The Saudis have once again put together a mega fight card for February 22, 2025: As boxing expert Dan Rafael reports, Daniel Dubois is set to defend his IBF title against Joseph Parker and Artur Beterbiev will face Dmitriy Bivol in a rematch for the undisputed light heavyweight crown.
IBF heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois (22-2, 21 knockouts) is about to make his second title defense. His opponent on February 22 in Riyadh is Joseph Parker (35-3, 23 knockouts). Both fighters are under contract with Queensberry. A clever move by promoter Frank Warren, who thus secures the title regardless of the outcome of the fight. Dubois had secured his IBF title in impressive style. After a dominant victory over Filip Hrgovic in June this year, he gave Anthony Joshua no chance in Wembley in September, defeating him with a spectacular knockout in round five. The upcoming fight against Parker promises to be exciting, as the boxer from New Zealand has recently shown that he still belongs to the heavyweight elite with victories over Zhilei Zhang and Deontay Wilder.
Beterbiev vs. Bivol II: a highly charged rematch
Also on the Saudi card will be a rematch between Artur Beterbiev (21-0, 20 knockouts) and Dmitry Bivol (23-1, 12 knockouts). Their first fight in October, which Beterbiev won narrowly on points, caused great controversy. Many fans and experts saw Bivol as the real winner. The rematch was made possible by the agreement between the two fighters and the support of Saudi promoters, although Beterbiev was originally supposed to fight a mandatory bout against Michael Eifert. The knockout machine even had to pay a six-figure sum to make the fight possible. Bivol pushed for another fight immediately after his first career defeat. This offers the chance to finally clarify the questions surrounding the true number one in the light heavyweight division.
Text by Robin Josten