AFTER much speculation, the first card of the 2025 Riyadh season is now official and promises to be a very special night of boxing.
The announcement was made tonight by Turki Alalshik on social media platform X with promoters Frank Warren and Eddie Hearn.
On February 22nd in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the undisputed light heavyweight title will be on the line again when champion Artur Beterbiev, 21-0 (20 KOs), takes on Dmitri Bivoli, 23-1 (12 KOs), in a four-month rematch . since their first fight. On that October night, Beterbiev crushed Bivolj by split decision to take home all four world titles. However, the result was in dispute, and now the top two at 175 pounds will take it back.
IBF heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois, 22-2 (21 KOs), defends his belt for the second time against former WBO champion Joseph Parker, 35-3 (23 KOs). The Brit enters the bout having knocked out former division boss Anthony Joshua, but faces a rejuvenated Parker who has victories over Deontay Wilder and Zhilei Zhang.
Shakur Stevenson, 22-0 (10 KOs) makes his first appearance on the season card in Riyadh as Matchroom’s latest signing defends his WBC lightweight title against Floyd Schofield, 18-0 (12 KOs). Stevenson had hoped to face Golden Boy Promotions lightweight star William Zepeda, but the Mexican pulled out with an injury, giving Schofield the biggest fight of his career.
Britain could have another world champion by the end of the night if 21-0 (17 KO) Hamza Shiraz can dethrone 24-1 (18 KO) WBC middleweight champion Carlos Adames. Promoter Frank Warren confirmed a few weeks ago that his middleweight star will fight for a world title next year, and many believe it will be against current number one 160kg Zhanibek Alimhanuli. That fight was put aside, however, when Shiraz stepped down from his mandatory position in the VBO to instead focus on his green and gold belt.
The vibrant super welterweight scene adds another intriguing fight to its slate on February 22 when Vergil Ortiz Jr., 22-0 (21 KOs), takes on Israil Madrimov, 10-1-1 (7 KOs) for the interim WBC belt of 154 lbs. It remains to be seen, however, whether Madrimov will fight on Dec. 21 in Riyadh against Serhii Bohachuk. Their scheduled bout comes nine weeks before facing Ortiz Jr. The latter had been linked with a fight against Jeron Ennis, but with no deal, the undefeated 26-year-old was able to face former WBA champion Madrimov who narrowly lost to Terence Crawford in August.
Another heavyweight battle took place in Riyadh on the same night as Zhilei Zhang, 27-2-1 (22 KOs), and Agit Kabaiel, 25-0 (17 KOs), won the WBC interim heavyweight belt. Zhang returned to winning ways by beating Wilder last time out, while Cabayel made the most of his place on the cards for the season in Riyadh by impressing against Arslanbek Mahmudov and Franco Sanchez.
Rounding off the announcement is a fight that could easily top the televised card in the UK. Joshua Buatsi, 19-0 (13 KOs), puts his world title aspirations on the line when he defends his interim WBO belt against Callum Smith, 30-2 (22 KOs). Buatsi looked his best to beat Willie Hutchinson in September, while Smith, who lost to Beterbiev in January, continues to pursue his ambitions of becoming a two-weight world champion. The battered Liverpudlian dusted off the cobwebs after a 10-month layoff by stopping Carlos Galvan in five rounds on Saturday night.