Agit Kabayel finished his homecoming with authority on Saturday night, stopping Damian Knyba in the third round to retain his WBC interim heavyweight title at the Rudolf Weber Arena in Oberhausen, Germany.
It was Kabayel’s first fight in Germany since 2023, after a long streak of fights held abroad. The setting mattered. A crowd of around 13,000 backed him from the opening bell, and Kabayel responded with a performance that left little doubt about the gap in readiness between the two heavyweights.
Knyba entered undefeated and physically imposing, standing several inches taller and carrying a long reach advantage. He showed ambition early, standing his ground in the opening round and landing clean punches that forced Kabayel to stay awake. The champion absorbed the work without panic, holding his feet and measuring his pace.
That balance began to tip in the second round. Kabayel went in more consistently and started targeting the body. The punches weren’t rushed, but they piled up. Knyba’s movement slowed. His stitch lost snap. The exchanges became shorter and less controlled.
By the third round, Kabayel was dictating every phase of the fight. He walked Knyba backwards, pinned him near the ropes and unloaded with sustained pressure. A series of unanswered shots prompted the referee to intervene, halting the game.
The stoppage drew mixed reactions in the arena, with some questioning whether it came too soon. Even so, Knyba no longer defended himself effectively, and the direction of the fight was clear.
With the win, Agit Kabayel improved his record to 27-0 with 19 knockouts, ending his current winning streak. Damian Knyba suffered the first loss of his career.
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Last updated on 01/10/2026
