At Kingdom Arena, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Saturday, over DAZN, ESPN+ “Queensberry vs Matchroom 5” with promoters Eddie Hearn (Matchroom Boxing) vs Frank Warren (Queensberry Promotions), who presented WBA Super World and IBO World Light Heavyweight champion Dmitrii Bivol who was to fight Artur Beterviev who pulled out due to injury.
Bivol stopped replacement IBF No. 2 contender Malik Zinad in six rounds. For some reason this caused the Main Event to be replaced by 38 year-old WBC World Heavyweight champion Deontay ‘The Bronze Bomber’ Wilder who was stopped by 41 year-old 2008 Olympic Super Heavyweight Silver Medalist and WBO interim champion Zhilei ‘Big Bang’ Zhang with both coming off losses to Joseph Parker.
Promoter Warren received a $3 million check from the excellency of Saudi Arabia in his boxers having a clean sweep over boxers from Eddie Hearns.
WBA Super World and IBO World Light Heavy champ Dmitrii Bivol, 23-0 (12), #175, of Tokmak, KYRG and St. Petersburg, Russia, stopping Malik Zinad, 22-1 (16), #174 ¼, of Tripoli, Libya, Pieta, Malta, at 2:06 of the sixth round of a scheduled 12 rounds.
In the first rounds final minute Bivol landed a right followed by a left on the chin and down went Zinad for an 8-count from Referee Howard Foster. He got up returning to a battle of jabs to the bell. In the second round Bivol’s jab drew blood from the nose of Zinad not looking to make it an early night.
Zinad started gaining confidence in the fourth round having an edge as he taunted the champion Bivol after the bell. In the fifth round Bivol got serious showing more offense yet still mostly jabs from both.
In the sixth round Bivol landed a dozen unanswered punches causing referee Foster to wave it off! Bivol had won his last nine fights by decision. He will be meeting WBC, WBO and IBF Word champion Artur Beterbiev in the fall back in Saudi Arabia.
In the substitute Main Event 2008 Olympic Bronze Medalist and WBC World Heavy champ 38 year-old Deontay ‘The Bronze Bomber’ Wilder, 43-4-1 (42), #214 ½, of Tuscaloosa, AL, was stopped by 41 year-old 2008 Olympic Super Heavy Silver Medalist, was stopped by former WBO Interim world champ, Zhilei ‘Big Bang’ Zhang, 27-2-1 (22), #282 ¼, of Zhoukou, China, Bloomfield, NJ, at 1:51 of round five of a scheduled 12 rounds.
In the second round Zhang had Wilder in a corner landing punch after punch. By the end of the round Wilder looked bewildered. In the third round Wilder showed little more than a pawing jab losing the round which was not much more from the plodding Zhang who outweighed him by sixty-eight pounds. In the fourth round Wilder landed his best punch a right on the chin of Zhang.
Wilder midway missed a right and was countered by a left from Zhang driving him across the ring causing Referee Kieran McCann to call a halt! Ring Announcer Michael Buffer introduced him as Kevin Parker.
Former WBA interim heavy champ Daniel ‘Dynamite’ Dubois, 21-2 (20), #245 ¾, of Greenwich, London, UK, upset by stoppage over 2016 Olympic Bronze Medalist and No. 1 ranked IBF contender, IBF Int’l champ Filip ‘El Animal’ Hrgovic, 17-0 (14), #247 ½, of Zagreb, CRO, at 0:57 of the eighth round of a scheduled 12 rounds, for the interim IBF title.
In the first round Hrgovic on three different occasions landed a right to the chin and head of Dubois. In the final minute it was Dubois who landed his right on the chin. In the second round Hrgovic had an edge with both throwing bombs. In the final seconds Dubois landed a left hook on the chin of Hrgovic. Late in the round Hrgovic suffered a cut on his right eyebrow.
In the fourth round Hrgovic had his way until the final minute when Dubois seemed to come to life landing, his share of punches. In the fifth round both had their moments with Hrgovic now cut on the left eyebrow. Hrgovic’s continued to out landing Dubois with power punches though cut on both eyebrows and starting to look exhausted.
In the sixth round it was all Dubois rocking Hrgovic. Referee John Latham for some reason pushes Dubois back several times when Dubois has Hrgovic in trouble.
In the eighth round the ring physician was brough in checking the cuts on both eyebrows of Hrgovic and told the referee to call a halt. Hrgovic was scheduled to fight former champion Anthony ‘AJ’ Joshua but that is now out of the picture. Will Dubois get that fight?
WBA World Feather champ southpaw Ray ‘Savage’ Ford, 15-1-1 (8), #125 ½, of Camden, NJ, lost by split decision to Nick ‘The Wrecking’ Ball, 20-0-1 (11), #125 ¾, of Liverpool, Merseyside, UK, over 12 solid rounds.
In the second round Ball outworked Ford. In the third round Ford came back well but received a cut over the right eye. Ball came back to take the fourth round.
In the fifth round Ball caused another cut, this over the left eye of Ford, taking another round from Ford. In the sixth round Ford came back well enough to take the round. In the seventh round Ford hurt Ball with a pair of left hooks busting up the nose of Ball bringing out the blood.
In the eighth through the tenth rounds Ball continued being the aggressor though bleeding from the nose being countered by Ford with the fight looking even. In the eleventh round it went back and forth with Ball having an overall edge. In the twelfth and final round it was the best round of the fight looked like Ball may have pulled it out.
Scores were 115-113 Ford, 115-113 Ball and 115-113 Ball as did KH.
The referee was Hector Afu.
WBC Silver Middle champ Hamaz Sheeraz, 20-0 (16), #159 ½, of Ilford, Essex, UK, stopped southpaw WBA International champ Austin ‘Tiger’ Williams, 16-1 (11), #159 ½, of Houston, TX, at 0:45 of the eleventh round of a scheduled 12 rounds.
In the third round Sheeraz started to show his power landing a right and left to the chin knocking Williams head back taking the round. In the fourth round Williams came out firing punch after punch doing his best inside taking the round.
In the fifth and sixth rounds the taller Sheeraz used his jab effectively taking the rounds. In the seventh round swelling started showing around the right eye of Williams from Sheeraz right hands. He did get inside the jab of Sheeraz for the most part. In the eighth round Sheeraz in the final minute drew blood from the mouth of Williams with right uppercuts.
In the ninth round Williams came out firing a half dozen unanswered punches to the body of Sheeraz. Just inside the final minute Sheeraz rocked Williams with a right to the chin. In the tenth rounds final seconds a lead right from Sheeraz on the chin dropped Williams for an 8-count from referee Lyson.
In the eleventh round a pair of rights followed by a left hook from Sheeraz on the chin drove Williams into a corner causing referee Lyson to call a halt for the fourteenth straight stoppage for Sheeraz.
WBC Int’l Light Heavy champ Willy ‘Braveheart’ Hutchinson, 18-1 (13), #174, of Carstairs, Scotland, UK, defeated former WBA Int’l champ Craig ‘Spider’ Richards, 18-4-1 (11), #174 ¼, of Crystal Palace, London, UK, over 12 rounds, for the vacant WBC Silver Light Heavy title.
Scores 117-111, 116-112 and 119-109. Referee Barry Lindenman.
Ring Announcer Thomas Treiber and Michael Buffer.
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