WBC MANDATE: OLEKSANDR USYK ORDERED TO FACE AGIT KABAYEL AFTER NEXT VOLUNTARY DEFENSE
WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman confirms Oleksandr Usyk must face Agit Kabayel. Discover the latest on the mandatory title order.
Nobody’s sure who Oleksandr Usyk will face next, but one thing’s set: after his next voluntary defence, he has to fight Agit Kabayel. That’s straight from WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman. Usyk, who holds the WBA, WBC, and IBF heavyweight titles, hasn’t fought since he tore through Daniel Dubois in five rounds last July. That win unified the division, but the undisputed glory didn’t last long; just a couple of months later, the WBO stripped him for skipping a mandatory defence against Fabio Wardley.
Usyk passed on Wardley with the expectation he’d meet Deontay Wilder next. The WBA, WBC, and IBF all gave Usyk the green light for a voluntary defence, clearing the way. But Wilder decided to fight Derek Chisora instead, which left Usyk without an opponent and the boxing world guessing.
Names like Andy Ruiz Jr and kickboxing star Rico Verhoeven have come up as possible opponents for Usyk, who goes by “The Cat”. But the real showdown on the horizon is with Kabayel. Sulaiman explained to Chris Mannix that Kabayel couldn’t step in earlier because he already had a fight lined up in January. Usyk requested a voluntary defence – pretty standard stuff. Now, he’s obligated to fight the interim champ next. No way around it.
Kabayel earned his interim WBC title by stopping Zhilei Zhang in six rounds back in February last year. He didn’t waste time after that, defending his belt this past January when he blasted Damian Knyba in front of a packed house in Oberhausen, Germany.
Instead of sitting out and waiting for his big shot, Kabayel wants to keep busy. His promoter, Frank Warren, is already planning another fight for him in the spring, possibly against top contender Lawrence Okolie. Warren told Ring Magazine, “We had the balls to go there, do it and take that chance. There’s always been a big love for boxing in Germany, and now they’ve got a hero. The arena sold out in just over a day. He’s fighting again in May, and next time, we’re aiming for an even bigger venue.”
REVENGE MISSION: EDDIE HEARN SIGNS UFC CHAMP TOM ASPINALL AFTER LOSING CONOR BENN
Eddie Hearn strikes back: Read about Tom Aspinall signing with Matchroom, Conor Benn’s $15M Zuffa deal, and the Dana White rivalry.
Dana White, the boss at UFC and the man behind Zuffa Boxing, just snagged Conor Benn away from Eddie Hearn. Although if we’re being honest, Benn did a lot of the heavy lifting himself with that $15 million price tag.
White was quick to celebrate, maybe a little too loudly, especially on the UFC side, but Hearn didn’t let him have the spotlight for long. Not even a week later, Hearn fired back by announcing he’d signed UFC heavyweight champ Tom Aspinall to the Matchroom Talent Agency.
This back-and-forth between Hearn and White is turning into one of the more interesting rivalries in combat sports right now.
Zuffa Boxing’s move to grab Benn for a one-fight, $15 million deal definitely made waves. Benn, after all, spent ten years fighting under Hearn’s banner before jumping ship. Hearn hasn’t been shy about how much the move stings, especially since he’s been trading barbs with White nonstop.
But Hearn’s not just sitting around feeling sorry for himself. He went public on Instagram, welcoming Aspinall to the Matchroom squad. “Welcome to the team, UFC Heavyweight Champ @tomaspinallofficial,” Hearn posted. “Time to get what’s yours @matchroomtalentagency.”
It’s just the latest shot in their ongoing feud. White’s been out there calling Hearn soft for getting emotional about Benn leaving. Hearn, never one to back down, fired back in an interview, saying White doesn’t care about his fighters at all.
“I hear people’s comments, like Dana White calling me names and Terence Crawford asking if I actually care about these guys,” Hearn said. “I’m not saying I’m perfect, but we’re not like Dana White and his crew. They don’t give a damn about the fighters.
“Have you ever seen Dana White show any emotion when someone wins? He just hands over the belt, does a press conference, then heads home to his mansion with a cigar and a glass of whisky, thinking, ‘Life is sweet; we just made $800 million this year.’”
So what do you think about Tom Aspinall teaming up with Hearn’s agency? Is this a good move for Aspinall, or is it going to cause problems down the line? Let’s hear your thoughts.
MAYWEATHER VS. PACQUIAO 2: CAN THE LAS VEGAS SPHERE BREAK REVENUE RECORDS?
Mayweather vs. Pacquiao 2 at the Sphere! Read about the $4,000+ ticket prices, the 17,600 capacity, and new streaming rumours.
When it comes to the Floyd Mayweather Jr vs Manny Pacquiao rematch, the choice of venue, Las Vegas Sphere, changes the game. You just can’t rely on ticket sales the way you could back in 2015. There’s only so much space, and that puts a cap on one of the biggest money-makers from their first fight.
People are already throwing around some wild numbers about how much this rematch could pull in. They keep looking back at that first fight, which still holds the record for the highest-grossing boxing event ever.
Back then, they raked in about $72 million from just over 16,000 fans at the MGM Grand. The Sphere isn’t much bigger at best; you get 17,600 seats, and that’s if you squeeze in every last one. So, even if you max out the space, you’re only adding about 1,300 seats. That’s not a game-changer.
So, how do you make more money? It comes down to charging more for tickets. The 2015 fight already had an average ticket price north of $4,000. To top that, promoters need to crank up the prices for premium seats and VIP experiences.
Mayweather hasn’t fought since he stopped Conor McGregor in 2017. Pacquiao came back last year and fought Mario Barrios to a draw for the WBC welterweight title. Even now, both guys are still huge names. Their first fight had the whole world watching, and it paid off big time.
But this second act could look different. In 2015, the pay-per-view model pulled in a record 4.6 million buys in the U.S. This time, there’s talk about going with a streaming deal instead. If that happens, most of the money comes from broadcast rights and sponsorships, not just people splurging on tickets.
The Sphere itself will give the rematch a unique vibe. But with the limited number of seats, what really matters is how they price those tickets and how much they can bring in from media rights. The days of packing in way more fans for the gate are over, at least for this fight.
