No one in the know doubted that Agit Kabayel could defeat Zhilei Zhang Saturday in their bout for the interim WBC heavyweight title in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. After all, he went off as the betting favorite. Few, though, expected Kabayel to overpower the Chinese giant.
But Kabayel went hard to the body and it paid off against the 41-year-old former Olympic silver medalist. After being dropped by a body shot himself in the fifth, Kabayel resumed his attack and went after Zhang to the body. Earlier in the sixth, he landed a body shot that badly hurt Zhang, who began to wobble around.
Referee Mark Lyson mistakenly thought Zhang was going down and sent Kabayel to a neutral corner. Zhang managed to withstand it and remain on his feet. Lyson's error gave him a chance to survive, but Kabayel was having none of it. Sensing the 6-foot-6, 287.5-pound slugger's fatigue, Kabayel ramped up his assault on the body with great effect.
Zhang was in full retreat and had no answer for Kabayel's relentless assault on his ample midsection. Kabayel landed a straight right to the solar plexus that put Zhang down. Lyson reached the count of 10 at 2:29 of the sixth and Kabayel had the most notable win of his career.
He was largely an unknown until late 2023, when he blew out Arslanbek Makhmudov in four one-sided rounds. He then knocked out highly regarded Frank Sanchez in May, earning the bout with Zhang.
Now 26-0 with 18 KOs, Kabayel has firmly established himself among the heavyweight elite.
Matt Richardson/Matchroom
Zhilei Zhang grimaces after taking a body shot from Agit Kabayel. Zhang couldn't beat the 10-count and Kabayel scored the KO at 2:29 of the sixth.