Nelson Hysa will fight for the WBC heavyweight championship of the world on November 28, the day Albanians everywhere celebrate their independence.
The unbeaten Albanian, known as the “Albanian Eagle,” faces German champion Agit Kabayel at the Merkur Spiel-Arena in Düsseldorf, a football stadium with room for up to 60,000 fans. The fight will be shown live on DAZN.
Hysa, from Shkodër, has won all 25 of his professional fights, 23 of them by knockout. Kabayel, 34, is also unbeaten, with 27 wins. The bout is scheduled for 12 rounds.
Promoter Frank Warren confirmed the fight on October 1. It will be Kabayel’s first defense since he was elevated to full WBC champion in June, after Oleksandr Usyk gave up the title. Kabayel is the first German heavyweight world champion since Max Schmeling.
Hysa earned his chance in London on August 29, when he stopped the previously unbeaten Norwegian Thomas Narmo in the second round to defend his WBO Global title. Minutes later he confronted Kabayel at ringside and called him out. The two have traded insults ever since, and the event is billed as “Bad Blood.”
At 42, Hysa is eight years older than the champion and will fight in his backyard. Düsseldorf is a short drive from Kabayel’s hometown of Bochum. But the date gives Hysa something Kabayel cannot match: Albanian fans from Germany, Switzerland and across Europe are expected to fill a large part of the stadium on the most important day of the Albanian calendar.
For viewers in the United States, the fight night begins at noon Eastern Time. DAZN will confirm the time of the main event closer to the date.
Atlantiku will cover fight week and the result.
