Riyadh Season hosts it's first Boxing event of 2025 and it kicks off with a bang as every fight on this card has a championship on the line. Here is what you need to know about all seven title fights that will be happening at the Kingdom Arena on Saturday.
joshua buatsi vs callum smith
Joshua Buatsi puts both his WBO Interim World Light Heavyweight title and undefeated record on the line as he takes on fellow Briton, Callum Smith.
Buatsi claimed his title back in September where he defeated Willy Hutchinson by split decision at Wembley Stadium, despite many believing it should have been an unanimous win as he earned two knockdowns during the 12-round battle.
The Ghana-born boxer has gone the distance in his last four battles, but out of 19 victories, Buatsi has knocked out 13 opponents.
Smith earned redemption in Birmingham in his last bout when he stopped Liam Conroy by fifth-round TKO, recovering from his world title fight loss against Artur Beterbiev which ended by seventh-round TKO.
Mundo has only lost twice in his boxing career as out of 30 triumphs, he has stopped 22 opponents by knockout or TKO.
Depending on how the fight plays out, we could potentially see the winner fight Beterbiev or Bivol in the future as both boxers aim to keep thriving on a world championship level.
zhilei zhang vs agit kabayel
China takes on Germany as former WBO Interim World Heavyweight Champion, Zhilei Zhang, and undefeated fighter, Agit Kabayel, go face-to-face for the WBC Interim World Heavyweight belt.
Zhang last fought back in June when he put a possible end to Deontay Wilder's career by knocking him out in the fifth round, redeeming his title loss against Joseph Parker in the same year in Riyadh.
Big Bang doesn't often go to the judges scorecards with his foes as out of 27 wins, 22 have ended by KO/TKO.
Kabayel has become a big prospect in the Heavyweight division, winning his last four fights by knockout with his last two happening at the Kingdom Arena against Frank Sanchez and Arslanbek Makhmudov.
With a perfect record of 25 wins and no losses, the Bochum boxer has stopped 17 of his opponents as he aims to carry his momentum.
With two recognised Heavyweights going up against each other, a win for either man will benefit their career and step up against a bigger name in the weight class.
vergil ortiz jr vs israil madrimov
An eye-catching battle takes place as Vergil Ortiz Jr defends his WBC Interim World Super Welterweight title against Israil Madrimov.
Ortiz Jr went the distance for the first time in his professional career as he did just enough to defeat Serhii Bohachuk by majority decision, despite being knocked down twice during the fight.
Before his last fight, the Texan had a 100% knockout rate and stopped 14 of his enemies in three rounds or less.
Madrimov lost his undefeated record as well as his WBO Interim World Super Welterweight Championship fight against Terrence Crawford in Los Angeles, losing by unanimous decision at the BMO Stadium.
With only 12 professional boxing bouts, The Dream has won 10 of those with seven ending by knockout.
Its a big opportunity to both men as Ortiz Jr will want to prove he is worthy of fighting for a proper world title, while Madrimov can seek redemption and beat an undefeated boxer.
carlos adames vs Hamzah sheeraz
Carlos Adames makes his first WBC World Middleweight title defence as he tries to maintain his championship status against Hamzah Sheeraz, who gets his first world title opportunity.
Adames claimed his first world title at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, defeating Terrell Gausha by unanimous decision in convincing fashion as he increased his winning streak to six.
The Dominican-born fighter has earned 24 wins in his professional career with 18 of those ending by knockout.
Sheeraz is undefeated and made it 15 consecutive knockout wins when he stopped Tyler Denny by second-round TKO in his last fight, winning two European titles at Wembley Stadium.
The Ilford resident has competed in 21 bouts and knocked out 17 of his opponents he has come face-to-face with in the ring.
Adames is looking to make the most of his reign as one of the best Middleweight in the boxing scene, but he's got to take down the unbeaten Briton in his first bout in Riyadh.
shakur stevenson vs floyd schofield
An anticipating war is ready between two undefeated boxers as Shakur Stevenson defends his WBC World Lightweight title against fellow New Jersey-born prospect, Floyd Schofield.
Stevenson completed his first Lightweight title defence when he went to the judges scorecards and won by unanimous decision against Artem Harutyunyan at the Prudential Center in Newark.
The former WBC and WBO World Featherweight Champion doesn't often get a knockout win, but has secured 10 KO/TKO victories in his career.
Schofield last fought in November where he secured an unanimous decision win over Rene Trillon Giron to continue his perfect record.
The 22-year-old has fought and won in 18 professional bouts, winning 12 of those by knockout.
Stevenson has without a doubt become a big name in Boxing, but it could go rapidly downhill for him if he loses to Lightweight prospect, Schofield who tries to make the most of his first world title shot.
daniel dubois vs jospeh parker
An unpredictable Heavyweight battle co-headlines The Last Crescendo as Daniel Dubois tries to secure his first world title defence against the WBO Interim World Heavyweight Champion, Joseph Parker.
Dubois put on the greatest display of his boxing career when he knocked out Anthony Joshua in the fifth round at Wembley Stadium, knocking AJ down four times in the world championship fight.
Dynamite has only gone the distance once in his career, knocking out 21 of his 22 conquered opponents as he never likes to take a fight to the judges scorecards.
Parker claimed his interim world title in his last bout when he defeated Zhilei Zhang by majority decision, despite being knocked down twice in Riyadh, making it five consecutive victories.
The New Zealand boxer has 38 professional fights, winning 35 of those and knocked out 23 of his foes.
Both men are not only competing for the IBF World Heavyweight title, but are fighting for a future matchup with the undisputed champion, Oleksandr Usyk.
artur beterbiev vs dmitry bivol II
In an exciting rematch, Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol throw hands against each other for a second time as the undisputed World Light Heavyweight Championship is on the line once again in Riyadh.
Beterbiev became the undisputed King of the Light Heavyweights when he defeated Bivol by majority decision, making it his first decision win of his boxing career and rising to #4 in the Men's pound-for-pound rankings.
The Canadian-Russian fighter has knocked out 20 of his 21 conquered opponents with 14 of those fights being 12-round bouts.
Bivol was undefeated before his loss to Beterbiev as he secured two title wins with the IBO World Light Heavyweight belt, earning a decision win over Lyndon Arthur and a sixth-round TKO win against Malik Zinad.
The Kyrgyzstan-born fighter has relied on the judges scorecards, but does sometimes stop the fight with 13 knockouts out of 23 wins.
In such a thrilling second bout, Beterbiev will want to one-up from his last performance and earn a knockout, while Bivol will have his eyes on revenge and claim vengeance in the Kingdom Arena.
Written by Charlie Oxtoby
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MMA Instagram: undisputed._.mma
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