Boxing
Kurdish boxing
For a long time Kurdish boxing meant local halls and regional belts. Since June 2026 it means the heaviest world title in the sport.
The belt
On 27 June 2026 Agit Kabayel was elevated from interim champion to WBC world heavyweight champion. He had held the interim title since 22 February 2025 and had been European champion twice before that. He has never lost as a professional: twenty seven fights, twenty seven wins, nineteen of them by knockout (Wikipedia, 2026; BoxRec, 2026).
His family comes from the village of Ûson near Pazarcix in the Meraş region, in Bakur. He is the first world heavyweight champion of Kurdish descent in the history of the sport. Read the full record on his profile.
Why the heavyweight division matters
Heavyweight is the division that people who do not follow boxing still know the name of. A world champion there is discussed on television in a dozen countries at once. That is a level of visibility no Kurdish combat sports athlete has had before, and it arrives with a name that cannot be mistaken for anything else.
Boxers in the register
| Name | Sport | Record | Roots | Based in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agit Kabayel | Boxing | 27-0 | Uson (Cennetpinar), Pazarcix, Bakur | Germany |
This section grows as we verify more names. Amateur and regional careers are harder to source than professional ones, so a name appears here only once we can point at a published record.
Frequently asked questions
Who is the best Kurdish boxer?
Agit Kabayel. He has been WBC world heavyweight champion since 27 June 2026 and is unbeaten in twenty seven professional fights with nineteen knockouts (BoxRec, 2026).
Has a Kurdish boxer ever held a world title?
Yes. Agit Kabayel is the first world heavyweight champion of Kurdish descent in the history of boxing (Wikipedia, 2026).
Are there Kurdish women in boxing?
Erivan Barut from Dersim competes in kickboxing and muay thai and has also boxed as an amateur. She is a WAKO world champion in low kick (Wikipedia, 2026).