Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol will do battle once again when they clash in a mouthwatering rematch for the undisputed light heavyweight world championship.
Beterbiev got the nod over fellow modern great Bivol via a majority decision last October following 12 gripping, high-class rounds.
That action demanded a return and Beterbiev vs. Bivol 2 tops the most stacked Riyadh Season card to date. There are a plethora of mouthwatering fights all taking place on the same bill in Saudi Arabia, despite considerable fight week turbulance.
WATCH: Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol 2, live on DAZN
Daniel Dubois withdrew from his IBF heavyweight title defence against former WBO champion Joseph Parker, who earned his shot through superb victories over Deontay Wilder and Zhilei Zhang. Parker now faces another formidable test against Martin Bakole.
Chinese giant Zhang is back in action against the undefeated Agit Kabayel, another heavyweight like Parker who has sent his stock soaring through Riyadh Season victories.
American stars Vergil Ortiz Jr. and Shakur Stevenson are in world-title action at super welterweight and lightweight respectively. Israil Madrimov faces up to Ortiz after his narrow loss to Terence Crawford, while Josh Padley comes in to face Stevenson after Floyd Schofield withdrew due to illness.
Callum Smith and Joshua Buatsi get to settle a long-simmering domestic grudge at light heavyweight, while arguably the leading talent of Britain’s next generation, Hamzah Sheeraz will aim to win world honours for the first time when he challenges WBC middleweight champion Carlos Adames.
The Sporting News is following the Beterbiev vs. Bivol ‘Last Crescendo’ card live, providing fight updates and results
ROUND-BY-ROUND COMMENTARY: Beterbiev vs. Bivol | Parker vs. Bakole | Shakur vs. Padley | Adames vs. Sheeraz | Ortiz vs. Madrimov | Zhang vs. Kabayel | Buatsi vs. Smith
Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol 2 live updates, highlights, and commentary
Hello and welcome to The Sporting News’ live coverage of the stacked Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol 2. The repeat-or-revenge showdown for light heavyweight glory tops the ‘Last Crescendo’ card, which is packed with elite world-level action. We’ll be covering all the of the fights listed above round-by-round. Simply click on the link to catch up with your chosen bout before another clash for the ages goes down in the main event.
Mark Robinson/ Matchroom Boxing
WATCH: Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol 2, live on DAZN
Joshua Buatsi vs. Callum Smith live updates, highlights, and commentary
7 p.m. KSA/4 p.m. GMT/11 a.m ET: The first preliminary bout of the evening has just wrapped. Talented Saudi prospect Ziyad Almaayouf is back in the win column after an underwhelming draw last time out. Referee Howard Foster awarded the Buddy McGirt charge all six rounds against journeyman Jonatas Rodrigo Gomes de Oliveira and he moves to 7-0-1 (1 KO).
Beefy watches on
@LiamBeefySmith #BuatsiSmith #RiyadhSeason #BeterbievBivol2 pic.twitter.com/mpmsR0eAIO
— Matchroom Boxing (@MatchroomBoxing) February 22, 2025
6:30 p.m. KSA/3:30 p.m. GMT/10:30 a.m ET: The first title fight of the night comes with the WBO light heavyweight title on the line, but it’s about much more than that. Smith has been Britain’s premier operator at super middle and light heavy for more than half a decade. Buatsi’s pro-career has been a slow burner, frustratingly so at times. But this could prove to be the case of a fighter getting the older man at the right time as Smith drops into his first meaningful bout since a one-sided loss to Beterbiev last January.
Joseph Parker vs. Martin Bakole live updates, highlights and commentary
Parker’s wait for a shot at becoming a two-time heavyweight champion goes on after IBF champion Daniel Dubois’ pullout in fight week. The New Zealander (35-3, 23 KOs) has been one of the stars of the Riyadh Season cards, claiming big wins over Deontay Wilder and Zhilei Zhang. He faces another formidable test against late replacement Martin Bakole (21-1, 16 KOs), who was last seen demolishing highly-touted US prospect Jared Anderson.
Shakur Stevenson vs. Josh Padley live updates, highlights and commentary
WBC lightweight champion Stevenson (22-0, 10 KOs) was set to face fellow American Floyd Schofield before his compatriot pulled out with illness during fight week. It means opportunity knocks for Padley (15-0, 4 KOs), who upset Mark Chamberlain on last September’s Riyadh Season card at Wembley.
Carlos Adames vs. Hamzah Sheeraz live updates, highlights, and commentary
In his second defence of the full WBC middleweight title, Adames runs the risk of being the launchpad for the precociously talented Sheeraz. The 25-year-old Briton is on a scintillating run of 15 consecutive stoppages, although Adames, 30, has won six in succession since his sole career loss to Patrick Teixeira in 2019.
Vergil Ortiz Jr. vs. Israil Madrimov live updates, highlights, and commentary
Madrimov clearly doesn’t believe in easy work. After pushing pound-for-pound superstar Terence Crawford close on his first venture up to 154 lbs, Madrimov is back in action against the big-punching, thrill-seeking Ortiz. Last time out, Ortiz was taken the distance for the first time and survived two knockdowns to win a majority decision over Serhii Bohachuk, a bout that was named 2024 Fight of the Year by this publication.
Zhilei Zhang. vs. Agit Kabayel live updates, highlights, and commentary
A popular fixture on Riyadh Season cards, Zhang lost to Parker last March despite dropping the New Zealander twice. ‘Big Bang’ is always at risk of being undermined by his sluggish output when fights go the distance but this wasn’t an issue when he rebounded by demolishing the forlorn Deontay Wilder inside five rounds. Kabayel has impressed by getting rid of the dangerous Arslanbek Makhmudov and Frank Sanchez in Saudi. The WBC interim title is up for grabs here and a shot at full world title honours would be due reward for the victor.
Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol 2 full card results
- Artur Beterbiev (c) vs. Dmitry Bivol for the WBC, WBA, WBO, IBF and Ring Magazine light heavyweight titles
- Joseph Parker (c) vs. Martin Bakole for the WBO interim heavyweight title
- Shakur Stevenson (c) vs. Josh Padley for the WBC lightweight title
- Carlos Adames (c) vs. Hamzah Sheeraz for the WBC middleweight title
- Vergil Ortiz (c) vs. Israil Madrimov for the WBC interim super welterweight title
- Zhilei Zhang vs. Agit Kabayel for the vacant WBC interim heavyweight title
- Joshua Buatsi (c) vs. Callum Smith for the WBO interim light heavyweight title
How to watch Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol 2
The Beterbiev vs. Bivol 2 card is available worldwide on DAZN. The table below lists the pay-per-view prices in some of the major regions.
| Region | Streaming | PPV price |
| USA | DAZN | $ 25.99 |
| Canada | DAZN | $ 25.99 |
| UK | DAZN | £19.99 |
| Australia | DAZN | $ 41.99 |
| India | DAZN | ₹ 2250 |
