AGIT KABAYEL climbed off the deck to chop down 20-stone, 6ft6in Zhilei Zhang. The underdog gave away six inches in height and three stone in weight but beat the breath and enthusiasm out of the loveable veteran inside six fun rounds. Barring a fifth-round knockdown, Kabayel showed exactly how a good little'un beats a good big'un, flooding Zhang's basement until the Great Wall fell.
![[Agit Kabayel celebrating a boxing victory with the WBC Interim World Heavyweight Title belt.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/agit-kabayel-celebrates-victory-title-974182971.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
China's 41-year-old southpaw started the bout like a man who knew time was not on his side. FOLLOW THE ACTION FROM RIYADH WITH OUR BOXING LIVE BLOG. Zhang chased the Kurdish German around the ring, slashing at his head from every angle. Kabayel, 32, was clever and stayed out of range, he stabbed at Zhang’s body and threw the occasionally looped right hand.
![[Agit Kabayel punches Zhilei Zhang during a boxing match.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/agit-kabayel-punches-zhilei-zhang-974178686_b00522.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
Twenty stone Zhang started to fatigue from as early as the second but every punch Kabayel connected with his shaven bowling-ball of a head bounced right off. The better shots from the 2017 Derek Chisora conqueror were the whipped hooks to Zhang’s never-ending torso.
![[Boxer Zhilei Zhang on one knee in a boxing ring, a referee looking over him.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/zhilei-zhang-reacts-knocked-stopped-974183382_0b119f.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
BEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERS. Moments after Callum Smith and Josh Butasi had put on a valiant show of light-heavyweight body punching, these two titans gave us an XXL version, in slower motion. Kabayel seemed confident that surviving the first half of the bout would allow him to pick off an exhausted veteran late on.
![[Zhilei Zhang knocks down Agit Kabayel in a boxing match.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/zhilei-zhang-knocks-agit-kabayel-974183211.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
Kabayel poured on the pressure thick and fast in the fourth, like chilli sauce on kebabs, his self-confessed guiltiest pleasure. But Zhang was far more resilient than the sort of late-night pitta bread that melts limply in your hands at 3am. Kabayel was coasting the fifth after a minute of one-way action.
But Zhang threw a three-punch combination that looked clumsy when the first two missed, but the final right hook shot landed flush and Kabayel was decked and had to crawl up after eight seconds. Kabayel rallied though and almost burst Zhang with a body assault as soon as the sixth started.
