NEXT UP, DESTINATION DUSSELDORF

THE REINVIGORATED HEAVYWEIGHT division will again bounce to the forefront of the sport on Saturday November 28 when the Queensberry train crosses over into mainland Europe and a particular stop in Dusseldorf.

The 60,000+ capacity Esprit Arena - home to Fortuna Dusseldorf - will play host to Agit Kabayel making his first defence of his WBC world heavyweight title. The one that used to be owned by a certain Tyson Fury.

Of course, it was in Dusseldorf that it kind of all started for Tyson back in 2015 when, as rank underdog, he turned the heavyweight division on its head with his defeat of long-standing champion Wladimir Klitschko to become unified world champ.

Back then, the WBC belt was in the possession of the Bronze Bomber, Deontay Wilder, who would later enter into a trilogy for the ages with Tyson. Now Wilder is preparing to take his place on the undercard of Tyson against Anthony Joshua in Cardiff on December 11, where he will be in a fascinating encounter with cruiserweight great Jai Opetaia.

How times change.

Reversing a couple of weeks back to Dusseldorf, there will surely be no quarter given between local hero Kabayel and the Albanian force Nelson Hysa.

Hysa’s career ledger doesn’t tell us too much, but what we do know is that he can punch. And punch hard. ‘The Albanian Eagle’, as he is now known, has blasted out 23 of his 25 opponents since he turned pro in 2022.

His spoils of war include the WBO European title, which he defended twice, plus the WBO Global belt, which remains in his possession after a single defence. He has also collected the WBA Gold title along the way.

But now, in some ways thanks to his boisterous hunting down and calling out of the champion, opportunity knocks in a big way for the 42-year-old, who enjoys a massive following of his own.

The fact that his collision with Kabayel falls on Albanian Independence weekend should guarantee a couple of extra thousand noisy compatriots inside the Esprit Arena.

Kabayel taking on Hysa at the end of this month sees to it that all the title belts relinquished by Oleksandr Usyk will have been not just reallocated, but fought for, with the champions officially rubber-stamped.

Usyk parted himself first from the WBO title, which resulted in Fabio Wardley being upgraded from his Interim title status, which he won with his defeat of former WBO world champion Joseph Parker.

The Wardley reign did not stand the test of time with him insisting on the biggest available defence. Step forward Daniel Dubois now six months ago in Manchester.

One of the greatest heavyweight fights in modern history played out before our awe-struck eyes, with Dubois overcoming the adversity of two knockdowns to become a two-time world champion. He previously held the IBF world title and the WBA Regular title, for good measure.

The recent rematch at The o2 saw a far more abrupt and clinical finish, with Dubois landing bludgeoning blows to destroy the defences of Wardley and force the intervention of referee Steve Gray in the second round.

The conductor of the heavyweight orchestra, Hall of Fame promoter Frank Warren, informs that an announcement on a likely late January or early February return to the ring for Dubois should be made public in the next couple of weeks.

However, he currently remains tight-lipped over who will be in the opposite corner.

The IBF world title released by Usyk is now in the hands of the charming Croatian Filip Hrgovic following the vacant title mega showdown with the young thruster of the division, Moses Itauma.

At The o2, at the end of August, ‘El Animal’ used his animal instincts to outfox a rampant Itauma.

The 21-year-old didn’t so much stalk his prey, he pounced on his opponent right from the first bell and a stoppage victory appeared possible. The elite young talent landed every shot in the book, but Hrgovic wouldn’t fall down, bar a touch of the canvas in the second round.

Mr Warren is now talking up the prospect of Hrgovic making a first defence of his title in Croatia in the first quarter of 2027, while also revealing that Mighty Moses will be back in full swing, most likely in January.

The single portion of the heavyweight title pie that currently doesn’t sit under the jurisdiction of Queensberry, the WBA, could end up heading in the same stable as the others.

The forthcoming showdown between Fury and Joshua has now been adorned with the WBA Super title, so we could end up with the remarkable scenario of every major world heavyweight championship falling under the same promotion. Murat Gassiev is the current holder of the WBA Regular title belt.

Frank Warren envisions a 2027 of unifications, but there are a number of other heavies looking to force their way into the picture.

Joseph Parker is being spoken about in the media, while Lawrence Okolie, the former WBC Silver champion, has been cleared of any wrongdoing by the sanctioning body and is awaiting formal clearance to return.

The 2016 Olympic champion Tony Yoka is now back in the frame after a runout on the Hutchinson-Buatsi show last weekend and he will be looking to make up time after missing out on opportunities against Okolie and Gassiev in 2026.

Frank Sanchez, the talented Cuban, is waiting on his chance after stepping aside to allow Hrgovic and Itauma to get it on and he should figure in the first defence of the Croatian star.

Also, once he has enjoyed a healthy dose of R&R, Ipswich favourite Wardley will be studying his heavyweight satnav looking for an avenue to return.

And don’t forget the Big Bang! Chinese giant Zhilei Zhang will he hoping to gatecrash the party in 2027, a year that promises so much and will surely deliver in a big, big way.