IT was a long old night for those in Riyadh but one that will be remembered for many years to come.
Billed as the greatest card ever ‘The Last Crescendo’ delivered for the majority and there was enough talking points to be mulled over for the days and weeks to come.
The main event delivered once again and just like their first fight Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol produced another modern day classic. This time, however, there was little argument that the man from Kyrgyzstan deserved his win.
Here, Boxing News considers five things we learned from five of the fights which took place last night.
Bivol has Beterbiev’s number
After 12 more rounds Dmitry Bivol and Artur Beterbiev proved once again that they are by far the two best light heavyweights in the world.
Their rematch was another compelling and dramatic battle that had everyone in awe of what they were watching. But after 24 rounds in total there is a strong argument that Bivol has Beterbiev’s number. Their first fight went the way of Beterbiev but there was more than a case to be made that Bivol deserved the win.
Fast forward five months and Bivol made sure there no debate was needed. He proved to be the better boxer and a worthy undisputed champion. The onus is now on Beterbiev, should a third fight take place, to match his rival and come up with a gameplan that will dethrone the new king at 175lbs.
Joseph Parker has earned another world title shot
Since his shattering defeat to Joe Joyce in September 2022 the comeback of Joseph Parker has been nothing short of amazing. Three wins against Jack Massey, Faiga Opelu and Simon Kean were expected but it didn’t tell us whether or not he was still a genuine heavyweight force.
Another three wins against Deontay Wilder, Zhilei Zhang and Martin Bakole tell us he definitely is. In fact he is arguably the biggest threat to Oleksandr Usyk’s reign as the best heavyweight in the world.
Parker, now the mandatory challenger for the WBO title, deserves to fight holder and unified champion Usyk next or to have his cancelled bout with IBF champion Daniel Dubois rearranged. One could also argue that Usyk v Parker is a much more intriguing prospect than a rematch between Usyk and Dubois.
Vergil Ortiz Jr showed another side to him
While the fight didn’t catch fire the way many thought it would there was no doubt Vergil Ortiz earned his win against Israil Madrimov to extend his unbeaten career.
The 26-year-old couldn’t get his shots off in the early stages because of Madrimov’s elusiveness but as the fight wore on Ortiz chipped away and what he did land slowed his opponent down bringing the two closer together with each passing round.
Ortiz is known as a front foot pressure monster but last night he showed discipline, patience and versatility. Beating someone with the technique and gameplan of Madrimov should stand him in good stead for future big fights.
Agit Kabayel is a legitimate contender
When Agit Kabayel was dropped by Zhilei Zhang’s powerful left hand in round five you would have been forgiven for thinking the end is nigh.
But the 32-year-old German got back to his feet, shook off the knockdown and got back to work. Beforehand Kabayel was proving to be a pain for Zhang with industry and fearlessness which allowed him to get off his own shots.
Wins against fringe level guys like Arslanbek Makhmudov and Frank Sanchez, while impressive, still left the question of Kabayel’s world title credentials to be answered. He most certainly did that last night by stopping the 6ft 6ins, 287½ lbs – giving away three inches and 46lbs – with a sixth round body shot knockout. Kabayel has well and truly arrived.
Callum Smith is not finished
Callum Smith went into last night’s crucial light heavyweight clash against Joshua Buatsi as the underdog but proved he is still a genuine world title contender and certainly the best of British at 175lbs.
Anthony Yarde may say otherwise but he is yet to face either man and his best win remains the fourth round knockout against Lyndon Arthur over four years ago.
Last night Smith fought like a man with a point to prove and showed character, courage and ability in spades. He out-fought the previously unbeaten Buatsi but demonstrated that, despite his inactivity, he has a 12-round engine that never looked like packing in.
His hopes of becoming a two-weight world champion still remain and it will be interesting to see how he is matched next. But after last night’s fight of the year contender Callum Smith’s career is very much alive and kicking.
