With the mega-card that was Dmitry Bivol vs Artur Beterbiev 2 having now concluded, fans and fighters alike continue to sing the praises of Saudi Arabia’s burgeoning involvement in the sport of boxing. While rumours of Turki Alalshikh’s plans to create a boxing league persist, Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn has made startling comments on the Saudi’s influence over the sport.
February 22nd, 2025, saw perhaps one of the biggest fight cards in recent years, if not decades. The event, held at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, featured an undisputed light heavyweight championship rematch, multiple world title challenges, and interim world title fights. With stars like Joseph Parker, Shakur Stevenson, Zhilei Zhang, and Callum Smith gracing the undercard, it is no wonder that Turki Alalshikh and the team behind these Riyadh Season cards are highly praised by boxing fans.
The Saudi’s first significant foray into boxing was the crossover spectacle of Tyson Fury vs Francis Ngannou, which kicked off Riyadh Season on October 28, 2023. This non-title fight saw WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, with a professional record of 33-0-1 (24 KOs) at the time, face former UFC Heavyweight Champion Francis Ngannou in his professional boxing debut. In a shocking turn of events, Ngannou knocked Fury down in the third round, pushing the “Gypsy King” to his limits before Fury ultimately secured a controversial split decision victory. This event instantly paved the way for Saudi Arabia to become a major player in world boxing.
Since then, fans have been treated to cards featuring multiple promoters, such as the Matchroom vs Queensberry 5v5 event, or the now-concluded Chris Eubank Jr vs Conor Benn cards, which featured Matchroom and Boxxer athletes.
The Bivol-Beterbiev Saga: Undisputed Glory and Redemption
The highly anticipated clash between Dmitry Bivol and Artur Beterbiev was initially expected to be a unification bout for the undisputed light heavyweight championship. However, the original article’s mention of “Bivol vs Artur Beterbiev 2” for February 22nd, 2025, alluded to a prior encounter that had indeed taken place. The first undisputed light heavyweight championship fight between the two formidable champions occurred on October 12, 2024, in Riyadh. In a closely contested battle, Artur Beterbiev (then 20-0, 20 KOs) defeated Dmitry Bivol (then 23-0, 12 KOs) by majority decision, handing Bivol his first professional loss and unifying the WBA, IBF, WBC, and WBO light heavyweight titles.
The February 22, 2025, event was therefore the crucial rematch. Dmitry Bivol, eager to avenge his sole defeat, faced Artur Beterbiev once more for the undisputed crown. In another thrilling twelve-round contest at the Kingdom Arena, Bivol emerged victorious by majority decision (114-114, 116-112, 115-113), reclaiming his WBA Super World Light Heavyweight title and seizing Beterbiev’s IBF, WBC, and WBO belts to become the undisputed light heavyweight champion. This victory marked Beterbiev’s first professional loss, bringing his record to 21-1 (20 KOs), while Bivol improved to 24-1 (12 KOs). The 1-1 outcome between these two elite fighters has naturally opened the door for an inevitable third clash in the future. As of May 2026, Dmitry Bivol is scheduled to defend his titles against Michael Eifert on May 30, 2026.
Undercard Highlights and Key Outcomes
The February 22, 2025, card was stacked with significant matchups. Joseph Parker, who had recently defeated Deontay Wilder on December 23, 2023, and Simon Kean on the Fury-Ngannou undercard on October 28, 2023, continued his momentum by securing a knockout victory over Martin Bakole. Parker had previously suffered a majority decision loss to Zhilei Zhang on March 8, 2024, in a fight for the WBO Interim World Heavyweight title.
Undefeated Shakur Stevenson (then 24-0, 11 KOs) also showcased his talent, defeating Josh Padley by TKO in the ninth round. Stevenson’s impressive form continued later that year with a unanimous decision win over William Zepeda on July 12, 2025, and a career-defining victory over Teofimo Lopez on January 31, 2026. In that fight, Stevenson dominated Lopez to win the WBO and Ring magazine junior welterweight titles, becoming a four-division world champion and maintaining his undefeated record at 25-0 (11 KOs).
Zhilei Zhang (then 27-2-1, 22 KOs), who had famously knocked out Deontay Wilder in the fifth round of the Queensberry vs Matchroom 5v5 event on June 1, 2024, faced Agit Kabay
