Agit Kabayel could have been a world heavyweight champion by now – instead he’s returning to the ring vs talented journeyman Kevin Johnson in Magdeburg on Saturday night (June 5).
Kabayel was lined up to face Tyson Fury in London last December after the collapse of Fury vs Deontay Wilder 3. That seems a world away now and quite a lot has happened since!
For whatever reason, Fury vs Kabayel for the WBC heavyweight title never happened, and now the 28-year-old German (of Kurdish descent) is back out at a very much lower level. There is some sort of WBA title on the line but it’s not a bona fide ‘world title’.
There has been very little fanfare outside of Germany for a fight involving a top-15 fighter with some sanctioning bodies. Here’s what we know so far heading into fight weekend in Magdeburg.
Kabayel vs Johnson date, fight time and venue
Kabayel vs Johnson will take place on Saturday June 5 at the Seebühne Elbauenpark in Magdeburg, Germany.
Ring walks for the main event are likely to be around 2200 BST (2300 CET, 1700 ET).
Kabayel vs Johnson TV channel and live stream
MDR will televise Kabayel vs Johnson in Germany, with coverage starting at 2235 local time (2135 BST, 1635 ET).
Kabayel vs Johnson odds
Not surprisingly Kabayel is a big favourite with the odds makers. The German is a best-priced 1/20 and as short as 1/33 in places. Johnson meanwhile is generally available at between 7/1 and 10/1.
Kabayel vs Johnson weights
The weigh-in for Kabayel vs Johnson took place in Madgeburg, Germany on Friday June 4.
Kabayel weighed in at 237lbs (16st 13lbs) while Johnson was 22lbs heavier at 259lbs (18st 7lbs).
Agit Kabayel record and profile
Agit Kabayel was born on September 28, 1992 and is now 28 years old. He has a perfect professional record of 20-0 with 13 of those victories coming inside distance. He stands 6ft 3 ins tall (1.91m).
Most of the names on Kabayel’s professional CV lack star power – for the large majority of his time in the paid ranks he’s been up against at best third-tier heavyweights.
By far the best win on his record is a majority decision over UK warhorse Dereck Chisora in Monaco in November 2017. Kabayel prevailed by a whisker on the scorecards (115-113, 115-114, 114-114) that night.
Since then Kabayel has fight only three further times – with the last of those outings against Greek heavy Evgenios Lazaridis. That fight – in Magdgeburg in July 2020 – ended in a unanimous decision win for Kabayel.
Victory over Johnson, and an impressive one, is an absolute must for Kabayel if he is serious about one day challenging the very best in boxing’s marquee weight class.
He is currently ranked in the top 15 by all of the established sanctioning bodies:
- #11 with the World Boxing Council (WBC)
- #6 with the IBF (International Boxing Federation)
- #10 with the World Boxing Association (WBA)
- #13 with the World Boxing Organization (WBO)
Kevin Johnson record and profile
Kevin Johnson was born in New Jersey on September 7, 1979 and he is now 41 years old. He has a professional record of 35-17-1. Some 19 of his victories have come inside distance. He stands 6ft 3ins tall (1.91m) and has a reach of 82ins (2.08m).
Johnson turned pro way back in 2002 and impressed in compiling a 22-0-1 record en route to a WBC world-title shot against Vitali Klitschko in Switzerland in 2009. Kevin acquitted himself reasonably well but dropped a unanimous decision to ‘Dr Ironfist’.
Since that night in Berne, ‘Kingpin’ has never again reached the same heights – losing more than he has won.
He remains a durable and tough opponent for all but the most elite of heavyweights, and he has fought just about everybody there is to fight – including current heavyweight kings Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua.
The top men he has taken the distance include Fury, Andy Ruiz Jr, Daniel Dubois, Filip Hrgovic, Kubrat Pulev, Dereck Chisora and Manuel Charr.
Now into his 40s, Johnson’s skills are likely headed in only one direction. It would be no surprise to see him give Kabayel a thorough examination. It would though be a massive surprise to see him win.
