23:55
AND THE NEW!!!
Dmitry Bivol has claimed a richly deserved victory over Artur Beterbiev to capture the undisputed light-heavyweight crown!
Both combatants produced scintillating performances, but Bivol just seemed to have his nose in front down the stretch.
One judge scored it 114-114, while two more scorecards of 116-112 and 115-113 swung the majority decision in favour of the 34-year-old.
23:49
HAS BIVOL DONE ENOUGH?
Despite enjoying a ferocious surge in the middle rounds, Beterbiev was unable to find an answer for Bivol’s blistering flurries and elite ring generalship down the stretch.
A titanic effort from the champion in the last two rounds was met by a masterful response from Bivol, who still appeared to have plenty left in the tank.
As we now go to the scorecards, Bivol has surely done enough to claim all the belts.
23:40
BIVOL UTILISES FOOTWORK
Bivol’s ability to sustain his pulsating movement is truly remarkable, with the technician creating offensive angles while always finding an exit out of the pocket.
The ninth round saw him dance rings around Beterbiev who, to his credit, landed a series of vicious body shots.
His efforts, however, have done little to limit the movement of Bivol, who kept pumping his feet in a successful tenth round.
23:33
STRONG RESPONSE FROM BIVOL
While Beterbiev keeps marching forward, Bivol has seemingly restored the confidence he oozed in the opening two rounds.
Now boxing with far more rhythm, it could be argued that the challenger did enough to edge both the seventh and eighth rounds, with Beterbiev yet to make the necessary adjustments.
23:25
BETERBIEV IMPOSES HIS POWER
Beterbiev now looks far more dynamic, seamlessly shifting his feet into range to launch every inch of his 40-year-old body into each attack.
A torrid fifth round saw Bivol soak up a barrage of right hands, with the slick mover expressing a few distress signals after feeling his opponent’s mighty power.
The 34-year-old produced a strong response in the following three minutes, though, boxing fluidly on the outside before absorbing another of Beterbiev’s lethal bombs.
23:16
BETERBIEV PILES ON PRESSURE
A greater sense of urgency from Beterbiev was firmly put on display in the third round, though Bivol’s spatial awareness ultimately saw him survive a late onslaught.
With no interest in taking a backwards step, the ferocious puncher then continued to march his opponent down, catching Bivol with several clean right hands in the fourth round.
Already, the momentum of their rematch has seemingly shifted in favour of Beterbiev.
23:08
BIVOL DANCES AROUND BETERBIEV
Bivol got off to a bright start, not quite shifting his feet as much as he did in the first fight but still remaining elusive behind his jab.
The second round then saw more defensive manoeuvres from the challenger, with Beterbiev looking somewhat static as he pulls out of range.
The speed of Bivol, once again, has befuddled his formidable opponent early doors.
22:57
REPEAT OR REVENGE?
Next up is the big one. Undisputed light-heavyweight king Artur Beterbiev will put his titles on the line against Dmitry Bivol, just over four months removed from their first encounter.
The two pound-for-pound stars delivered a compelling battle last October, with Beterbiev edging a highly contentious majority decision.
But now, the pair meet in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, once again for all the marbles at 175lbs.
22:40
PARKER CALLS OUT USYK
Immediately after his emphatic victory over Martin Bakole, Joseph Parker called out heavyweight king Oleksandr Usyk, but equally insisted that he will fight anyone.
In his post-fight interview, he said: “Martin Bakole, thank you for flying all the way out here on short notice. I’m fit, I’m strong, I’m healthy, I’m sharp.
“Who’s next? If Usyk wants a dance partner, I’ll get uncle Frank [Warren] to come in here and lock in a fight with Usyk. I’d like to be champion of the world again.
“I will fight anyone and everyone.”
22:30
ALL OVER IN TWO!!!
Joseph Parker has just halted Martin Bakole with a stunning second-round finish.
Straight away, there was a glaring disparity in speed, with Parker remaining the more active of the two while Bakole waited patiently for his first opening.
Even so, the New Zealander was not quite as fleet-footed as one would have suspected, but nonetheless landed a looping overhand right to send his opponent’s enormous frame crashing to the canvas.
And while the 33-year-old clambered back to his feet, head coach Billy Nelson ultimately threw in the towel.
22:15
BAKOLE SEEKS DESTRUCTION
In another last-minute replacement, Martin Bakole steps in for IBF heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois to collide with Joseph Parker on just two days’ notice.
With the Congolese wrecking machine hitting the scales at 315lbs, it does not take a rocket scientist to guess what his game plan might be.
Parker, meanwhile, will put his WBO interim title on the line after enjoying a full training camp. This one should be interesting!
22:01
TOWEL COMES IN
Padley’s corner pulled there man out the fight after he was floored three times in a punishing ninth round, with Stevenson ultimately retaining his WBC title in dominant fashion.
All three knockdowns came from body shots, and while Padley showed tremendous grit to keep fighting, his corner nonetheless made the right call.
Either way, the Yorkshireman can only be commended for producing such a gallant performance on such short notice.
21:47
STEVENSON CREATES ANGLES
Towards the end of the fifth round, Stevenson began to reach into his toolbox and finally put his feet to good use, finding a series of angles to land his more spiteful attacks.
Padley, however, demonstrated his tremendous resolve – always firing back – but ultimately looks to be out of his depth at this stage in the contest.
Now entering the seventh round, Stevenson has seemingly established his authority.
21:37
STEVENSON SHOWCASES HIS CLASS
Despite a brave effort from Padley early doors, he was ultimately forced to endure a more punishing third round, with Stevenson landing several thudding shots at long range.
With his southpaw jab finding a home, too, it would appear that the champion has now established his groove.
Yet still, as the pair head into the fifth round, it must be said that Padley has already given an extraordinary account of himself.
21:29
PADLEY ENJOYS STRONG START
Padley stayed defensively responsible, while also catching Stevenson on several occasions, in the opening two rounds.
Towards the end of the second round, though, Stevenson began to get through with his sharp left hand, remaining patient in these early exchanges.
As the pair engage in close quarters, the champion seems to have the upper hand.
21:21
PADLEY ENTERS LIFE-CHANGING OPPORTUNITY
Josh Padley, who was drafted in during fight week following Floyd Schofield’s withdrawal, enters an almighty assignment as he now takes on WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson.
The electrician was fitting solar panels in Yorkshire before receiving his phone call, having just a few days to make weight and arrive in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Should he somehow emerge victorious, it will go down as the greatest upset in boxing history. But either way, Padley’s story has been truly remarkable.
21:12
AND STILL!!!
Carlos Adames has retained his WBC world middleweight title, with his closely contested 12-round encounter against Hamzah Sheeraz ending in a draw.
One judge, rather incredibly, arrived at a scorecard of 118-110 in favour of the champion, while one other scored the fight 115-114 for Sheeraz.
The final judge had it 114-114 but, in any case, Sheeraz will most likely be kicking himself for not pressing the action more.
21:06
HAS SHEERAZ DONE ENOUGH?
A more encouraging 11th round for Sheeraz may have swung the fight back in his favour, though Adames has been relentless right from the opening bell.
In the final round, meanwhile, the Brit seemed to lack a sense of urgency, despite knowing that he could easily be trailing behind.
Adames, to his credit, remained elusive throughout the contest but, in truth, looked far removed from a world-beater.
In any case, we now go to the scorecards.
20:58
WARREN GIVES SHEERAZ INSTRUCTIONS
Sheeraz has been made to look somewhat one-dimensional here. So much so, in fact, that Queensberry Promotions boss Frank Warren even marched over to his corner, ordering him to throw the uppercut.
And yet, regardless of his promoter’s passionate spiel, the Brit continued to box tentatively in the tenth round, no longer having the same impetus he did early doors.
In doing so, Sheeraz has seemingly allowed these past few rounds to slip away, with Adames emphatically closing the gap.
20:50
ADAMES COMES ON STRONG
Another lacklustre three minutes from Sheeraz allowed Adames to restore some stability, quite simply by maintaining a higher output to outwork his opponent.
Then in the eighth round, Adames began to extend his surge of success, catching the Brit with several thudding right hands.
It is peculiar, really, how Sheeraz is now boxing with far less confidence all of a sudden.
20:42
PASSIVE FROM SHEERAZ
After a difficult fifth round that saw him struggle to enter the pocket, Adames beat his chest as if to tempt Sheeraz into a more crash-bang-wallop affair.
Strangely, the challenger then took his foot off the gas in the sixth round, allowing the champion to enjoy a prolonged spell of success.
Still, at this stage, Sheeraz should be enjoying a sizable lead on the scorecards.
20:34
MEASURED APPROACH FROM SHEERAZ
A fairly uneventful third round could have gone either way, with neither fighter doing enough to assert their authority.
In the fourth round, though, Sheeraz found an opening for his sharp left hook to the body before sending a mean right hand down the pipe.
If the Brit carries on boxing the way he is, then the WBC title could well be within his grasp.
20:25
SHEERAZ STICKS BEHIND JAB
As expected, Sheeraz utilised his long levers in the opening round, pumping out a strong and accurate jab to keep his opponent at bay.
Adames, though, has looked nice and dynamic early doors, perhaps looking to channel his inner Marvin Hagler with the word ‘WAR’ printed on his red gloves.
The second round saw him edge closer into range, while Sheeraz maintained his composure by boxing on the outside.
20:16
HUGE TEST FOR HAMZAH
Highly-touted middleweight contender Hamzah Sheeraz is just seconds away from colliding with WBC titlist Carlos Adames.
The Brit comes off a fine run of form but is yet to face an operator on the level of Adames, who has now firmly established himself at world level.
Should the 25-year-old emerge victorious, his promising career can then only go from strength to strength.
20:07
ORTIZ RETAINS BELT
Vergil Ortiz Jr has retained his WBC interim super-welterweight strap after securing a unanimous decision victory over Israil Madrimov.
The American came on strong down the stretch, with one judge scoring it 117-111 while the other two had it 115-113 in his favour.
In his post-fight interview, Ortiz said: “This was expected – I knew that I was the better fighter. We just want to show that we’re the best at 154lbs. I just want to fight the best.”
20:00
RAZOR-THIN
The final two rounds proved torrid for Madrimov, who was clearly left feeling the effects of Ortiz’s expertly delivered body shots.
Nevertheless, ‘The Dream’ showed tremendous heart to keep himself in the fight, somehow responding with several eye-catching bursts of his own.
But still, as we now go to the scorecards, there will almost certainly be a moment of controversy following the pair’s absorbing 12-round battle.
19:52
ORTIZ DENTS MADRIMOV
After enduring a stern earful from head coach Robert Garica in the corner, Ortiz entered the ninth round with a fierce sense of urgency, refusing to give his opponent an inch of breathing space.
Madrimov, to his credit, did well to absorb the American’s ferocious body attacks, but nonetheless appears to have slowed his feet.
The tenth round then saw a more closely contested battle, with both fighters trading heavy artillery in the pocket.
19:45
BACK-AND-FOURTH ACTION
The seventh round saw Ortiz significantly heighten his front foot pressure, finally utilising his effective aggression after allowing the first few rounds to slip away.
In response, Madrimov noticeably lowered his activity, no longer dancing seamlessly around the ring but instead opting to hold his feet more often.
And yet, despite another promising visit from Ortiz in the eighth round, Madrimov began to rediscover his early sharpness, catching the American with a series of front foot counters.
19:37
ORTIZ SPRINGS TO LIFE
Ortiz looks menacing as he marches into range, but has rarely found a moment of success.
That was, of course, until the pair entered the sixth round, where the American landed a series of well-placed body shots to temporarily slow Madrimov’s feet.
But while the Uzbek continues to launch his single shots, Ortiz may have just swung the momentum of this fight in his favour.
19:28
MADRIMOV OOZES CONFIDENCE
This is the most fluid most will have ever seen Madrimov box, with the Uzbek keeping his hands low while maintaining a pulsating rhythm.
While Ortiz had pockets of success in the third and fourth rounds, he still needs to find an answer for his opponent’s lateral movement.
At this stage, though, ‘The Dream’ continues to box beautifully.
19:20
MADRIMOV PUMPS HIS FEET
Madrimov put his sharp feet to good use in the opening round, dancing around the ring while springing into range with the odd flashy combination here and there.
Ortiz, however, upped his intensity in the second round, trapping the Uzbek on several occasions without landing anything to write home about.
Through the first six minutes, Madrimov’s majestic movement has seemingly earned him an early lead.
19:12
ORTIZ VS MADRIMOV STARTS NOW
After a captivating display of brute force and, if we’re honest, limited technical ability, this next dustup promises to deliver a vastly more strategic chess match.
Vergil Ortiz Jr puts his WBC interim super-welterweight title and unbeaten record on the line against former world champion and fearsome operator Israil Madrimov.
This one has all the ingredients to steal the show!
18:59
KABAYEL STOPS ZHANG!
Kabayel has just halted Zhang!!!
Despite fighting with his mouth wide open, Zhang found a chopping left hand from out of nowhere to drop Kabayel in the fifth round.
With fatigue clearly representing a genuine concern, though, ‘Big Bang’ was unable to sustain his attack, presenting Kabayel with a widow to finish the round strong.
The German then floored his opponent with a sickening sixth-round body shot after dishing out a punishing onslaught, with Zhang ultimately failing to beat the referee’s count.
18:50
KABAYEL ESTABLISHES CONTROL
Both heavyweights have exchanged several vicious attacks to the body, with Kabayel maintaining a high output while Zhang picks and chooses his moments.
The German enjoyed a strong third round, and further established his presence in the following three minutes, jolting Zhang’s head back with a series of solid uppercuts.
The Chinaman, meanwhile, remains dangerous but is seemingly already conserving his energy.
18:42
BOMBS AWAY
A lighting fast start from Zhang seemed to take Kabayal by surprise, with the imposing southpaw digging away to his opponent’s body in an explosive opening round.
After being forced onto the backfoot, though, Kabayel came marching forward in the second round, only to eat a few of Zhang’s monster left hands.
But still, the German’s body work proved effective, giving his towering opponent something to think about.
18:33
HEAVYWEIGHT ACTION NEXT
Fan-friendly sluggers Zhilei Zhang and Agit Kabayel will lock horns for the vacant WBC interim heavyweight strap in tonight’s next showdown.
Kabayel looks to extend his unbeaten record, while Zhang is hoping build on his momentum after stopping Deontay Wilder in his last outing.
This one should deliver fireworks!
18:24
SMITH CLAIMS UD!!!
Callum Smith has secured a monumental victory over Joshua Buatsi, becoming the new WBO interim light-heavyweight titlist.
All three judges scored the bout in favour of ‘Mundo,’ though one judge produced a truly baffling scorecard of 119-110.
The other two, however, were much closer, with scores of 115-113 and 116-112 cementing Smith’s unanimous decision win.
18:18
WE GO TO THE SCORECARDS
With blood trickling from the cut he sustained earlier in the fight, Smith nonetheless kept his foot on the gas in the final two rounds.
As for Buatsi, there was a clear rise in work rate, though he was forced to absorb a spiteful left hook half way through the 12th round.
Regardless of the result, both fighters have treated fans to 12 rounds of compelling action.
18:11
BUATSI MAY NEED KO
Head coach Virgil Hunter told Buatsi at the beginning of the tenth round that he now needs a knockout!
Naturally, the 31-year-old fought the next three minutes with a far greater sense of urgency, targeting the long torso of his opponent.
Smith, meanwhile, looks like he’s expended much of his energy, heading into the 11th round with fatigue having firmly crept in.
18:06
SMITH LOOKS IN CONTROL
An enthralling eighth round saw Smith maintain his high output, with Buatsi, on the other hand, lowering his activity drastically.
The Liverpudlian has not only established his control but has also found a home for his long right hand, catching Buatsi to the head and body.
Sure enough, the shot continued to spear through Buasti’s guard in the ninth round, with the Londoner demonstrating a tremendous chin.
17:58
SMITH GOES FOR THE JUGULAR
After dishing out several ruthless attacks to the body, Smith caught Buatsi with a chopping right before following the shot up with a promising barrage.
And despite a strong finish to the sixth round, Buatsi appeared somewhat tentative in the seventh, clearly showing a degree of respect for Smith’s power.
At this stage, there is barely a whisker to separate both fighters.
17:50
SMITH SUFFERS CUT
A small cut above Smith’s right eye saw seasoned cornerman Russ Anber go to work at the end of a closely contested fourth round.
The former world champion was able to find a home for his potent left hook in the previous three minutes, while Buatsi refused to take a backwards step.
An absorbing fifth round then told a similar story, with both fighters enjoying their fair share of success.
17:42
STRONG RESPONSE FROM SMITH
Smith was able to restore some stability in the third round, catching his opponent with several clean uppercuts as he was coming into range.
Buatsi, however, unleashed a blistering flurry to the body that seemed to momentarily trouble the Liverpudlian, who then came on strong towards the end of their three minutes.
17:37
BUATSI LOOKS AGGRESSIVE
The opening round saw Buatsi impose his aggression, pinning Smith up against the ropes before pivoting around his target to land a series of thudding hooks.
Soon enough, the Londoner’s front foot pressure began to create openings, with Smith struggling to maintain his defensive shape in the second round.
17:24
BUATSI AND SMITH RAISE THE CURTAIN
Hello and welcome to tonight’s coverage of what has been dubbed – to an almost deafening degree – the greatest fight card of all time.
Kicking off our live blog are Joshua Buatsi and Callum Smith, two British light-heavyweight contenders with a serious point to prove.
With Buatsi’s WBO interim strap on the line, too, the stakes are indeed high in the first of seven title fights taking place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol 2 : Live Updates & Results
The two best light-heavyweights in the world clash for a second time in Riyadh as the headline attraction for the ‘Last Crescendo’. Will it be repeat or revenge? Plus, a stacked undercard has managed to hold together in what promises to be a mammoth night of boxing action.
Where can you watch Artur Beterbiev vs Dmitry Bivol 2?
Artur Beterbiev vs Dmitry Bivol will be broadcast live on DAZN Pay-Per-View in the UK and the US. UK viewers can also choose from Sky Sports Box Office or TNT Sports Box Office.
What fights are on the Artur Beterbiev vs Dmitry Bivol 2 undercard?
12 x 3 mins – WBC, WBO, WBA, IBF and Ring Magazine light-heavyweight titles
Artur Beterbiev – 175lbs
Dmitry Bivol – 174.1lbs
12 x 3 mins – WBO interim heavyweight title
Joseph Parker – 267lbs
Martin Bakole – TBC
12 x 3 mins – WBO world lightweight title
Shakur Stevenson – 134.1lbs
Josh Padley – 134lbs
12 x 3 mins – WBC world middleweight title
Carlos Adames – 158.1lbs
Hamzah Sheeraz – 159lbs
12 x 3 mins – WBC interim super-welterweight title
Vergil Ortiz Jr – 153.1lbs
Israil Madrimov – 152.1lbs
12 x 3 mins – WBC interim heavyweight title
Zhilei Zhang – 287.5lbs
Agit Kabayel – 241lbs
12 x 3 mins – WBO interim light-heavyweight title
Joshua Buatsi – 175lbs
Callum Smith – 174.1lbs
6 x 3 mins – welterweight bout
Ziyad Almaayouf – 143.2lbs
Jonatas de Oliveira – 141.8lbs
6 x 3 mins – lightweight bout
Mohammed Alakel – 134.1lbs
Engel Gomez – 132.1lbs
