyweight thoughts with a big win on Saturday, live on DAZN, plus he will be a man in demand given his WBC Interim world champion status. The likes of Daniel Dubois and Lawrence Okolie will be watching very closely as the heavyweight fun and games begin for the year.
Kabayel and Knyba are not the only heavyweights on parade in Dusseldorf. There is a match between the 18-1 German Granit Shala and the 19-1 Croatian Petar Milas, plus the unbeaten German Kevin Saszik (9-0) will go up against his 11-1 countryman Patrick Schaefer.
And that isn’t all! Daniel Dietz, another German heavy with a 15-1 record, takes on the 9-0 Nigerian Seun Salami, while the Olympic bronze medalist Nelvie Tiafack, from Cologne, will have fight No.3 as a professional.
Then we’ve got David Adeleye back in action ahead of his renewed charge in 2026.
Aside from the heavyweights, the chief support is a special Cuban talent who trains out of Liverpool. Jadier Herrera fights for the WBC Interim lightweight title against Ricardo Nunez from Panama.
