“To be honest, I think Oleksandr will vacate. I think Frank is talking about [the fight] with Usyk’s team, and we will wait one week.

“I think we have one week to see if Usyk says anything, after that we will see what [happens].”

“But my opinion is that Usyk will not want to make the fight for me. I want to fight with Usyk,” said Kabayel to talkSPORT Boxing.

Kabayel says he does not believe Usyk will move forward with the mandatory defense despite pressure from his team and promoter Frank Warren, who has repeatedly pushed for the fight.

The unbeaten German strengthened his position as mandatory challenger with his knockout win over Zhilei Zhang last year. He later returned home for a headline event in Germany and has continued to campaign for a shot at the full WBC title.

Usyk, 39, retained his WBC, WBA, and IBF belts when he stopped Verhoeven in the 11th round in Egypt. The victory kept him at the top of the heavyweight division, but questions remain about which direction he will take next.

If Usyk vacates, Kabayel would move into position to fight for the vacant WBC heavyweight title. If he keeps the belt, negotiations for a mandatory defense could become the focus in the coming days.