The event at Wembley Stadium was almost certainly not attended by the reported number (reported by the promoters), but it was a massive event all the same. The conclusion with Daniel Dubois announcing himself as a genuine World Champion after a crushing win over Anthony Joshua has kept the Heavyweight Division right in the spotlight as most continue to sit back and wait for the big December card headlined by the rematch between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk.
It is likely to be a card filled with a number of Heavyweight contests with the rumours of a Martin Bakole vs Zhilei Zhang contest looking to be the standout as the chief support (since writing this, the actual undercard was released for the Fury-Usyk rematch and it is underwhelming to say the least).
However, before we get to all that, arguably the very best fight of 2024 is set to take place this weekend when Artur Beterbiev takes on Dmitry Bivol with all four Light Heavyweight Titles on the line.
Make no mistake, this is an absolute elite level fight and the winner is going to be amongst the conversation of being the greatest of all time in the Division.
It is a fight that has long been one that the fans have demanded and the fact it is for Undisputed makes it all the grander.
Will it capture the imagination of the casuals? Perhaps not, but being on a Riyadh Season card means there is a decent undercard attached, especially for British viewers, and Beterbiev-Bivol is going to be one that proper Boxing fans will love.
Fabio Wardley vs Frazer Clarke II should have perhaps taken place back in the United Kingdom, but the money they are likely going to be getting to be the chief support in Riyadh cannot be dismissed.
Chris Eubank Jr is back to shake off the ring rust before moving into big fights in 2025, while Ben Whittaker will be continuing his development with another step upwards and Jai Opetaia is also looking to stay active before beginning to Unify the Cruiserweight Division.
And all of this suggests Boxxer and Ben Shalom are now firmly in with the Saudi authorities having felt rivals Eddie Hearn and Frank Warren were perhaps trying to keep him looking in from the outside.
A slight positive number was returned after the last Riyadh Season card, but it could have been much better.
Hamzah Sheeraz really impressed and is almost certainly going to be heading into a World Title shot next, but the upset of Mark Chamberlain would have disappointed him, his promoter and Turki Alalshikh.
Overall it has been a decent year, but there is still plenty of work to do over the final quarter of the calendar year to produce a profit from the Picks.
Artur Beterbiev vs Dmitry Bivol
He won his IBF World Title in November 2017 and Artur Beterbiev made a number of defences before beating Oleksandr Gvozdyk in October 2019 to add the WBC Title to his collection and then Joe Smith Jr in June 2022 to pick up the WBO Title.
Inactivity has been down to injury and that has restricted Beterbiev to a single fight in 2022 and 2023, although he is set to head out for a second time in 2024 having crushed Callum Smith in January.
He is now unbeaten in twenty, while Dmitry Bivol is unbeaten in twenty-three and won his WBA World Title in November 2017.
Like his compatriot, Dmitry Bivol has made a number of successful defences of his World Title, but it has been typical of Boxing that we have not been in a position for these two to have met much earlier than October 2024.
If it wasn't for injury, this fight would have already have taken place back in June, but Artur Beterbiev needed time to get over meniscus surgery and that has perhaps contributed to Dmitry Bivol hardening as favourite after the original date had seen both fighters in a 'pick 'em' spot.
Dmitry Bivol does have that win over Canelo Alvarez too, which some will perhaps rate as the best either fighter has produced. Both have victories over Joe Smith Jr, but the best win that either has put together has to be Artur Beterbiev's crushing success over Oleksandr Gvozdyk in 2019.
None of that matters now with both fighters extremely confident in their chances of cementing their name in Boxing history.
You have to be worried about Beterbiev's latest injury- he is 39 years old and in recent years the biggest challenge has not been his opponents, but the body breaking down on him.
Some have suggested the relatively short postponement from June to October may not be enough time for Artur Beterbiev to get past a ruptured meniscus and there has to be a worry about that. We have seen how tough it can be for athletes of a certain age to overcome injury problems and it is something to keep in mind ahead of this massive fight.
There is so much to like about Artur Beterbiev on his pure ability in the ring.
His perfect Knock Out record may paint a picture of a pure banger, but Beterbiev is not really someone who will produce a 'one hitter quitter' and instead uses smart Boxing to get into range where he can begin to break down an opponent. There is no loading up on the punches, but timing and execution is spot on and that means every punch Beterbiev throws looks and feels hurtful.
The crushing win over Joe Smith Jr in Two Rounds stands out in recent outings, but the American came to fight fire with fire and ultimately he was not able to stand up to the power the Unified Champion brings. However, five of the last six wins produced by Artur Beterbiev have been in the second half of the contest, which backs up the fact that this is a far better Boxer than some think and someone who is patient and willing to break his opponent down without rushing the work.
Dmitry Bivol is going to be well aware of his compatriot's strengths, but he should have plenty of faith in his own Boxing ability to counter Beterbiev.
However, you do have to believe that Bivol is going to need to show enough punch power to earn the respect of Artur Beterbiev if he is going to head back to Russia with all of the Light Heavyweight Belts in his possession.
Prior to his win over replacement Malik Zinad, an overmatched opponent, Dmitry Bivol had not stopped anyone since 2018 and that natural willingness to coast towards a decision is perhaps telling us something. While we have not seen him hurt that often, you do have to wonder if Dmitry Bivol is perhaps not as sure about his ability to take a big shot as he would like to be and being unwilling to really push for a Stoppage when way clear on the cards is with that reasoning in mind.
He has shown plenty of durability and conditioning, but being hit by Artur Beterbiev will feel different compared with anyone else that Dmitry Bivol will have faced.
Can he box well enough to keep Beterbiev from getting his work done?
This is the key question and one that ultimately that Dmitry Bivol may struggle to pass.
Father Time is one opponent that every Boxer will eventually fail to beat and that is the secondary concern with Artur Beterbiev, as well as the injury issues he has had in recent years.
However, it is hard to look past Beterbiev until we see that happen and his footwork and boxing IQ is underrated and that could put him in a strong position to hurt Dmitry Bivol. As one of the better finishers out there, Beterbiev is unlikely to rush his work and instead will continue to break down the man in front of him and my feeling for some time has been that the older of the two Russian men will have too much when this fight eventually happens.
A year ago the confidence would have been higher of course, but in what should be a great event, Artur Beterbiev may come through with yet another opponent wilting in front of him and the pressure the three Belt holder brings to the ring.
In something of a surprise, the undercard for this event features plenty of talent associated with Boxxer rather than solely Matchroom and Queensberry.
While there has been clear statements that no one was being 'blacklisted' when it came to the events in Saudi, most fans felt Eddie Hearn and Frank Warren were keeping Ben Shalom out of the loop and even some of the interviews in fight week ahead of the card at Wembley Stadium saw the two older promoters 'bullying' the new kid on the block.
None of this matters to the Saudi authorities putting the money into these cards though and so Boxxer have a heavy presence on this event.
One of the big names on their roster will be in Riyadh as Ben Whittaker continues stepping up his level of competition and looking to show he is more than just a showman. There is no doubting his skills, but Whittaker perhaps needs to show that there is plenty of spite to go along with that if he really is going to make the kind of impact on the sport that so many believe he will.
The last two fights have gone the distance and so there is little doubt that Ben Whittaker will be able to get through the Rounds.
He is up against Liam Cameron who was last out in June losing a Split Decision to Lyndon Arthur, although Cameron felt he had done enough to win. That is perhaps not quite the case, even if Liam Cameron performed better than expected and the veteran has never been Stopped.
Fatigue had clearly gotten a hold of Liam Cameron in the defeat to Arthur and that is where Ben Whittaker can try and impress by turning the screw and forcing this fight to end inside the distance. Finishing, rather than entertaining, has not always been the focus for Whittaker, but this is a big card to show his talents and to prove he should be invited back and that means an exciting finish could go a long way.
The chances will be there for Ben Whittaker to find the combinations to get the referee to step up, although those will begin to show up a bit more in the second half of this contest.
Another Boxxer promoted fighter, albeit one that has been under the Matchroom and Queensberry banners previously, will be looking to shake off the ring rust as Chris Eubank Jr returns for the first time since September 2023.
When last out, Eubank Jr was beating Liam Smith and avenging a loss to the Liverpudlian, and there were plenty of reports suggesting Canelo had reached out to face the British fighter.
The offers were turned down with Chris Eubank Jr feeling he needed at least one fight before taking on such a challenge and rumours suggest that he will be a leading name to be Canelo's next opponent if he can get through this contest.
Kamil Szeremata is fighting for the second time this year, but he has dropped his level since losing consecutive fights against Gennady Golovkin and Jaime Munguia. In both he was beaten down and Stopped and the fast hands of Chris Eubank Jr may be too much for the Polish fighter to handle.
He may not hit as hard as either of those two names that have beaten Szeremata, but Chris Eubank Jr should still have the power to break down this opponent and pushing his resume forward to be the next challenger to Canelo Alvarez.
There is every chance that Chris Eubank Jr will begin to turn the screw in and around the same kind of time that Golovkin and Munguia closed the show against Kamil Szeremata and he will certainly have the motivation to push on and secure the Stoppage.
The first two names representing Boxxer look like they will be able to pick up solid victories, but it is going to be a much tougher task for Jack Massey.
He has earned his opportunity by upsetting Isaac Chamberlain in June and Jack Massey has shared a ring with Heavyweight Joseph Parker and managed to go the distance before losing a tight Decision.
A lack of opportunities before beating Chamberlain had slowed his career, but Jack Massey has been given this shot against Jai Opetaia and it looks a considerable challenge for him.
The British fighter has also gone the distance with Richard Riakporhe before losing another Decision, but it could be argued that he is facing the most dangerous puncher when going in with the IBF World Cruiserweight Champion.
He has become active with this being the fourth fight in thirteen months and Jai Opetaia has gotten rid of Mairis Breidis with two wins over the former World Champion. In between the wins over the Latvian, Opetaia has crushed a couple of British opponents, although neither Ellis Zorro nor Jordan Thompson are perhaps as good as Jack Massey.
The Champion hits very hard and he has shown he can find his range and rhythm very early on, although there is plenty of evidence to say that Jai Opetaia carries his power and that may be how this one ends.
Jack Massey has shown his grit and determination and he will likely try and weather the early storm and to work his way into the contest. The feeling is that Massey will eventually begin to break down as the power and quality of the Champion begins to shine through and it may see the corner or the referee decide that there is no need for the Challenger to take more punishment.
The chief support on this big card is a very good looking rematch between Fabio Wardley and Frazer Clarke after an exciting bout between the two in London back in March. The draw felt a little harsh on Clarke, but he had been put down in the fight and also lost another point for hitting low.
It would have been hoped that the rematch would have taken place in the United Kingdom, but you cannot begrudge the two heading to Riyadh knowing the winner will be given a lot of opportunities under this promotion.
Even the losing fighter will feel they will have other chances to recover, but neither Wardley nor Clarke are contemplating losing.
Both have promised to pick up from where they left off and it will be interesting to see what they have been working on and what, if any, adjustments are made.
Fabio Wardley certainly showed he had the power edge in the first bout, but he fatigued late on and that may have been down to the nose injury suffered. He was bleeding pretty well too, which could not have helped the energy levels, although Wardley may have found a Stoppage if his Knock Down had come even thirty seconds earlier than it did.
By the end Frazer Clarke was throwing out some big bombs of his own, and he did hurt the British Champion, although you have to wonder how much of that was down to Fabio Wardley slowing down as the fight took its toll.
There is every chance this is going to be another firefight and that could be dangerous for Frazer Clarke, especially early. Fabio Wardley would have learned plenty from the first fight and may show a bit more willingness to wait for the counters and not get too carried away early, but pressure is key for the current British Champion and this time he can follow up the big punches and find a way to end this rivalry inside the distance.
This is the chief support and it can live up to that billing with the feeling being a younger Fabio Wardley can put together something to force Frazer Clarke to buckle in the rivalry.
MY PICKS: Artur Beterbiev to Win by KO/TKO @ 2.75 Bet365 (1 Unit)
Ben Whittaker to Win Between 6-10 @ 3.00 Sky Bet (1 Unit)
Chris Eubank Jr to Win Between 5-8 @ 3.30 William Hill (1 Unit)
Jai Opetaia to Win Between 5-8 @ 2.87 Sky Bet (1 Unit)
Fabio Wardley to Win by KO/TKO @ 2.62 Bet Fred (1 Unit)
Boxing 2024: 27-48, + 8.65 Units (101 Units Staked, + 8.56% Yield)
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