Agit Kabayel defending his WBC belt against 42-year-old Nelson Hysa on November 28 continues a habit of feasting on past-prime heavyweights. Kabayel holds wins over far superior opposition, making this soft showcase completely useless for proving how he stacks up against the division’s dangerous young lions.
The Merkur Spiel-Arena in Düsseldorf stages this mismatch between the German titleholder and the obscure Albanian. Hysa (25-0, 23 KOs) provides flashy numbers for promotional posters, yet he walked into this championship opportunity without defeating a single credible top-15 contender.
“This is the fight we wanted to make,” promoter Frank Warren said when announcing the event.
For Kabayel (27-0, 19 KOs), this matchup continues a blatant habit of feasting on guys past their expiration date. Zhilei Zhang had already blown out 41 candles before Kabayel took him out in February 2025. Arslanbek Makhmudov was 34 when they clashed in December 2023, while earlier targets Kevin Johnson and Pavel Sour had long crossed into their 40s before stepping through the ropes.
Those previous opponents brought vastly different threats to the table. Zhang owned legitimate one-punch power, having already demolished Joe Joyce and Deontay Wilder. That made Kabayel’s stoppage a genuine statement win. Getting off the canvas to fold the Chinese southpaw with a body shot proved he could take heat and execute under fire.
Yet Zhang’s gas tank betrayed him, just like his age. Kabayel capitalized on those glaring flaws, but surviving an aging slugger who runs out of petrol after three rounds does not prove he can handle the division’s elite young guns.
Makhmudov brought a completely different danger profile. He arrived younger than Zhang or Hysa, carrying an undefeated record built on chilling knockout power. Kabayel ruthlessly exposed his stiff movement and crude defense, sending the Russian power puncher down three times before the referee intervened in the fourth round. It looked devastating on screen, even if Makhmudov arrived with an empty resume propped up on weak opposition.
Even Kabayel’s masterclass against Frank Sanchez deserves a massive asterisk. Sanchez fought essentially on one leg after suffering a severe knee injury. Stripped of his wheels, the Cuban was transformed into a sitting duck along the ropes. Kabayel did not out-box or out-maneuver a prime contender; he cornered an injured man who could neither retreat nor generate leverage to fire back.
Subtract Sanchez, and what is left of Kabayel’s record? An exhausted 41-year-old Zhang who ran out of oxygen after three rounds, a crude, stiff Makhmudov who had never beaten anyone, and a string of washed 40-somethings. Taking on Nelson Hysa is not an aberration; it is just standard operating procedure.
Hysa has shown nothing to suggest he belongs in the same ring with world-class operators. Blowing out Thomas Narmo in two rounds last August was another empty showcase against a bottom-tier opponent. It offered zero proof that he can survive deep water, handle relentless body shots, or deal with someone who hits back.
Kabayel is custom-built to expose fighters at this level. His relentless assault to the midsection has dismantled far superior heavyweights. Hysa will quickly find himself drowning under steady pressure, with zero answers once the body attack starts sapping his legs.
The bigger problem is what Kabayel actually gets out of this mismatch. Beating up a 42-year-old keeps his undefeated record clean and ensures he hangs onto his WBC belt, yet tells us nothing about how he copes with prime, dangerous heavyweights who possess the youth and stamina to drag him into deep waters.
Kabayel built a solid following through his relentless engine. Asking fight fans to stomach another aging victim merely stalls the division, delaying the crucial tests against prime heavyweights everyone actually wants to see.
