Oleksandr Usyk Officially Given Mandatory WBC Title Defense Order

One week after controversially beating Rico Verhoeven, Oleksandr Usyk has been given an official order from the WBC.

Despite some interest in a Verhoeven rematch, the WBC is not interested in seeing that fight again. Instead, the commission has ordered Usyk to defend his heavyweight title against its interim champion, Agit Kabayel, per BoxingScene.

Without compliance, Usyk would be forced to relinquish the WBC belt from his collection. He has shown a willingness to do so, vacating the IBF title in 2024 to pursue a rematch with Tyson Fury, but the Kabayel fight also appears to be what he was already headed toward.

Kabayel was the fight teased for Usyk immediately after his win over Verhoeven. Turki Alalshikh flew the German out to Giza for the fight and brought him into the ring after the controversial finish to have a brief face-to-face.

Alalshikh admitted after Usyk's win over Verhoeven that he is intrigued by the rematch, but not until after 'The Cat' defends his titles against Kabayel. The 33-year-old has been waiting for the fight since he knocked out Zhilei Zhang to win the interim title in February 2025. He has since defended it with a third-round TKO win over Damian Knyba in January.

Kabayel has been widely viewed by most fans as the second-best heavyweight in the world since his decisive victory over Zhang. The 27-0 juggernaut also has victories over Frank Sanchez, Arslanbek Makhmudov and Derek Chisora.

WBC's official mandate aligns with Turki Alalshikh's vision

While Usyk has not shown much interest in a fight with Kabayel, the WBC's official mandate sends him further down that path. Usyk continues to claim he only has two fights remaining in his career after fighting Verhoeven.

Before Usyk's fight with Verhoeven, Alalshikh revealed that he is already working on the Ukrainian's next fight, which he heavily implied would be against Kabayel. Alalshikh announced that he hopes to book the lineal heavyweight champion's next outing in early 2027, near the famed Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, Turkey.

Kabayel is not only a practicing Muslim but also the first WBC heavyweight champion of Turkish descent. Although he was born in Germany, Kabayel's parents had recently moved from Turkey before his birth in 1992.

If Alalshikh's vision comes to fruition, it would force Usyk into enemy territory for the second time in his last three fights. The 39-year-old is one fight removed from an undisputed heavyweight title fight against the London-born Daniel Dubois at Wembley Stadium in July 2025.

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