The Ukrainian narrowly avoided a major upset last weekend against Rico Verhoeven, and now a big rival wants a shot at the two-division undisputed champion next09:29, 29 May 2026Oleksandr Usyk has been given one week by Agit Kabayel to decide whether he wants to face the undefeated star.‌The Ukrainian two-time undisputed heavyweight champion returned to the boxing ring last weekend, taking on Rico Verhoeven over in Egypt. Fans were left stunned after the Dutch kickboxing legend pushed his foe all the way, before Usyk stopped his rival controversially in the 11th round.‌Usyk was even behind one one of the three judges' scorecards prior to the stoppage - which looked to have taken place after the bell had sounded. The 39-year-old plans to fight at least twice more before calling it a day and will be ordered to defend his titles against Kabayel.‌Many top players in the world of boxing have called for Usyk to face WBC mandatory challenger Kabayel or vacate his title. While some are targeting an immediate rematch, it only seems right that the German has a crack at the Ukrainian next. But Kabayel is not convinced a fight will come to fruition.FOLLOW OUR FIGHTING FB PAGE! Latest boxing and MMA news, analysis and much more via our dedicated Facebook page"To be honest I think Oleksandr Usyk will vacate," he told talkSPORT. "I think Frank is talking about with Usyk's team, and we will wait one week. I think we have one week to see if Usyk says anything, after that we will see what happen. But my opinion is that Usyk will not want to make the fight for me. I want to fight with Usyk."‌"He added: So many people in Germany re waiting for this fight. This is the biggest fight we can make right now for boxing. We can sell out a stadium." The 33-year-old - who retained his WBC interim title in his last fight against Damian Knyba - is confident he has got what it takes to become the first man to stop Usyk."I think I will pressure him and Usyk hates it to the body," he continued. "When Usyk was hit to the body by Rico, he hated it. So I will have a gameplan, I think the people will now give me the respect and I know I can beat Usyk."Despite many options appearing to be on the table for the Ukrainian, Alex Krassyuk, who guided Usyk to become the undisputed world champion at both cruiserweight and heavyweight, wants his long-time friend to pack it in and call it a day. "It was the roughest fight of his career," he told Boxing King Media. "I had this prediction for myself; I saw Rico's potential, his energy, how strong mentally he is. he has balls made of stone and that's when I realised it's not about the skills, its about the character. That's when I realised he's capable of the upset, he's capable of a miracle. I felt it was going to be extremely risky for Usyk and that's what happened.‌"Usyk is kissed by the gods, he is the luckiest boxer who ever existed in the sport, but this luck is not just given for nothing; it's given for hard work, for diligent work and for how big his heart is and how much he leaves in his training camp. Usyk did not look fresh. You can get colds, you can get injuries, you can be mentally and physically tired and your weight can go up. But he was at the highest weight I have ever seen him. He's not taking advantage of his footwork in the ring, he's more concentrated on a harder punch when. his feet are loaded in the ground."If I was there to advise him, his next performance would be his family. His family matters, maybe his businesses, that's what he has to take care of now. He has to stop now. It's better to leave one hour before than two minutes after. Unfortunately this is the truth, not just in boxing, but every single thing."You can't earn all the money in the world, you can't beat all the fighters in the world. He needs to take this decision and it's a difficult decision for a man like Usyk, being at the top and being unbeaten. From the bottom of my heart, I wish he would retire in his prime and be remembered as one of the greatest fighters of all time."Article continues below