The WBC interim heavyweight champion (27-0, 19 KOs) could be in-line for a shot at Ring and unified champion Oleksandr Usyk later this year after all.

Turki Alalshikh plans to sit down with the Ukrainian (24-0, 15 KOs) to discuss defending his heavyweight titles on enemy territory once more, this time in Kabayel's native Germany at some stage in the second-half of 2026.

Kabayel has been vocal about wanting a shot at the full world championship and doubled down on Usyk specifically after blasting beyond then-unbeaten contender Damian Knyba on January 10 in Germany.

That electric appearance back home came three fights and two years following his showcase on a series of Riyadh Season shows scoring stoppage wins over Arslanbek Makhmudov, Frank Sanchez and most recently Zhilei Zhang.

12,000 raucous fans created a rowdy atmosphere at the Rudolf Weber-Arena in Oberhausen, with sources later confirming early plans for Kabayel's next outing to headline a stadium show not clashing with football fixtures.

He told The Ring's Mosope Ominiyi last month that while originally pencilled in for a May return, he'd now instead wait for the Usyk-Verhoeven outcome before deciding next steps.

That's something his promoter and Queensberry chief Frank Warren insisted will have a clear resolution: Usyk vacating the WBC crown or making a mandatory defense.

Usyk, 39, previously outlined his three-fight plan before retirement with an interview on Inside The Ring in March: Verhoeven, the Fabio Wardley-Daniel Dubois winner next weekend in Manchester and a Tyson Fury trilogy.

Kabayel subsequently responded disapprovingly and if all goes well later this month, it appears as though the in-form puncher could get his wish against The Ring's top pound-for-pound operator on home soil.