Oleksandr Usyk is set to defend his WBC title against Rico Verhoeven on May 23 in Egypt, but the heavyweight picture around him is already tightening. Spencer Brown says Agit Kabayel, the WBC interim champion and Usyk’s mandatory challenger, is the one man who could give the undefeated Ukrainian real problems.
Brown did not hide his view of Kabayel’s style. He said Kabayel works the body beautifully, stays on top of opponents and is a pressure fighter who would make life difficult for Usyk. He also called him one of the most dangerous men in the division and said Kabayel is Usyk’s kryptonite, a verdict that lands with extra force because Usyk has not lost as a professional.
The immediate issue is simple. Brown said that after Usyk’s first fight against Rico, whatever the result, he must either face Kabayel or give up the title. That turns the May 23 bout into more than a defense in Egypt. It becomes the latest checkpoint in a heavyweight division where the belts, the mandatories and the rivalries keep colliding.
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Usyk’s recent run only sharpens the stakes. He beat Tyson Fury twice in Riyadh in 2024 for the undisputed heavyweight crown, taking the first fight by split decision and the second seven months later by unanimous decision. Those two losses ended Fury’s latest reign at the top and helped freeze the division around Usyk while other contenders waited for their turn.
The timing matters again today because Fury has now set his own return. He is due back on April 11, 2026, against Arslanbek Makhmudov at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, a bout that will be streamed exclusively on Netflix and will be his first fight in 16 months. Fury is returning from what is being described as his fifth retirement, another reminder that the heavyweight scene is never still for long.
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There is also a deeper thread running through Usyk’s career. Artur Beterbiev once dropped him with a body shot during the London 2012 Olympic quarter-final, and Daniel Dubois landed a controversial low blow in their 2023 clash. Those moments did not stop Usyk, but they remain part of the case for anyone arguing that pressure, work downstairs and awkward physicality can at least test him in ways pure speed and movement cannot.
Brown believes Kabayel fits that description. He said Kabayel works the body beautifully, is game as a pebble, stays on top of you and is a pressure fighter. He added that he does not think Usyk will like that. The warning is not subtle, and it explains why Kabayel being left out of Usyk’s recently published three-man hit list stands out.
For now, Usyk is still the champion and still unbeaten. But the path after Egypt looks less open than it did before Brown spoke. If Kabayel is indeed next in line, then Usyk’s margin for choosing his future is shrinking fast.
