Beterbiev vs Bivol 2: Weigh-In Photos & Predictions

All but one fighter on the Beterbiev vs Bivol 2 card Saturday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, have made weight and are ready to shine on a blockbuster card.

The fight card airs on DAZN and is also available on PPV.com for $25.99. The full card starts live worldwide with prelims at 9:30 a.m. ET/6:30 a.m. PT. The main PPV card begins at 11 a.m. ET/8 a.m. PT. Put the coffee on. 

Get our predictions and see weigh-in photos here.

Beterbiev vs Bivol 2: The Rematch

Unified light heavyweight world champion Artur Beterbiev of Montreal (21-0, 20 KOs) and former champion Dmitry Bivol of Los Angeles (23-1, 11 KOs) faced off one last time at the official weigh-in before going toe-to-toe on Saturday. 

Beterbiev weighed 175 pounds even, Bivol weighed in at 174.1 pounds. Bivol is a natural light heavyweight and makes the weight limit with ease.

Prediction: Don’t expect the rematch to look different. Expect another close contest. After his first loss, Bivol is driven to regain his title and add Beterbiev’s three belts. He learned how much he hates to lose, and he’ll be motivated to be busier and back Beterbiev up. Bivol has the busiest and most accurate jab in boxing, but it was missing in the first fight. Expect that wicked weapon to come out and play. It stings, and it will do enough to keep Beterbiev back. My call: Bivol by narrow decision.

Heavyweight Co-Main: Parker vs Bakole

The co-main event features WBO interim champion Joseph Parker of New Zealand (35-3, 23 KOs) and replacement opponent Martin Bakole of the Congo (21-1, 17 KOs). Bakole took the fight on two days’ notice after IBF World Heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois had to withdraw due to illness.

Parker weighed in at 267 pounds. Bakole was still en route when the official weigh-in and the ceremonial weigh-ins took place.

UPDATE: Martin Bakole arrived in Riyadh early evening U.S. time, less than 24 hours before his bout, weighing in at 315 pounds, 15 pounds over his all time high, 299.5 against Carlos Takam. He weighed 284 pounds in August against Jared Anderson.

Prediction: Bakole is a big banger, but he’s not especially fast. Parker has defanged several big punchers in his career, including Derek Chisora, Andy Ruiz Jr., Zhilei Zhang, and Deontay Wilder. The most prepared and best version of Parker will be facing the least prepared version of Bakole. It’s the perfect time to take the big man on. My call: Parker by decision.

Adames vs Sheeraz: Middleweight Title

Carlos Adames of the Dominican Republic (24-1, 18 KOs) and Hamzah Sheeraz of England (21-0, 17 KOs) will square off for Adames’ WBC middleweight title.

Adames weighed in at 158.1 pounds, and Sheeraz at 159 pounds.

Prediction: Adames will defend his title for the first time. He has only fought one each of the last three years and didn’t take on the top-ranked opponents in his division. His toughest fight was against the relentless Sergey Derevyanchenko in 2021, and he won a narrow majority decision. Sheeraz is on the rise and has been far more active. Activity matters. My call: Sheeraz by decision.

Ortiz Jr. vs Madrimov: Banger vs Technician

In a true 50-50 fight, super welterweights Vergil Ortiz Jr. of Grand Prairie, Texas (22-0, 21 KOs) takes on Israil Madrimov of Uzbekistan (10-1, 7 KOs) for the WBC interim super welterweight title.

Ortiz Jr. is comfortable in the 154-pound division. He weighed 153.1 pounds, Madrimov 152.1 pounds.

Prediction: Ortiz Jr. is a throwback, seek-and-destroy fighter. He doesn’t have quite the same power as he did at welterweight, but still more than enough to hurt Madrimov. But he must focus on ring generalship to get to the elusive Madrimov, who relies on footwork and angles to stay out of harm’s way. My call: I love a banger, but Madrimov makes opponents look terrible. Madrimov by decision.

Zhang vs Kabayel: Heavy Hands

Chinese heavyweight Zhilei Zhang of New Jersey (27-2, 22 KOs) meets Agit Kabayel of Germany (25-0, 17 KOs) for the WBC interim heavyweight title.

Zhang weighed in at 287.5 pounds, Kabayel at 241 pounds.

Prediction: Zhang’s power is formidable, and the 41-year-old says he feels fresher than ever. He took out Deontay Wilder and Joe Joyce but lost decisions to Joseph Parker and Filip Hrgovic. Kabayel has been a giant killer on several Riyadh cards, stopping Frank Sanchez and Arslanbek Makhmudov and handing them their first losses. He also has a win over Derek Chisora. Kabayel, age 32, has less wear on the tires and will be the faster man by far. He can stay out of harm’s way. My call: Kabayel by decision.

Stevenson vs Padley: Lightweight Title Defense

WBC World Lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson of Newark, New Jersey (22-0, 10 KOs) is the second fighter to face a late replacement opponent in Josh Padley of Yorkshire (15-0, 4 KOs).

Stevenson weighed in at 134 pounds, Padley at 134.1 pounds.

Prediction: A full-time electrician, Padley got the call four days before the fight. He put himself in place for the opportunity with an upset win over Mark Chamberlain in September on the Joshua vs. Dubois card. Padley doesn’t have the power to keep Stevenson off him, and the talented technician can easily box his way to a win. But if he wants to make a statement and push back critics who find him boring, he’ll try to knock Padley out. My call: Stevenson by decision.

Buatsi vs Smith: Sleeper Fight?

British stars Joshua Buatsi (19-0, 13 KOs) and Callum Smith (30-2, 22 KOs) will fight for the interim WBO light heavyweight title. 

Buatsi weighed in at the 175-pound limit, Smith at 174.1 pounds.

Prediction: This could be a sleeper. Buatsi is undefeated, and while his resume doesn’t boast any killers, he has solid victories over domestic talent. Smith is on the comeback trail after losing to Canelo Alvarez in 2020 and Artur Beterbiev last year. He’s highly motivated and experienced. My call: Smith by decision, with a knockdown along the way.

Saudi Prospects Featured on Undercard

The preliminary card will showcase local talent, with welterweight Ziyad Almaayouf of Riyadh (6-0-1, 1 KO) taking on Jonatas Rodrigo Gomes de Oliveira of Brazil (6-20, 5 KOs) and super featherweight Mohammed Alakel of Riyadh (2-0, 0 KOs) meets Engel Gomez of Nicaragua (8-42, 4 KOs), both six-round bouts. All made weight.

Prediction: Count on both Saudi fighters to win and look good doing it.

Start Times For Beterbiev vs Bivol 2 Card

The DAZN broadcast begins at 9:30 a.m. ET/6:30 a.m. PT with a preview show. The ‘before the bell’ undercard featuring two regional Saudi fighters starts at 10:30 a.m. ET/7:30 a.m. PT.

The main PPV card begins at 11 a.m. ET/8 a.m. PT. All seven fights are title fights, scheduled for 12 rounds. They will start approximately one hour apart if each fight goes the distance or close to it. An early knockout will not do much to speed up the timeline as fighters in subsequent need their preparation time.

This puts the ringwalk for the main event at approximately 5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT, which is customary for cards in the UK, and the timeline followed for British and American viewers by Riyadh Season. But aren’t you planning to watch from start to finish?