This Saturday, February 22, another Undisputed title fight will occur in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. In a rematch, Artur Beterbiev will defend his newly won Light Heavyweight tiles against Dmitry Bivol at Riyadh Season’s The Last Crescendo. The two first faced off on October 12, 2024. Beterbeiv won the fight via a majority decision (115-113, 116-112, and 114-114). This is one of the best Main Cards we have ever seen in boxing history. An Undisputed title fight, three world championship bouts, and three interim titles are featured on this seven-fight card.
This fight was one that boxing purists dreamed about for a long time, and many felt it fell short of previous expectations. It wasn’t a robbery by any means, but it wasn’t a clear-cut victory, as the scorecards show. Bivol outlanded Beterbiev 142-137 in total punches, but the champion landed six more power punches (90-84). Although Bivol fell short on power shots, he landed more power punches in seven of the 12 rounds. Beterbiev is the -130 betting favorite on DraftKings Sportsbook, while Bivol is +105.
The co-main event features a 12-round heavyweight bout with significant implications for the future. The IBF Champion, Daniel Dubois, was supposed to face Joseph Parker. But Dubois became ill and was forced to withdraw from the bout. Martin Bakole has stepped up on two days’ notice and will fight Parker for the interim IBF title. Parker is a top 10 heavyweight contender and has won five straight bouts. Bakole is on an incredible run, winning eight of his last 10 contests by knockout. Although Bakole has taken this fight without much time to prepare, he is only a slight underdog at +140, as Parker is a -170 favorite.
WBC Lightweight Champion Shakur Stevenson was initially scheduled to fight Floyd Schofield, but the fight was canceled on Monday. Schofield was injured, but Josh Padley filled in and took the fight on less than a week’s notice. Stevenson was expected to take on another talented top-15 fighter, but now he will face fellow undefeated Padley. He is 15-0 but is ranked No. 29 on BoxRec’s lightweight rankings. Padley last beat Mark Chamberlain in September. Stevenson improved to 22-0 when he defeated Artem Harutyunyan in July 2024. Stevenson is the biggest favorite on this main card by a large margin. He is -4000, and Padley is +1400 on DraftKings Sportsbook.
In the fourth fight from the top, Carlos Adames defends his WBC Middleweight Title against one of the best-rising contenders in boxing, Hamzah Sheeraz. Sheeraz, 25, is 21-0 with 17 knockouts and has knocked out his previous 15 opponents. In 2024, Sheeraz knocked out all three of his opponents. Adams most recently beat Terrell Gausha in June 2024 by a unanimous decision. Even though he is the challenger in this contest, Sheeraz is the favorite at -330, while Adames is a +255 underdog.
The main card begins on DAZN PPV at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, February 21. The Main Event ringwalks are expected to occur at 6:00 p.m. ET.
Full Card
(C) Artur Beterbiev vs Dmitry Bivol
Undisputed Light Heavyweight Title Fight
Joseph Parker vs. Martin Bakole
IBF Interim Heavyweight Title Fight
(C) Shakur Stevenson vs Josh Padley
WBC Lightweight Title Fight
(C) Carlos Adames vs Hamzah Sheeraz
WBC Middleweight Title Fight
(C) Vergil Ortiz Jr vs Israil Madrimov
WBC Interim Super Welterweight Title Fight
Zhilei Zhang vs Agit Kabayel
WBC Interim Heavyweight Title Fight
(C) Joshua Buatsi vs Callum Smith
WBO Light Heavyweight Interim Title Fight
