Promotional company Queensberry Promotions has announced record demand for November's major heavyweight clash. For the match-card headlined by reigning WBC champion Agit Kabayel meeting undefeated Albanian Nelson Hissa, 42,500 tickets have already been sold. This volume of sales forced organizers to reconsider the arena's capacity: the number of spectator seats at the Merkur Spiel-Arena in Düsseldorf will be increased to meet fan demand, reports Sport RBC.UA citing the Queensberry Promotions press service.
Pre-sale beats expectations: 25,000 tickets in the first 24 hours
According to organizers, ticket pre-sales started two weeks ago and exceeded forecasts from the very first hours. Within the first 24 hours alone, fans purchased 25,000 entry tickets — a figure that, as Queensberry notes, is rarely recorded at boxing events in Europe. The final figure of 42,500 tickets sold in two weeks confirms sustained public interest in the matchup between the two undefeated heavyweights and indicates that the bout has become one of the most anticipated boxing events of the autumn in Germany.
November 28, Düsseldorf: the first full WBC belt defense
The fight will take place on November 28 at the Merkur Spiel-Arena, the home stadium of the Fortuna Düsseldorf football club, which holds over 50,000 spectators. For Agit Kabayel (27-0, 19 KOs), this bout will mark his first defense of the full WBC heavyweight championship belt. The German boxer stepped up to defend the title a few months after obtaining undisputed status in June: Oleksandr Usyk vacated his titles, and Kabayel, who previously held the interim champion belt, automatically transitioned into the category of full WBC belt holders. Thus, November's fight will be the first real test of his championship status in this new capacity.
Nelson Hissa: 25 wins, 23 knockouts, and zero losses
Kabayel's opponent will be Nelson Hissa (25-0, 23 KOs), an Albanian heavyweight who also approaches the meeting with an immaculate record. For Hissa, the Düsseldorf bout represents a chance for the first time in his career to fight for a full world title and enter the division's elite. Both boxers boast high knockout statistics, promising a spectacular and aggressive nature to the showdown. Neither contender has lost a professional fight, and it is precisely this circumstance, according to the organizers, that largely drove the excitement around the event.
Context: from interim belt to the main stage
Kabayel's path to full championship status was non-linear. The German boxer previously explained why he never secured a match with Usyk, despite both vying for the status of top WBC heavyweight. After Usyk left the division, Kabayel was given the opportunity to secure the belt without a mandatory defense against the Ukrainian. Now, performing for the first time in the status of reigning champion, he will defend the title against Hissa — and the outcome of the fight will determine the balance of power in the heavyweight division for the coming year. The organizers, in turn, have already confirmed that expanding the arena will allow additional spectators to be accommodated, and the final capacity of the Merkur Spiel-Arena for November 28 will be announced in the coming days.
