Pick it: Artur Beterbiev-Dmitry Bivol II headlines a seven-fight extravaganza
When to Watch: Saturday, February 22 at 10 a.m. Eastern Time (3 p.m. GMT)
How to watch: Pay-per-view on DAZN and PPV.com.
Why to Watch: Beterbiev-Bivol II alone would make this the top pick for the week. And then there are the six other fights on the undercard, many of which would be worthy of being televised main events.
Throughout the week, our team here at BoxingScene will have full previews for each of the seven bouts. For this TV picks piece, here’s a quick rundown of who’s fighting, where they’re coming from, and what they’re fighting for:
Beterbiev-Bivol II: Beterbiev won a closely contested majority decision over Bivol in October to earn the undisputed light heavyweight championship. Now they meet again.
For Beterbiev, 21-0 (20 KOs), he wants to end any debate over who’s better, given those who feel Bivol did enough to win the first time around. He’s 40 years old and may not compete for too much longer, but he’s also clearly still either the best, or one of the two best, at 175lbs. However, a second victory for Beterbiev doesn’t mean he’s cleaned out the division; the top contender awaiting him is David Benavidez.
Bivol, 23-1 (12 KOs), performed well in their first installment but fell short on the official scorecards. Will he be able to do even better in this sequel? A win for Bivol could set up a lucrative rubber match with Beterbiev for later in the year.
Daniel Dubois-Joseph Parker: Dubois, 22-2 (21 KOs), is making the second defense of his IBF heavyweight title and will hope to capitalize on the publicity he gained with his drubbing of Anthony Joshua in September. A victory over Parker could push Dubois toward a desired rematch with Oleksandr Usyk or lucrative fights with a number of heavyweight contenders.
Parker, 35-3 (23 KOs), has had quite a career resurgence since his 2022 knockout loss to Joe Joyce. Parker is coming off decision wins over Deontay Wilder and Zhilei Zhang. Will he complete his journey against Dubois and once again become a world titleholder?
Carlos Adames-Hamzah Sheeraz: Adames, 24-1 (18 KOs), is defending his WBC middleweight title against Sheeraz, who is not only his mandatory challenger but is seen as the top contender at 160lbs. The winner will move on and likely seek to unify in a division that is otherwise lacking in depth and star power beyond fellow titleholders Janibek Alimkhanuly (IBF/WBO) and Erislandy Lara (WBA).
Vergil Ortiz Jnr-Israil Madrimov: A fun pairing of two junior middleweight contenders. Ortiz, 22-0 (21 KOs), is coming off a close win over Serhii Bohachuk in August one of the best fights of 2024. Madrimov, 10-1-1 (7 KOs), is coming off a close title loss to Terence Crawford, also in August. Ortiz’s style will put Madrimov’s skills to the test, but the reverse could also be true. And the winner will move forward in one of the sport’s deepest and most entertaining weight classes.
Shakur Stevenson-Floyd Schofield Jnr: Stevenson, 22-0 (10 KOs), is defending his WBC lightweight title but is returning from a hand injury that delayed his debut with Matchroom Boxing. After a pair of aesthetically uninspiring victories against Edwin De Los Santos and Artem Harutyunyan, Stevenson needs a stellar offensive performance to land bigger fights at 135. Schofield, 18-0 (12 KOs), is taking a huge step up from his previous level of competition.
Zhilei Zhang-Agit Kabayel: This fight is for the WBC’s interim heavyweight title, which ostensibly would land the winner a shot at Usyk, or would earn them the full title if Usyk vacates. Zhang, 27-2-1 (22 KOs), is nearly 42 years old but still carries his power, as evidenced by his highlight-reel knockout of Deontay Wilder in June 2024. Kabayel, 25-0 (17 KOs), is 32 years old and coming off knockouts of Arslanbek Makhmudov and Frank Sanchez. This is a good pairing on paper with implications for the future of the division.
Joshua Buatsi-Callum Smith: Buatsi, 19-0 (13 KOs), has been at light heavyweight much longer than David Benavidez but is yet to receive the respect and acclaim that Benavidez now has. As the WBO interim titleholder, Buatsi is in line for a shot at the winner of the Beterbiev-Bivol rematch. Buatsi could use a dominant performance to emphasize that he deserves that shot, whenever it comes. Meanwhile, Smith (30-2, 22 KOs), has only lost to Saul “Canelo” Alvarez and Beterbiev, but he needs this win in order to remain relevant.
Wednesday, February 19: Gabriel Flores Jnr vs Jose Arellano (ProBoxTV.com)
The broadcast begins at 6 p.m. Eastern Time (11 p.m. GMT).
Flores, 25-2 (8 KOs), is a 24-year-old lightweight originally from Stockton, California. He’ll be fighting about an hour east of there, headlining at the Chicken Ranch Casino Resort in Jamestown.
Both of Flores’ defeats came against quality opposition. He lost decisions to Luis Alberto Lopez in 2021 and then-undefeated Giovanni Cabrera in 2022. Since then, Flores has won four in a row, all in Stockton, including an eight-round shutout of the 24-14-1 (22 KOs) Dennis Contreras in October.
Arellano, 11-2 (6 KOs), is a 30-year-old originally from Mexico and now living in Aurora, Colorado. He’s dropped two of his past three, losing a unanimous decision against the 14-1 Jonhatan Cardoso in 2023 and taking the short end of a majority decision against the 9-0-1 Jaycob Gomez last April.
The co-feature bout will see 19-year-old welterweight prospect Emiliano Moreno, 11-0 (6 KOs), face Cesar Francis, 13-2 (8 KOs).
(Note: BoxingScene.com is owned by ProBox TV.)
Thursday, February 20: Avious Griffin vs. Jose Luis Sanchez (DAZN)
The broadcast begins at 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time (12:30 a.m. GMT).
Griffin, 16-0 (15 KOs), is a welterweight prospect from Chattanooga, Tennessee. The 31-year-old scored three knockouts in 2024, including a three-rounder over the 12-2-1 (6 KOs) Adrian Gutierrez in November.
His opponent at Sony Hall in Manhattan, New York, is Sanchez, 14-4-1 (4 KOs). The 32-year-old from Albuquerque, New Mexico, has been in with several undefeated foes. Sanchez lost decisions to Xander Zayas in 2021 and Jahi Tucker in 2022; scored points wins over the previously undefeated Rashad Shahid and Eric Tudor, both in 2023; and, in his last appearance, dropped a split decision to the 26-0 Santiago Dominguez in March 2024. Dominguez went on to lose a decision to Alexis Rocha last July.
Friday, February 21: Cain Sandoval vs. Mark Bernaldez (UFC Fight Pass)
The broadcast begins at 10 p.m. Eastern Time (3 a.m. GMT).
Sandoval, 14-0 (12 KOs), is a junior welterweight prospect from Sacramento, California. The 22-year-old is coming off a sixth-round stoppage of Romero Duno in August.
Sandoval will share the stage with Bernaldez at the Chumash Casino Resort in Santa Ynez, California. Bernaldez, 25-6 (18 KOs), is a 30-year-old from the Philippines who is returning after 28 months away. He suffered back-to-back losses against Andres Cortes in 2021 and Oscar Duarte in 2022, then scored a pair of wins over no-hopers before stepping away from the sport.
Friday, February 21: Katlego Khanyisa vs. Manqoba Magubane (DAZN)
The broadcast begins at noon Eastern Time (5 p.m. GMT).
Khanyisa, 8-0 (4 KOs), is a 27-year-old junior lightweight from South Africa headlining at this show in Johannesburg. Magubane is 4-1 (0 KOs).
Saturday, February 22: Trini Ochoa vs. Hylon Williams Jnr (BXNG TV)
The broadcast begins at 7 p.m. Eastern Time (midnight GMT).
Ochoa, 19-0 (8 KOs), is a 26-year-old junior welterweight from Arizona whose career has almost exclusively taken place at the Celebrity Theatre in Phoenix. All but two of his bouts have been at the venue, including November’s unanimous decision over the 15-1 Jose Jacobo.
This time he’ll face Williams, 16-5-1 (3 KOs), a 34-year-old Texan now fighting out of Las Vegas. Williams spent six years out of the ring before returning in 2024 for a few Team Combat League contests. His last win under the traditional Queensberry Rules came in 2012 against a 3-15 foe. Williams then returned in 2015, fighting to a draw with Jason Litzau, losing a decision to Yuriorkis Gamboa at the end of that year, and then suffering one defeat per year against less-renowned foes in 2016, 2017 and 2018.
Other local prospects on this show include junior featherweight Jordan Martinez, 12-0 (11 KOs); and lightweight Elias Montoya Terraza, 11-0 (7 KOs).
Saturday, February 22: Kenneth Davis Jnr vs Mitchell Leconte (BXNG TV)
The broadcast begins at 7 p.m. Eastern Time (midnight GMT).
Teamsters Union Hall in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, hosts this lightweight fight between Davis and Leconte.
Davis, 13-2-1 (4 KOs), is a 29-year-old from Reno, Nevada. He started his career 0-2-1 but has won 13 consecutive bouts since, including a split decision in October over the 16-33-3 (10 KOs) Rondale Hubbert.
Leconte, 9-0-1 (8 KOs), is the hometown hero on this show. The 28-year-old hails from Cedar Rapids and last fought last April, when he scored a fifth-round TKO over the 3-1 Angel Reyes.
Saturday, February 22: Stephanie Han vs. Hannah Terlep (BXNG TV)
The broadcast begins at 8 p.m. Eastern Time (1 a.m. GMT).
Han, 9-0 (2 KOs), is a 34-year-old lightweight from El Paso, Texas. This is her second straight main event at the El Paso County Coliseum. Last July, she outpointed the 7-2-1 (3 KOs) Miranda Reyes.
Terlep, 5-1 (2 KOs), is a 34-year-old from Aurora, Colorado. She is returning from an 11-month layoff following a sixth-round knockout loss last March to the 6-0 Chelsey Anderson.
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