The unpredictable twists and turns in the boxing business can sometimes be more stressful for the actors than any ring duel. This is no different for newcomers than for an experienced professional like Agit Kabayel. The undefeated European heavyweight champion from Wattenscheid (23 wins, 15 of them early) was already booked for a highly explosive comparison with former champion Anthony Joshua from England in August. “Signatures were signed, there was talk about the stock exchanges, boom, boom, boom, everything was almost certain,” says the 31-year-old. “Then still nothing happened. This has probably happened six to eight times in my career. But I learned to deal with it and told myself: Everything will come at the right time.”
Three months later, Kabayel received an offer from Saudi Arabia. It was about his participation in a superlative boxing gala that is causing a sensation on the global scene as the “Day of Reckoning”: no fewer than seven heavyweights from the independently determined top 20 in the world rankings, as well as one world champion each in the cruiserweight and light heavyweight divisions will make their calling cards in the 26,000-seat Kingdom Arena. The massive, 1.91 meter tall athlete and his long-time trainer Sükrü Aksu didn’t have to think twice. “We don’t get that many great chances,” says Aksu with the self-irony of someone suffering. And: “I agreed because I didn’t believe the fight would ever take place.”
