Full Fight Card Results And Reactions

The light heavyweight division has a new undisputed champion. On Saturday night, Dmitry Bivol took the WBA, WBC, IBF, WBO, and The Ring titles from Artur Beterbiev, the man who became the undisputed champ in October 2024 when he defeated Bivol by majority decision. This fight, which took place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, was also a majority decision. We look at the Beterbiev vs. Bivol 2 card results, reactions, scorecards, stats, and more.

Bivol and his team had a masterful game plan for the rematch. Early in the fight, it appeared that they had failed to make the adjustments needed to win. However, that was part of their strategy. Beterbiev pulled ahead in the early rounds, but Bivol, who conserved his energy without allowing Beterbiev to jump too far ahead, upped his output, footwork, power, and forward movement to take control of the contest. It was a masterful plan that Bivol executed with near perfection.

The question now becomes, do Bivol and Beterbiev run things back a third time, or does David Benavidez get a shot at Bivol? In the afterglow of the two top-notch contests Bivol and Beterbiev delivered, it will be hard to imagine fans being denied Bivol vs. Beterbiev 3.

Beterbiev Vs. Bivol 2 Full Fight Card

Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol for the Undisputed light heavyweight title fight. For Beterbiev’s WBA, WBC, IBF, WBO and The Ring belts
Joseph Parker vs. Martin Bakole – For Parkers’ WBO interim heavyweight title
Shakur Stevenson vs. Josh Padley – For Stevenson’s WBC lightweight title
Carlos Adames vs. Hamzah Sheeraz – For Adames’ WBC middleweight title
Vergil Ortiz Jr vs. Israil Madrimov – For Ortiz Jr’s WBC world interim super welterweight title
Zhilei Zhang vs. Agit Kabayel – For the vacant WBC interim heavyweight title
Joshua Buatsi vs. Callum Smith – For Buatsi’s WBO light heavyweight interim title

Beterbiev Vs Bivol 2 Card Undergoes Two Title Fight Changes

Beterbiev Vs. Bivol 2 Full Fight Card Results

Dmitry Bivol beats Artur Beterbiev by majority decision (114-114, 116-112, 115-113)

Joseph Parker defeats Martin Bakole via knockout (2:17 of Round 2)

Shakur Stevenson defeats Josh Padley via TKO (3:oo of Round 9)

Carlos Adames vs. Hamzah Sheeraz ends in a split draw (115-114 (Sheeraz), 118-110 (Adames), 114-114)

Vergil Ortiz Jr defeats Israil Madrimov via unanimous decision (117-111, 115-113, 115-113)

Agit Kabayel defeats Zhilei Zhang via knockout (2:29 of Round 6)

Callum Smith defeats Joshua Buatsi via unanimous decision (119-110, 115-113, 116-112)

Mohammed Alakel defeats Engel Gomez via decision

Ziyad Almaayouf defeats Jonatas de Oliveira via decision (60-54 x 3)

Beterbiev Vs. Bivol 2 Results: Artur Beterbiev Vs. Dmitry Bivol

Dimitry Bivol knew the assignment in his rematch against Artur Beterbiev, and that was to throw more punches and spend less time backing up. However, by the time the fourth round rolled around, Beterbiev had jumped ahead on punches thrown and he was also the one moving forward and controlling where the fight took place. To make matters worse for Bivol, Beterbiev was landing with more power while mixing up his targets and techniques, going to the body much more than he did in the first fight.

The tide started to turn in the seventh round, with Bivol picking up the pace, moving his feet more, and backing up less while fighting behind an active jab. Then, in the eighth round, Bivol added a few other wrinkles to his attack, increasing his power and uncorking combinations. Those adjustments seemed to take Beterbiev by surprise, resulting in Beterbiev having to be a more defensive fighter, which meant he was not throwing and landing as much as he had in the early rounds.

Bivol did not take his foot off the gas in the early moments of the 11th round. Meanwhile, Beterbiev did his best to up his output, but Bivol did not wilt.

Beterbiev pushed forward in the final round and seemed to score with power in the fight’s final minute. With that, Beterbiev increased his aggression, but Bivol, despite swelling and bleeding around his left eye, kept busy.

The commentary team seemed torn about who the winner was, but they agreed that the rematch was exciting and that a trilogy fight would not be out of line. With Bivol picking up the majority decision, a trilogy fight is not out of line and would surely bring in the fans.

Beterbiev Vs. Bivol 2 Results: Joseph Parker Vs. Martin Bakole At Heavyweight

Martin Bakole stepped in for the sick Daniel Dubois on two days’ notice. His unofficial weight for the fight was 315 pounds. Joseph Parker made short work of Bakole, landing a punch to the top of Bakole’s head that put him on skates and felled him after he staggered for a few moments. When Bakole returned to his feet, his corner waved off the fight. This one played out as expected.

After the win, Parker wondered what it will take for him to get a fight for the world title, either against Dubois or Oleksandr Uysk.

Beterbiev Vs. Bivol 2 Results: Shakur Stevenson Vs. Josh Padley At Lightweight

Shakur Stevenson faced late replacement Josh Padley on Saturday. Padley stepped in when Floyd Schofield pulled out of the event during fight week due to illness. Padley, who works as an electrician when he’s not competing, was working that day job when he got the call on Tuesday night to face Stevenson.

Stevenson has faced criticism for being a boring fighter for his defense-first style. He didn’t fight in that manner on Saturday, but Stevenson, who has a history of hand problems, struggled to end the fight against an opponent who had no training camp or prep time for a title fight.

Stevenson dropped Padley three times in the ninth round with body blows before his corner threw in the towel.

It’s hard to tell if Stevenson’s performance on Saturday will earn him big money fights, namely one against Gervonta “Tank” Davis because, after all, this was essentially a squash mash that went longer than it probably should have.

Beterbiev Vs. Bivol 2 Results: Carlos Adames vs. Hamzah Sheeraz At Middleweight

This was not the most exciting fight. In fact, it was kind of boring. Hamzah Sheeraz seemed satisfied to use his height and reach to fight from distance while mostly backing up and throwing jabs. Meanwhile, Adames, who did his best to push forward, cut off the ring and land power punches to the head and body seemed to be the more agressive fighter for most of the contest.

At one point late in the fight, Frank Warren, Sheeraz’s promoter, seemed to implore the fighter’s trainers to get Sheeraz to be more aggressive. Warren’s request went unheeded.

The fight ended in a split draw.

Beterbiev Vs. Bivol 2 Results: Vergil Ortiz Jr vs. Israil Madrimov At Super Welterweight

Coming off the first loss of his professional career, an August 2024 decision setback to Terence Crawford, Israil Madrimov opened his fight against WBC interim super welterweight champion Vergil Ortiz Jr. by using his footwork and movement to frustrate and possibly tire Ortiz. That’s not to say he wasn’t active with his punches because he was firing jabs into, and sometimes through, Ortiz’s high defensive guard.

As the fight wore on, Madrimov slowly reduced his circling to the outside, which allowed Ortiz, who never became frustrated with his opponent’s movement, to pick up on the timing of Madrimov. The commentary team also began to question the visual of Madrimov’s movement when looking at the judging, as Ortiz seemed to be pushing the action.

With Madrimov looking to engage a little more in the second half of the contest, Ortiz did a much better job of cutting off the ring and upping his output. By the time the ninth round rolled around, Madrimov’s footwork had slowed, and Ortiz began to control the contest’s location and pace while unloading with power punches to the head and body.

The style of the fight changed once again in the 10th round. It seemed as if Madrimov and his team realized they were in trouble, which resulted in an aggressive Madrimov. That adjustment suited Ortiz just fine as he answered Madrimov with his own aggression. The 11th round was more of the same from both men.

Madrimov and Ortiz were aggressive in the 12th and final round, but again, it seemed that Ortiz was landing the more powerful punches.

Beterbiev Vs. Bivol 2 Results: Agit Kabayel Vs. Zhilei Zhang At Heavyweight

Zhilei Zhang looked confident and comfortable, and he tried to force Agit Kabayel into corners where he could uncork a power punch. Meanwhile, Kabayel looked to stay light on his feet, fight behind a jab, and score to the body while circling out and avoiding the power.

Kabayel became much more aggressive in the second round, which was a surprise. I would have thought that his plan would have been to tax Zhang’s cardio in the first few rounds and then look to score as his opponent was tired and slowing. But, no, Kabayel and his team seemed to think three minutes was enough to give him the advantage.

Kabayel continued his fast pace in the third. He also looked to go to Zhang’s body, something he had success with in the second stanza. It also seemed as if Kabayel had decided that Zhang’s ability to score a one-punch knockout had passed after the first round.

Kabayel’s approach worked well until he got dropped in the fifth round. Kabayel got back to his feet and looked as if he recovered well as he got right back to moving and looking to score to the body, which nearly earned Kabayel a knockdown in the sixth round before the referee stepped in for some odd reason and prevented Kabayel from landing more body blows. However, that knockdown came later in the sixth. With 40 seconds left in the round, Kabayel put his opponent to a knee, and Zhang could not get back to his feet before the referee waved off the fight.

With the victory, the 32-year-old Kabayel earned the vacant WBC interim heavyweight belt.

Beterbiev Vs. Bivol 2 Results: Joshua Buatsi Vs. Callum Smith At Light Heavyweight

This was an excellent light heavyweight scrap. Joshua Buatsi carried the WBO interim title into the contest with a 19-0 record. Meanwhile, Smith was 30-2 heading into Saturday’s event, with his only losses coming to Artur Beterbiev and Canelo Alvarez. The pace was hectic to open this contest and both men showed strong technical skills.

Smith seemed to want to keep the fight at range, where he could throw his punches with 100 percent power. Meanwhile, Buatsi wanted to work close when possible and force his opponent into the ropes.

Buatsi had some success in the third round with body shots, and it looked like he would score a knockdown. However, Smith recovered from the damage and came back to do some good work from range in the fourth stanza, but he closed the round with a cut beside his right eye.

Smith’s corner didn’t like him throwing everything with power as the fight wore on because it allowed Buatsi to score with counters when Smith failed to connect.

Smith scored with a body shot in the fifth, and as Buatsi was trying to recover, Smith picked up his pace and looked to add more damage.

Smith’s corner encouraged him to work the body more in the sixth. Smith took control of that round with Buatsi’s body compromised. With that, he attacked the head and body and looked to close things out, but Buatsi came back in the closing moments of the sixth.

Smith’s aggression in the sixth seemed to slow his output in the seventh. Meanwhile, Buatsi was also fighting flatfooted. By the eighth round, the technical aspect of the fight seemed to be replaced by less output and more single power punches from both men.

When the end of the back-and-forth ninth round came, Buatsi’s corner told him he needed a knockout to win the fight. Smith landed nearly three times as many power punches in the ninth stanza.

Buatsi did a good job of working angles in the 10th round, and he scored well to the body, but Smith held on and came back late in the round to land some heavy head shots. Smith might have been better served to mix up his targets in the 10th.

Buatsi’s success in the 10th carried into the 11th and seemed to give him momentum and motivation as he pushed forward and made Smith fight off his back foot.

With a minute expired in the 12th, Smith scored with powerful head shots. Buatsi took those shots, recovered, and tried to come back with power shots of his own, which he did as the fight went into its final minute.

With the unanimous decision win, Smith took possession of the WBO light heavyweight interim title.

Buatsi vs. Smith was an incredible scrap to open the main card, and it would make for an interesting rematch, depending on the outcome of the main event.

Beterbiev Vs Bivol 2 Results – CompuBox Stats

Beterbiev Vs Bivol 2 Fight Card Scheduled Ring Walk Times

Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol 2: 6:00 p.m. ET

Joseph Parker vs. Martin Bakole: 4:40 p.m. ET

Shakur Stevenson vs. Josh Padley: 3:35 p.m. ET

Carlos Adames vs. Hamzah Sheeraz: 2:35 p.m. ET

Vergil Ortiz Jr vs. Israil Madrimov: 1:40 p.m. ET

Zhilei Zhang vs. Agit Kabayel: 12:40 p.m. ET

Artur Beterbiev Vs. Dmitry Bivol 2 Full Card Betting Odds – Updated

Beterbiev Vs. Bivol 2 Breakdown

The only fighter to go the distance with Beterbiev, Bivol looks to even the score with the man who handed him his first career loss. It won’t be easy for Bivol to achieve that goal, but he is a live underdog in this rematch.

Had Bivol been more active in the the first matchup, which ended with scores of 115-113, 116-112 and 114-114, he could be the one entering this fight as the undisputed light heavyweight champ. Bivol fought well behind his jab early in the first outing, pressuring Beterbiev and also scoring with counters when he backed up on an angle. However, Bivol got away from both those techniques as the fight wore on. He went long periods of time retreating while not throwing punches. Bivol also allowed Beterbiev to get a read on his footwork, which allowed him to cut off Bivol and tag him with counters.

As for Beterbiev, he can’t allow Bivol to control the pace of the fight at all. He needs to move forward and stick to his opponent from the start of the fight. Beterbiev had a lot of success in the first bout when he followed that game plan, especially when Bivol began to back up in a straight line and not put forth any offense. Beterbiev must correct his tendency to leap into his punches in the rematch, because Bivol was able to time those attacks well.

Beterbiev Vs. Bivol 2: Artur Beterbiev On Dmitry Bivol Rematch

“For a fight, [it will] feel the same,” Beterbiev told DAZN. “I wanted to grab all the belts last time. Now, I want to defend them. It’s been a short time since the first match.”

“If you compare [my other fights], you can say it was my toughest fight,” he added. “But it is a little bit different. I think in my boxing career, I’ve [fought] stronger guys.”

“But you can say it was my toughest fight. Of course [I could have done better]. If you believe you did the best, it is not good. I believe [everything can get better].”

“The knee was a problem in the first fight, but it is near perfect now. My movement should be much better for this fight. My performance in the first fight was not perfect, I know I can do much better in this one.”

Beterbiev Vs. Bivol 2: Dmitry Bivol On Artur Beterbiev Rematch

“I saw good moments and bad moments,” Bivol said of the first fight.

“I just need to be better in all positions. I need to be faster, harder, smarter, everything better.”

“I learned about myself, that I don’t like to lose and I need to push myself harder,” he added.

Artur Beterbiev Vs. Dmitry Bivol 2 Fight: Odds, Picks And Prediction

Beterbiev Vs. Bivol 1 Full Fight Video And Notes

When Beterbiev and Bivol first met, Beterbiev sported a 20-0 record and was coming off a January 2024 TKO win over Callum Smith. With that victory, Beterbiev retained the WBC, IBF, and WBO light heavyweight titles. Meanwhile, Bivol, who was 23-0, had retained his WBA belt with a June 2024 TKO victory over Malik Zinad. The betting odds at the time had Bivol as the -126 favorite to defeat Beterbiev, who was listed as the +104 betting underdog. At the time, both men were ranked inside the pound-for-pound top 10-list.

When the 12-round fight ended, the light heavyweight division had its first undisputed champion since Roy Jones Jr. ruled the division between 1999 and 2002. The fight ended with Beterbiev earning the decision with scorecards of 115-113, 116-112 and 114-114. It was the first time in his career that Beterbiev had not earned a victory via knockout.

After the fight, Beterbiev said, “I wanted to box today with more quality. I don’t know why, but I didn’t like this fight. But I’ll be better one day. … If His Excellency [Turki Alalshikh] wants [the rematch], then we can do it.”

“I’m aware I have to do everything perfect, and I don’t have any explanation because it could look like excuses,” Bivol said. “I just [give] congratulations to Artur and his team. He deserves it, no problem. I just have time to make another decision for my future.”

When asked if he wanted a rematch, Bivol responded, “Why not? … If I have this chance, yes. This is my dream to be undisputed.”

Beterbiev Vs. Bivol 2: Odds, Lines, Prop Bets, Predictions And Picks

We will update the Beterbiev Vs. Bivol 2 results live during tonight’s fight card from Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Also included will be reactions, video highlights and more.