Wladimir Klitschko was in talks to make a shock return to the ring against WBC interim heavyweight title holder Agit Kabayel.
The German puncher picked up the green and gold strap by stopping Zhilei Zhang in February, and was presented with a money-spinning offer to defend the belt against the long-retired former unified heavyweight champion.
Klitschko is considering coming out of retirementKabayel briefly pondered the proposition before choosing to reject it in order to continue his pursuit of a full world title.
“I already mentioned this (giving the returning Klitschko a shot) in my YouTube vlog,” Kabayel told sport.de.
“A sum was mentioned that would have made some people fall off their chairs and say: ‘Hey, this is the money fight, do it, take it.’
“But I really have to think about whether money plays such a big role for me.
“Whether I should say, ‘Now I’m paying attention to the money’.
“For me, the sporting aspect has always counted. I want to become world champion, world champion, world champion; there is nothing else.
“Maybe one day there will be a sum that I can’t say no to.
“But for now, I want to concentrate on the sporting side and stay on the sporting path.”
Klitschko hung up his gloves in 2017 following defeats to Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua, although the 49-year-old has repeatedly teased the idea of reversing his retirement for the right fight.
The majority of Wladimir and his brother Vitali’s professional bouts were staged in Germany, and so a fight with the country’s biggest heavyweight star proved to be an appealing opportunity.
GettyKabayel rejected a fight with Klitschko[/caption]Ring Magazine heavyweight rankings
C. Oleksandr Usyk
1. Tyson Fury
2. Daniel Dubois
3. Joseph Parker
4. Agit Kabayel
5. Anthony Joshua
6. Filip Hrgovic
7. Zhilei Zhang
8. Martin Bakole
9. Efe Ajagba
10. Fabio Wardley
Saudi boxing chief Turki Alalshikh is understood to have asked ‘Dr Steelhammer’ to end his retirement at the WBC convention in Hamburg at the back end of last year.
It remains unclear whether the Chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority was involved in the proposal.
What is clear is that Klitschko wasn’t the only name offered to Kabayel.
“As far as I know, this [fight with Klitschko] was discussed. I can only look at people’s faces and know that the topic isn’t completely off the table,” Kabayel added.
“For example, Deontay Wilder has also been mentioned as a potential opponent in Germany.
“These are all things that are happening in the background, and nothing concrete has been confirmed.
Wilder was also offered as a potential opponent for KabayelMark Robinson/Matchroom“Many people apparently think that this is the only way to entice me (makes a money gesture) because they know they can’t give me a world championship fight.”
For now, it seems Kabayel’s sights are firmly set on the July 19 undisputed clash between Oleksandr Usyk and Daniel Dubois at Wembley Stadium.
At present, WBO interim champion Joseph Parker is next up in the sanctioning body rotation system.
After which, Kabayel could finally get his long-awaited shot at heavyweight gold.
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