I will update this live blog throughout the event, beginning with the Main Card at 11:00 a.m. ET. The Main Card airs on DAZN PPV.
6:58 p.m. ET: Dmitry Bivol defeats Artur Beterbiev by majority decision (114-114, 116-112 Bivol, 115-113 Bivol)
Bivol beat Beterbiev by a majority decision to become the new Undisputed Light Heavyweight Champion. He avenged his loss to Beterbiev in October. Bivol is now 24-1 in his boxing career. With Beterbiev winning the first fight, a trilogy between these two has to be the next fight. This fight was more competitive and better than their first one.
In his career, Bivol has now beaten two all-time greats, Canelo and Beterbiev. This is the first defeat of Beterbiev’s career, as he is now 21-1.
6:48 p.m. ET: Beterbiev vs. Bivol – Round 12
This fight lived up to the hype and more: an unbelievable main event and an entire card. Beterbiev started the 12th round very well, landing a few punches. Beterbiev was unloading on Bivol in this round while cutting him open. I had this fight ending in a draw on my card
10-9 Beterbiev, 114-114 draw
6:44 p.m. ET: Beterbiev vs. Bivol – Round 11
Both fighters landed punches in the 11th round, but Bivol got the better of Beterbiev. Bivol has taken control of this fight heading into the last round. This is an incredible performance from Bivol.
10-9, 105-104 Bivol
6:40 p.m. ET: Beterbiev vs. Bivol – Round 10
This round was very close. In the 10th round, Bivol landed the cleaner punches and seemed to be hurting Beterbiev. Heading into the championship rounds, I have it even. The champion needs to be more active to retain his titles.
10-9 Bivol, 95-95
6:36 p.m. ET: Beterbiev vs. Bivol – Round 9
Bivol’s confidence has grown, and now he is landing combinations on Beterbiev. With Bivol’s attack, Beterbiev’s output wasn’t the same in the ninth round, which was another strong round for the challenger.
10-9 Bivol, 86-85 Beterbiev
6:33 p.m. ET: Beterbiev vs. Bivol – Round 8
Bivol landed a nice right hook and is starting to increase his pace. To finish the round, Bivol landed a few punches to the body.
10-9 Bivol, 77-75 Beterbiev
6:29 p.m. ET: Beterbiev vs. Bivol – Round 7
Bivol isn’t throwing combinations anymore. He is just landing a single punch at a time. Bivol needs to be aggressive and take the fight to Beterbiev. It was a close round, but Beterbiev still did enough to win.
10-9 Beterbiev
6:25 p.m. ET: Beterbiev vs. Bivol – Round 6
Beterbiev’s power punches are getting to Bivol, and he is just walking him down. But Bivol landed a good right hand. The round was close, but Beterbiev’s attack at the end was the difference.
10-9, 59-55 Beterbiev
6:20 p.m. ET: Beterbiev vs. Bivol – Round 5
Beterbiev is starting to pick apart Bivol in the fifth round. Bivol needs to pick up his pace to even the score with Beterbiev. Bivol’s output isn’t as high as in the first two rounds of the fight. Beterbiev seems to have hurt Bivol a little bit.
10-9, Beterbiev 49-46
6:16 p.m. ET: Beterbiev vs. Bivol – Round 4
The electric pace picks up right where they left off in round three. The champion’s power punches continue to land on Bivol, increasing Beterbiev’s output. Beterbiev is landing the better punches right now.
10-9 Beterbiev, 39-37
6:12 p.m. ET: Beterbiev vs. Bivol – Round 3
Beterbiev begins the round with a few heavy punches. The champion unloads with some right hands but doesn’t land fully. Bivol is still moving forward and throwing, but Beterbiev seems more confident in this round. The pace in this round was unreal, with both fighters throwing big punches to end the round.
10-9 Beterbiev, 29-28 Bivol
6:08 p.m. ET: Beterbiev vs. Bivol – Round 2
Bivol is starting to throw more punches and putting together more combinations in this round. Beterbiev is moving forward but isn’t throwing enough punches. Beterbiev landed a few nice body shots at the end of the second round. The crowd is heavily behind Bivol.
10-9, 20-18 Bivol
6:05 p.m. ET: Beterbiev vs. Bivol – Round 1
From the start, Beterbiev is more active in this first round than in their first fight. It seemed Bivol was being more patient, but still landed a few combinations. I gave it to Bivol since he turned it on later in the round.
10-9 Bivol
5:32 p.m. ET: Joseph Parker defeats Martin Bakole by TKO in the 2nd round
At the start of the second round, Parker was finding his timing and landed a few nice combinations. During this round, Parker landed a few good body shots. Bakole started to land a few powerful uppercuts and is starting to move forward more often. With under a minute left in the round, Parker knocked Bakole down, and he couldn’t continue.
With this victory, Parker moves to 36-3 with 24 knockouts. This is Parker’s sixth straight victory, and he now seeks a massive fight in the future. A battle with Usyk or Daniel Dubois could be next for Parker.
The Main Event Undispted Championship bout between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol coming up now.
5:23 p.m. ET: Parker vs. Bakole – Round 1
Paker begins the fight by throwing more punches, while Bakole stays stationary for most of the round. Bakole is visible as the bigger fighter in this contest. Paker landed the better punches in the first round, but not a ton happened.
10-9 Parker
5:02 p.m. ET: Shakur Stevenson defeats Josh Padley by TKO
Stevenson was originally supposed to face Floyd Schofield, but after “Kid Austin” withdrew, Padley stepped up. Although Stevenson was in control throughout the fight, Padley put on a valent effort after taking the fight on a few days’ notice. He retained his WBC lightweight championship for the first time. This was Stevenson’s first win by stoppage since October 2021.
The fight started slowly, but Stevenson hurt Padley in round five. Stevenson’s relentless pace and pressure continued in the sixth round. Stevenson landed big, powerful punches in this fight, but Padley was so tough to beat and finish.
Stevenson knocked Padley down three times in the ninth round. Padley got up each time, but his corner stopped the contest after the third one. The fight to make it next in the lightweight division is Stevenson vs. Gervonta Davis. They are the two biggest stars in the division, and both need a significant fight. Stevenson landed 118 more punches than Padley did while landing power punches at a 48% rate.
The co-main event matchup between Joesph Parker and Martin Bakole is up next for the Interim WBO Heavyweight title.
4:12 p.m. ET: Carlos Adames vs. Hamzah Sheeraz ends in a split draw (115-114 Sheeraz, 118-110 Adames, 114-114)
After a back-and-forth 12-round WBC Middleweight Championship fight, the judges scored it a split draw. Although Adames didn’t win, he still retains his title. Adames outlanded Sheeraz 143-135 in total punches while landing 42 more power punches than the challenger.
Sheeraz had a four-inch edge in height (6’3″ vs. 5’11”) and a two-inch advantage in reach (75″ vs. 73″) over the former champion Adames. This was a big factor in this fight as it allowed Sheeraz to not have to exert as much energy to land punches on Adames.
In the eighth round, the action starts to pick up, with Adames landing a powerful combination that hurts Sheeraz. Adames was walking Sheeraz down in this round, having the challenger move backward. The majority of the major power punches were landed by Adames in this contest. Sheeraz was too indecisive in this bout and just didn’t seem like he had his best stuff.
Shakur Stevenson vs. Josh Padley is up next for Stevenson’s WBC Lightweight title.
3:07 p.m. ET: Vergil Ortiz Jr defeats Israil Madrimov by unanimous decision (117-111, 115-113×2)
Ortiz’s unbeaten streak remains, as he outlasted Madrimov to defend his WBC Interim Super Welterweight Championship successfully. At 26, Ortiz is now 23-0 with 21 knockouts and is one of the world’s best boxers. Ortiz landed 39 more total punches than Madrimov while landing 106 power shots.
Madrimov got off to a quicker start, but Ortiz came alive in the middle rounds of this bout. Ortiz allowed Madrimov to dictate the pace of this fight and struggled to find his rhythm. Madrimov moves around the ring a ton, which makes it a challenge for opponents to figure him out. Like Smith vs. Buatsi, this fight was very close throughout the entire bout.
Ortiz landed a devastating combination to end the ninth round, hurting Madrimov heading into round 10. Madrimov now has a record of 10-2-1 and has lost two of his last three fights. We will have to wait and see if Ortiz stays at 154 pounds or moves up a division.
2:02 p.m. ET: Agit Kabayel defeats Zhilei Zhang by KO in the 6th round
Kabayel is the new WBC Interim Heavyweight Champion after knocking out “Big Bang Zhang” in the sixth round. He is 26-0 with 18 knockouts in his boxing career. This was a good heavyweight fight as both fighters were aggressive and pushed the pace.
In the fifth round, Big Bang Zhang landed the biggest punch of the fight up until that point, knocking down Kabayel. Although Zhang seemed to be losing energy, he landed the powerful shot. Kabayel bounced back and finished the fifth round with a few great combinations after hitting the canvas.
Kabayel nearly knocked Zhang down early in the sixth round but Zhang stayed on his feet. With less than one miniute left in the sixth, Kabayel knocked out Zhang. At 41, Zhang’s career seems to be nearing an end after losing two of his previous three fights. With this big victory, Kabayel has a great chance to face linel Heavyweight Champion Oleksandr Usyk in the near future.
1:26 p.m. ET: Callum Smith defeats Joshua Buatsi by unanimous decision (119-110, 115-113, 116-112)
This fight was very competitive and got off to a quick start. With seven title bouts on this card, this was an incredible first championship fight. Smith had the better start and won the first two rounds on my scorecard, but Buatsi had a big third round. The pace in this bout was unbelievable; both fighters moved forward and landed devastating punches. The first five rounds were all very close and could have gone either way.
After Smith almost finished Buatsi in the sixth round, Buatsi bounced back and landed a few huge punches to end the round. In the last four rounds, Buatsi picked up the pace and made it very close. As Smith seemed to fatigue later in the fight, Buatsi showed off his impressive cardio as he was landing more punches in the championship rounds.
Smith landed brutal shots in the final round and wobbled Buatsi, but no fighter scored a knockdown in this contest. Buatsi had moments throughout the fight but didn’t have enough volume to get the job done. Even down to the stats, this fight was super close. Smith landed 272 punches as Buatsi totaled 247. Although Smith landed more, Buatsi was the more accurate fighter (40.8% vs. 38%).
A big fight will be next for Smith. He should fight David Benavidez or the winner of tonight’s main event in his next fight. Smith moves to 31-2, and although he lost to Beterbiev in January 2024, he showed that he still is one of the best light heavyweight’s in the world. This is Buatsi’s first loss of his career, and he is now 19-1.
12:15 p.m. ET: Mohammed Alakel defeats Engel Gomez by referee’s decision (60-54)
Alakel, 20, moves to 3-0 in his professional boxing career. He made his pro debut in October 2024. He dominated this contest from start to finish. Alakel landed 70 more total punches than Gomez did in this bout. During this fight, Alakel used his pressure style to land 46 more power punches throughout the contest.
Another Undisputed title fight will occur in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Saturday, February 22. 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.
Pre-Fight Prep List
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
