It is being billed as “the greatest fight card of all time.”
Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol rematch for the undisputed light heavyweight crown on Saturday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. And if that wasn’t enough, a handful of 50-50 championship matchups sit below it.
The undisputed throne in one of boxing’s most important divisions? Two major world title belts? Four interim title fights? And every big-time promoter on both sides of the Atlantic working in concert? Saturday’s show is nothing short of a fight fan’s dream.
The Beterbiev vs. Bivol 2 fight card begins Saturday at 11 a.m. ET and airs live on DAZN pay-per-view for $25.99. Uncrowned will have live round-by-round coverage of the entire card.
So who wins and how? Let’s break it all down.
Betting odds courtesy of BetMGM.
Undisputed light heavyweight title: Artur Beterbiev (-120) vs. Dmitry Bivol (+105)
Beterbiev vs. Bivol 1 was hailed by many as one of the best potential matchups in the sport, and it delivered in the ring with a sensational 12-round contest this past October.
At the end of it, Beterbiev (21-0, 20 KOs) had his hand raised with a majority decision (114-114, 115-113, 116-112), which left many of the fans watching in Kingdom Arena or at home bemused. Although Beterbiev left the arena as undisputed champion, his claim to the throne was anything but undisputed.
Just four months later, the pair are set to rematch at Anb Arena in Riyadh. Beterbiev enters as the marginal favorite with the bookmakers, but it is as close to a pick’em matchup as you’ll get.
Bivol (23-1, 12 KOs) was ahead on two scorecards after nine rounds back in October, however a strong finish from Beterbiev in the championship rounds was ultimately the difference. This time around, Bivol will need to close stronger, but there’s every chance Beterbiev won’t start as slow.
In the first contest, Beterbiev, 40, gave up many of the early rounds while attempting to figure Bivol out. Bivol, 34, was too sharp early and Beterbiev had to wait for him to drop off. Now that Beterbiev is familiar with Bivol’s confounding style, he may not take as long to understand what he’s seeing and be able to repeat his later success but earlier in the contest.
When Bivol did slow down, Beterbiev — who won every fight by knockout until Bivol — pounced. Bivol’s compact guard saved him from fight-ending damage, though Beterbiev was awarded a lot of credit in their first fight for hitting Bivol’s arms and gloves due to the thudding, pulsating power he possesses. With 682 punches thrown, Beterbiev attempted 259 more blows than Bivol (423) but landed five less.
Bivol needs to do a better job of using his footwork or head movement to get out of the way of punches rather than just taking the impact away, as punches hitting his guard may again work against him.
Bivol is also six years younger. Although Beterbiev has shown no signs of aging, he is coming off a physically grueling 12 rounds, and there is a chance that he has declined — even slightly — since the pair traded leather in October.
I expect another close contest, with Beterbiev figuring Bivol out earlier this time and winning more conclusively. If Beterbiev hasn’t deteriorated significantly overnight, Bivol won’t be able to make the adjustments to turn things around. What favored Bivol in the first fight was that Beterbiev took a long time to download that information, which will surely be done much quicker in their second meeting.
Final pick: Beterbiev via unanimous decision.
WBO interim heavyweight title: Joseph Parker (-155) vs. Martin Bakole (+125)
Daniel Dubois was supposed to defend his IBF heavyweight title against Joseph Parker in the night’s co-main event, but then Dubois was forced to withdraw on Thursday due to illness, leading Martin Bakole to step in as a late replacement and save Parker’s spot on the show.
Parker (35-3, 23 KOs) has won five in a row since getting knocked out by Joe Joyce in September 2022. The former WBO champion is coming off decision wins over Deontay Wilder and Zhilei Zhang heading into his WBO interim title defense against Bakole.
Bakole (21-1, 16 KOs), generally considered as a heavyweight many would prefer to avoid right now, upset previously unbeaten American contender Jared Anderson this past August in Los Angeles. Bakole proved too powerful for Anderson, finishing him off with a vicious knockout in the fifth round.
Parker has bulked up for what was supposed to be his fight with Dubois and will enter the ring on Saturday night heavier than the 245-pound range we’re accustomed to seeing from the New Zealander.
From what’s circulating on social media of Bakole’s current status, it’s apparent that he’s not in fight-fit condition for Saturday. He has admitted in a clip posted to his profiles that he hadn’t started camp yet for his May 2 fight with Efe Ajagba, so I don’t expect him to be sharp or in shape for Saturday.
Furthermore, Bakole was in the Congo on Thursday when he got the call to face Parker and therefore will be in Saudi Arabia for around 24 hours before fighting, which is far from ideal. If Parker can weather the early storm — if there even is an early storm — he can take Bakole out late.
Final pick: Parker via late KO/TKO.
WBC lightweight title: Shakur Stevenson (-4000) vs. Josh Padley (+1400)
Shakur Stevenson was supposed to defend his WBC lightweight crown against unbeaten American prospect Floyd Schofield, but Schofield was pulled from the bout for medical reasons on Tuesday by the British Boxing Board of Control, which is overseeing the event. Now Britain’s Josh Padley steps in to replace Schofield on less than a week’s notice.
Padley upset lightweight prospect Mark Chamberlain this past September on the Joshua vs. Dubois undercard, which has earned him the opportunity — and purse — of a lifetime.
Padley (15-0, 4 KOs) is competent at a domestic British title level but will be well out of his depth against Stevenson (22-0, 10 KOs) on Saturday. Stevenson, a three-division champion ranked No. 10 on Uncrowned’s pound-for-pound list, is one of the best pure boxers in the sport. Padley soundly outboxed the unproven Chamberlain, but Stevenson is a different level of assignment altogether.
The main question in this fight is whether Stevenson can end this party inside the distance or if he will box to a shutout or near shutout points decision. Stevenson has been criticized for his inability to stop opponents after seemingly dominating contests. Most recently against Artem Harutyunyan, Stevenson controlled the action but ultimately failed to get his man out of there.
Padley, on short notice and likely not as skilled as Harutyunyan, should present the perfect opportunity for Stevenson to get a stoppage.
Final pick: Stevenson via KO/TKO in Rounds 5-8.
WBC middleweight title: Carlos Adames (+200) vs. Hamzah Sheeraz (-250)
Hamzah Sheeraz looks to become the first Brit to win the prestigious green and gold WBC middleweight title since Alan Minter in 1980 when he takes on defending champion Carlos Adames on Saturday.
Adames (24-1, 18 KOs) has won six consecutive fights since dropping a unanimous decision to Patrick Teixeira in his only loss back in 2019. The Dominican won a title eliminator over veteran contender Sergiy Derevyanchenko in 2021 and hasn’t looked back since, following it up by claiming the WBC interim title over Juan Macias Montiel, defending it against Julian Williams, and then retaining the full title with a decision over Terrell Gausha this past June.
Sheeraz (21-0, 17 KOs) enjoyed a tremendous 2024 campaign, which began with his opening-round knockout of multi-time title challenger Liam Williams. Sheeraz then battled back from adversity to stop Austin Williams in the 11th round of a seemingly 50-50 matchup between top middleweight contenders, before closing out the year with a second-round stoppage of Tyler Denny.
It’s a big step up for Sheeraz in levels, but I do think he’s picked the most winnable world title fight out there at middleweight. Sheeraz has the edge in all physical factors, including size, power and speed. If he can keep the fight at long range and walk Adames into power punches like he did Austin Williams, I expect him to claim the belt late.
Final pick: Sheeraz via KO/TKO in Rounds 7-12.
WBC interim super welterweight title: Vergil Ortiz Jr. (-125) vs. Israil Madrimov (+110)
Israil Madrimov surprised with how close his fight with Terence Crawford was this past August. Crawford is known as a master boxer, yet Madrimov (10-1-1, 7 KOs) did not look at all out of place battling with the pound-for-pound great at long range. It was the toughest test of Crawford’s recent run, and Madrimov hopes to use that experience to outbox rising star Vergil Ortiz Jr. on Saturday.
Ortiz Jr. (22-0, 21 KOs) moved up to super welterweight in 2024 and secured two first-round finishes at the weight before being severely tested by Serhii Bohachuk. Bohachuk put Ortiz down twice in their August bout, but Ortiz managed to win a majority decision.
While Crawford’s fight with Madrimov was an elite-level chess match, Saturday’s bout will almost certainly not be that. Ortiz will pour the pressure on Madrimov and hope his constant presence, physicality and power will overwhelm the Uzbekistan native. Madrimov has fantastic footwork and boxing IQ and will be looking to outbox Ortiz with skilled counter-punching at a conservative work rate.
Ortiz has never faced a fighter with the skill set of Madrimov. If Madrimov can effectively counter Ortiz, he can score a knockdown or two en route to a competitive decision win. Ortiz is open defensively at range, and though Bohachuk didn’t necessarily drop him with fight-ending punches, Ortiz was nonetheless off-balance and had his chin in the air while trading with Bohachuk.
Ortiz has also never boxed in Riyadh before, so this week will be the first time he has been in the Saudi climate, gone through a drawn-out fight week build-up, and most importantly, completed the British Boxing Board of Control’s weight check. Ortiz was required to weigh no more than 3% over the 154-pound limit on Wednesday of fight week, which is 159.62 pounds.
Ortiz is known to have a big frame, so he would’ve had to cut weight to make the check, then rehydrate and cut weight again two days later. Similar to the IBF’s second-day weigh-in, this is a process that can easily affect a fighter’s performance when they are big at the weight and doing it for the first time. A notable example of this is Richardson Hitchins, who struggled badly against Gustavo Lemos in April 2024 when he had to do the second-day weigh-in for the first time for an IBF title eliminator.
Final pick: Madrimov via unanimous decision.
WBC interim heavyweight title: Zhilei Zhang (+138) vs. Agit Kabayel (-160)
The vacant WBC interim heavyweight title is on the line as well when Agit Kabayel and Zhilei Zhang go head-to-head.
Kabayel (25-0, 17 KOs), a former European champion, has picked up two major wins on Riyadh Season cards. In late 2023, he dropped Arslanbek Makhmudov three times as a heavy underdog en route to halting him in the fourth round. On the Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk undercard in May, Kabayel emerged victorious in a WBC title eliminator, stopping Cuban contender Frank Sanchez in seven rounds.
Zhang (27-2, 22 KOs) was last seen in action in June when he knocked out Deontay Wilder in five rounds in the headliner of the Riyadh Season 5 vs. 5 event to give Queensberry a 10-0 sweep over Matchroom. Prior to that, Zhang scored two knockdowns of Joseph Parker but lost a majority decision.
One consistent issue Zhang faces is his activity and volume of punching output. Zhang drew with Jerry Forrest in 2021 after scoring a knockdown in each of the first three rounds because he tired out and allowed Forrest to win most of the remaining rounds on activity. Zhang then lost to Filip Hrgovic in 2022 after giving up much of the second half on the scorecards, and against Parker, Zhang averaged just six punches per round.
Kabayel isn’t a power puncher or a big heavyweight. He is, however, a good pressure fighter and body puncher. Kabayel walked down Sanchez and Makhmudov, broke their wills, and hammered them to the body. Body attacks are exactly what the German needs to do against the giant Zhang: Chop down the tree from the trunk until the head is ready to fall.
If Kabayel can stay away from the power early and get past the first half of the fight, he’ll stop Zhang late or win a decision.
Final pick: Kabayel via late KO/TKO or decision.
WBO interim light heavyweight title: Joshua Buatsi (-190) vs. Callum Smith (+160)
In the night’s pay-per-view opener, British light heavyweight contenders Joshua Buatsi and Callum Smith collide for Buatsi’s WBO interim title.
Buatsi (19-0, 13 KOs) scored two knockdowns against Willy Hutchinson to win a split decision and capture the WBO interim light heavyweight championship on the Joshua vs. Dubois undercard.
Smith (30-2, 22 KOs), who previously held the WBA and Ring Magazine super middleweight titles, was stopped in seven rounds by Beterbiev for the unified light heavyweight belts in January. The Liverpudlian rebounded with a low-key victory this past November and now looks for another shot at the world title.
Buatsi is on a good run of form. He’s beaten Craig Richards, Dan Azeez and Hutchinson in three of his past four fights, however, in every one of those bouts, he showed exploitable flaws that could be dangerous against the top guys at light heavyweight.
Smith has boxed just five times in five years. The inactivity cost him dearly against Beterbiev in January 2024, as he just didn’t get going. It’s a valid question as to whether this fight has come too soon after the Beterbiev defeat for Smith and whether he would’ve been better off recording one or two wins at the fringe world level before going into another 50-50 bout.
Smith can beat Buatsi, however circumstances currently sit in Buatsi’s favor, and I expect that to be the difference on Saturday night.
Final pick: Buatsi via unanimous decision.
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