One of the most-anticipated rematches in boxing history is set to go down later TODAY (Feb. 22, 2025) inside Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, as current and undefeated (21-0) WBC, IBF, WBO, WBA (Super), IBO and The Ring Light Heavyweight champion, Artur Beterbiev, will throw down opposite former WBA Super and IBO kingpin, Dmitry Bivol. “The Last Crescendo” pay-per-view (PPV) event — which streams on DAZN for $25.99 — will be co-headlined by a short-notice Heavyweight collision between Joseph Parker vs. Martin Bakole.
What’s Hot:
After Beterbiev defeated Bivol in Oct. 2024, he became the first undisputed Light Heavyweight champion in more than two decades, with the last man holding that distinction being Roy Jones Jr. from 1999-2002. The majority decision win was tightly-contested, which was to be expected because both men were undefeated and at the top of their games. Once the dust settled, Beterbiev departed with a mint record (21-0) intact, but it was also the first time he had not scored a knockout. As for Bivol, the first defeat of his career left a bad taste in his mouth, but a chance to get revenge is around the corner.
When two men as talented as Beterbiev and Bivol share ring time with each other, not only are their bodies working overtime, but so are their minds. Indeed, you know each man calculated in their heads what the other does best and will try to adjust in the rematch. Sure, their respective trainers’ duties are to point that out, but at the end of the day, they are the ones in the ring charged with execution.
Photo by Richard Pelham/Getty Images
Bivol actually has a slight height advantage, but Beterbiev has him covered with a one-inch reach advantage. And what was exciting about their first fight was the sheer ferocity with which they threw and landed their punches. There was no wasted motion, no wasted punches — everything was crisp and precise on both ends. And I don’t expect anything different the second time around. If anything, the rematch may be event better. The winner of this fight will not only be undisputed champion, but will likely earn a potential mega-fight against David Benavidez later this year. “The Mexican Monster” is undefeated (30-0) with 24 knockouts and holds the WBC interim and WBA (regular) Light Heavyweight titles.
Orignal Card Vs. Actual Card:
The event unfortunately suffered two big blows after a pair of fights fizzled in the span of 24 hours. Shakur Stevenson was initially set to defend his WBC Lightweight title against Floyd Schofield Jr. before the challenger was forced out of the event with an undisclosed illness. Initially, Schofield’s father claimed that his son had been “poisoned,” leading to his withdrawal. Despite back-tracking on his bold claim, no exact description of the mysterious illness that sidelined was given. Stepping in to take his place is Josh Padley, who comes in with a pristine record (15-0).
One day after Schofield Jr. had to bow out of the card, the mega-event suffered another big blow after IBF Heavyweight champion, Daniel Dubois, also fell ill and was forced to withdraw from his scheduled title defense against Joseph Parker. As a result, Martin Bakole will fill in to take his spot.
Injuries:
While two original title fights were lost as mentioned in the section above, none of them were injury-related.
How The ‘Prelims’ Look:
There will be two preliminary fights going down on YouTube before the title fights begin, starting with a 145-pound bout between Brazil’s Jonatas de Oliveira taking on Saudi Arabia’s own, Ziyad Almaayouf. And, I’m sorry, but this is nothing more than a glorified squash match because Oliveira is currently riding a 14-fight losing streak with a record of 6-20. As for Almaayouf, he is 6-0-1.
If you thought that was bad, in a 135-pound bout, Engel Gomez will attempt to snap his 44-fight winless streak when he faces another hometown favorite, Mohammed Alakel, who is 2-0 in his young career. Gomez started off his boxing career with an 8-0-1 mark before he turned into Bob Sapp, proceeding to not win a fight in his next 44 outings (42 losses, two draws). It doesn’t take a genius to see that promoter’s are not even trying to hide their desire to feed the hometown boys wins.
Who Needs A Win Badly:
See above.
Interest Level: 9/10
In the co-main event, Parker will shift his focus to Bakole, a late replacement after his title fight against IBF champion, Dubois, was canceled. Parker agreed to take the fight, but it’s a huge risk because Bakole hits hard and has an awkward style. The WBO International and WBC-NABF Heavyweight title holder has an impressive record of 21-1 with 16 knockouts, so he has a proven track record. As for Joseph, he currently holds WBO’s interim Heavyweight title, as well as WBO’s Inter-Continental strap. He has big wins over Deontay Wilder, Derek Chisora and Zhilei Zhang. This one should be fun.
WBC Lightweight champion, Shakur Stevenson, is considered one of the best Lightweights in boxing today in a stacked division that includes Gervonta Davis, Devin Haney, Ryan Garcia, Vasiliy Lomachenko and Pitbull Cruz, just to name a few. The only problem is, Stevenson has yet to face either of those top fighters. But, if he can get through Josh Padley, a bigger fight could be around the corner. That’s because Davis is lined up to defend his WBA title up against Lamont Roach next weekend, with the winner possibly getting Stevenson next, assuming he wins Saturday. But, Padley is out to play spoiler on short notice. He is undefeated (15-0) with four knockouts and is coming off a win over Mark Chamberlain.
Carlos Adames will put his WBC Middleweight on the line against Hamzah Sheeraz in what will be his second attempt to defend the strap. He was initially the interim title holder, but after Jermall Charlo was stripped of his title following a DUI arrest in 2024, Adames was crowned the official champion. Now, he puts his six-fight win streak on the line against a man who has yet to taste defeat, going a mint 21-0 to kick off his career. WBC’s Silver Commonwealth and European Middleweight champion has 17 knockouts on his resume. The British brawler is ready for his time in the spotlight, and a win over the Dominican fighter is a great step toward that goal.
In what should be another thrilling title fight, WBC World Interim Super Welterweight champion, Vergil Ortiz Jr., will defend his belt against Israil Madrimov. Ortiz is undefeated at 22-0 with an astonishing 21 knockouts to boast of, eight coming in the very first round. As for Madrimov, he is coming off a tough defeat against one of the bet boxing on the plant, Terence Crawford, losing to “Bud” via unanimous decision in Aug. 2024, coughing up his WBA Light Middleweight title, in the process. Now, he looks to get back on track in a big way by becoming the first man to defeat Ortiz, while taking his hardware.
After losing his Lost WBO interim Heavyweight title to Joseph Parker in March 2024, Zhilei Zhang bounced back nicely with a technical knockout win over Deontay Wilder. Now, Zhang will attempt to win the title, which is once again vacant, when he goes blow-for-blow against Agit Kabayel. The current WBC Continental Americas, WBO-NABO, European, WBC-NABF and WBA Inter-Continental Heavyweight champion is undefeated at 22-0 with 17 knockouts. He is coming off a seventh round knockout win of Frank Sanchez, and now looks to keep his unbeaten streak alive against a monster of a man in Zhang, who outweighed him by 46 pounds during weigh ins.
In the opening fight of the stacked main card, Joshua Buatsi will put his WBO Interim Light Heavyweight title on the line against Callum Smith. Buatsi remains unbeaten at 19-0 with 13 knockouts. While he is the champion, it’s Smith who has a tougher strength of schedule. In fact, Smith’s lone two defeats came against Canelo Alvarez and Beterbiev, so he has been tested in more ways than one. Smith is the former WBA (Super) and The Ring Super Middleweight champion, so he desires to get back on top. A win over Buatsi would be huge for his confidence, though rematches against Alvarez and Beterbiev are likely not to happen.
Never in the history of boxing have we had a card with so many title fights up for grabs. And that is all thanks to Turki Alalshikh’s promise to deliver epic fights … and many more are coming down the road.
Enjoy the fights!
Full “The Last Crescendo” Fight Card:
The Last Crescendo Main Event (6 p.m. ET) on DAZN:
175 lbs.: WBA, WBC, IBF, WBO and The Ring Light Heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol (12×3)
The Last Crescendo Main Card (11 a.m. ET) on DAZN:
250 lbs.: Joseph Parker vs. Martin Bakole (not Daniel Dubois)
135 lbs.: WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson vs. Josh Padley (not Floyd Schofield)
160 lbs.: WBC Middleweight champion Carlos Adames vs. Hamzah Sheeraz
154 lbs.: WBC World Interim Super Welterweight champion Vergil Ortiz Jr vs. Israil Madrimov
250 lbs.: Zhilei Zhang vs. Agit Kabayel for the vacant WBC interim heavyweight title
175 lbs.: WBO Interim Light Heavyweight champion Joshua Buatsi vs. Callum Smith
The Last Crescendo ‘Prelims’ at (9:30 a.m. ET) on YouTube
145 lbs.: Jonatas de Oliveira vs. Ziyad Almaayouf
135 lbs: Engel Gomez vs. Mohammed Alakel
To check out the latest and greatest “Beterbiev vs. Bivol 2” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.
