Boxing

Zhilei Zhang vs Agit Kabayel Result: Kabayel Stops Zhang In Knockout Win On Beterbiev vs Bivol 2 Undercard

Agit Kabayel stuns Zhilei Zhang on the Artur Beterbiev vs Dmitry Bivol 2 undercard.
Apratim Banerjee|
IMAGO / Norbert Schmidt

Zhilei Zhang and Agit Kabayel clashed on the undercard of the Artur Beterbiev vs Dmitry Bivol 2 event on February 22. The WBC interim heavyweight title was on the line for the matchup.

Zhang entered the contest on the back of a TKO win against Denotay Wilder. Kabayel, meanwhile, was undefeated coming into the contest.

Zhang started the fight well, putting Kabayel under pressure. The German, though, recovered well and had Zhang on the back foot.

Kabayel almost neutralized Zhang with his grueling pressure by round 4. However, Zhang always had the equalizer with his power.

That came into play when Zhang put Kabayel down in the fifth round. Kabayel, though, recovered well and continued his pressure. He kept on attacking Zhang's body to the point where he looked like he had nothing left in the tank.

Another body shot in the sixth round made Zhang take a knee. He was unable to respond to the count in time and Kabayel earned a stoppage win, perhaps the biggest victory of his career so far.

Kabayel became the first fighter to stop Zhang. He is now 26-0-0 with 18 knockout wins. Zhang, meanwhile, is now 27-3-1. Kabayel has become the WBC interim heavyweight champion courtesy of his win.

With the victory, Kabayel establishes himself as a top contender in the heavyweight division. He could very well be line for a bigger name next after the most important win of his career. As for 41 year old Zhang, it would be interesting to see his next move.

The Latest Boxing News

Callum Smith vs Joshua Buatsi Results: Smith Beats Buatsi In Grueling Undercard Battle

Cristiano Ronaldo, Anthony Joshua And Oleksandr Usyk Sit Front Row For Artur Beterbiev vs Dmitry Bivol 2

Artur Beterbiev vs Dmitry Bivol 2 Preview: Start Time, Date, Undercard, How To Watch & Live Stream

Martin Bakole Delivers Message To Joseph Parker After Three Flights Totalling 3,800 Miles

Published
Apratim Banerjee
APRATIM BANERJEE

Apratim is a Boxing and Soccer reporter for On SI. He has been in the industry for five years, having also worked for The Sporting News, Sportskeeda, EssentiallySports, and more. After coming from an engineering background, he started pursuing a career in sports media. Apratim also holds an MSc. Sport Marketing degree from Loughborough University London and is a keen practitioner of social media and digital marketing. In his spare time, Apratim likes to play an array of sports and practice calisthenics. He is also an avid enthusiast of improving his martial arts skills.