A monster card has been announced for the 22nd of February under the Riyadh season banner. It is headlined by the rematch dubbed ‘the last crescendo’: Artur Beterbiev vs Dmitry Bivol 2. The undercard features title fights, including Daniel Dubois vs Joseph Parker for the IBF Heavyweight championship of the world as a co-main event.
I never thought we would see a world heavyweight title fight on the undercard of an undisputed light-heavyweight title fight. But we have, and that’s down to Turki Alalshikh and fronting the money to make the illustrious cards where the most marketable divisions of the past, such as the heavyweights, are billed as chief support.
A close contest in their first fight back in October, resulting in a controversial majority decision going Beterbiev’s way, had the boxing world in split discussions for weeks afterwards. When an elite matchup of that quality serves up that kind of razor-thin decision, it warrants an immediate rematch, especially when you also factor in that it’s for all the marbles.
Dubois vs Parker As The Co-Main Event
After undisputed heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk relinquished the IBF version of the world titles in favour of a rematch with Tyson Fury (scheduled for 21st December in Riyadh), Daniel Dubois was elevated to full champion following a win over Filip Hrgovic in early 2023 for interim status.
‘Dynamite’ Dubois solidified his champion status with a brutal knockout victory over former two-time unified champion of the world Anthony Joshua at Wembley Stadium in September. There was a substantial amount of talk about an immediate rematch between the two British heavyweights, but that quickly died down, and the rumours grew stronger that former WBO world champion Joseph Parker would face Dubois in his first defence.
The New Zealander comes into the matchup in the best form of his career. Since being brutally knocked out by Joe Joyce in 2022, he has racked up a five-fight win streak, which includes statement victories over Deontay Wilder and Zhilei Zhang.
It seems crazy that this high-level world championship fight from the glamour division is a co-main event, but it goes to show the strength of the cards and events being put together by Turki Alalshikh, who recently announced his takeover of Ring Magazine and plans for a super boxing league with fewer belts and a similar structure to the UFC and MMA promotions.
Every Fight is a Title Fight
Elsewhere on the card, there are two more world championship fights and three interim title fights pencilled in for what is another Riyadh season card considered to be ‘the best card of all time’. Hamza Sheeraz(21-0) challenges Carlos Adames(24-1) for the WBC world middleweight belt and Shakur Stevenson(22-0) defends his WBC world lightweight crown against Floyd Schofield(18-0)
One of the interim title fights is for the WBO version at light heavyweight, an all-British clash involving Joshua Buatsi(19-0) and former world champion Callum Smith(30-2) as they wait in the wings for the winner of the evening’s main event. Zhilei Zhang(27-2-1) returns to Saudi Arabia looking to get back in title contention as he locks horns with Agit Kabayel(25-0) for interim status with the WBC and an exciting match-up in the welterweight division with Vergil Ortiz Jnr(22-0) set to take on Israil Madrimov(10-1-1) also for interim status with the Mexican based organization.
Look out for the World In Sport preview closer to the time, and be sure to subscribe to the newsletter for all of the latest combat sports articles, plus much more!
