From top to bottom, it’s stacked full of world-class talent and big names, topped by the rematch between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitrii Bivol for all the marbles at light heavyweight.

Having already previewed the main event, now it’s time to break down the plethora of tasty match-ups on the undercard and Dubois’ defence of his IBF title against JOSEPH PARKER did look the highlight. An illness forced Dubois to pull out on Thursday, but full credit to Martin Bakole for stepping in at such short notice and we still have a fantastic fight on our hands.

Having been the underdog versus Dubois, Parker is a 4/6 chance to beat Bakole, who came in for instant support and is now a best price of 7/5.

Parker’s revival under the guidance of head coach Andy Lee has been remarkable and he is now arguably a much better fighter than when he held a world title.

ALSO READ: Beterbiev v Bivol 2 big-fight preview and tips

Who will win the rematch? Find out below

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It’s over eight years since he won the WBO belt against Andy Ruiz Jr, a title he lost to Anthony Joshua in early 2018, and then another defeat followed against Dillian Whyte. However, the likeable New Zealander has rattled off five straight wins since being knocked out by Joe Joyce in the 11th session of their September 2022 clash and arrives in fantastic form.

His last three fights have all been here in Riyadh, including his against-the-odds points wins over Deontay Wilder (UD) and Zhilei Zhang (MD) most recently. On both of those occasions, he managed to defuse the power of huge punchers and box his way to a decision success, with similar tactics likely to be applied this weekend.

We don’t know what sort of shape Bakole is in, but we do know that he is a real handful for anyone and that may be the reason he has struggled to secure big fights.

Hailing from the Democratic Republic of Congo and based in Scotland, Bakole (21-1) has won 10 on the spin since his sole defeat to the talented Michael Hunter and finally got the big-name opponent he was demanding when he took on the unbeaten Jared Anderson last summer. The American was favourite that night but just couldn’t deter the powerful Bakole, who dropped and battered his man en route to a fifth-round stoppage.

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At 6’6”, Bakole is a big and physical unit, with heavy hands and an aggressive approach to boot. He marches forward with mean intentions and isn’t someone Parker wants to be trading with. However, the same applied to Parker’s last two opponents and he navigated his way to a decision victory on both occasions, serving as the ideal preparation to face someone like Bakole.

The favourite is an intelligent boxer who has the style to cause Bakole a lot of problems, with great movement and a wealth of experience. He has been 12 rounds on 11 occasions, whereas Bakole has yet to go the full championship distance, and Parker is known to be one of the most durable heavyweights around. Zhang dropped him twice, but Parker quickly recovered and got back to the gameplan of outboxing the big Chinese southpaw.

As fearsome as Bakole is, Hunter showed that he can be outboxed, and he displayed stamina issues when halted in the 10th and final round that night. That was over six years ago and Bakole is undoubtedly an improved fighter now, but Parker has the tools to maintain his winning run here.

If Bakole isn’t in shape for this late call-up then he could run out of gas and get stopped (6/4), just as he did against Hunter. However, I doubt he would have taken this fight if he was only half cooked and I prefer PARKER BY DECISION at 7/2.

With a full camp under his belt and arriving in the form of his life, Parker can do what he has done the last twice by outsmarting and outmanoeuvring a bigger, heavier-handed foe to claim victory on the scorecards again.

CLICK HERE to back Parker by decision with Sky Bet

There was more fight-week drama when Floyd Schofield pulled out of his lightweight title fight with Shakur Stevenson, but Josh Padley answered the call to step in and the Doncaster man now gets a potentially life-changing opportunity on the big stage.

Having got back on track by halting Wilder in June, Zhang is a 6/4 chance to come out on top against the unbeaten Agit Kabayel (4-6) in the other heavyweight fight on the card. That isn’t an easy one to call, with similar comments applicable to Vergil Ortiz Jr against Israil Madrimov.

After pushing the great Terence Crawford to a very close second last summer, Madrimov is handed another unbeaten American in Ortiz and it’s hard to see anything but a cracker here. The bookies can barely split these super welterweights and neither can I, so it may be best to keep the powder dry and enjoy this one.

Sheer class

One man I am backing to come through a stern test is HAMZAH SHEERAZ, who gets his first world title shot against WBC middleweight champion Carlos Adames.

One of the brightest prospects in British boxing, Sheeraz has been kind to this column of late as he landed good bets for us when tipped at 3/1 to beat ‘Ammo’ Williams in the second half of their June contest (TKO11), and at 6/4 to stop Tyler Denny in the first six rounds (TKO2) in September. He is only 5/4 to halt Adames but I think he is up to passing this acid test with flying colours.

Sheeraz (21-0) has stopped 15 opponents in a row, but it is since he stepped up to middleweight that he has looked really special, winning all seven outings at 160lb inside the distance and he is just 4/9 to maintain his winning streak. This is his toughest assignment to date, but the same can be said for Adames (24-1), who is as big as 5/2.

Having lost a decision to Patrick Teixeira at 154lb in 2019, Adames has also flourished since moving up to middleweight and was upgraded from interim to full champion ahead of his points victory over Terrell Gausha last time out.

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Adames brings the heat and, with power in both hands, he is especially dangerous on the inside. A tough man from the Dominican Republic, he will be pressing forward from the get-go and if there are any chinks in Sheeraz’s armour, the champion can expose them. However, the problem for him may be that Sheeraz looks the real deal.

A huge 6’3” for the weight, the Slough native uses his height and reach very well, so Adames could find it tough to get inside here and will put himself in harm’s way in attempting to get past the longer levers of Sheeraz. The latter picks his shots very well and doesn’t waste much, while his natural power enables him to do damage despite not looking as though he is putting too much into his punches.

Make no mistake, Sheeraz will be asked questions here, but I think he will have the answers needed to become Britain’s latest world champion.

Sheeraz arrives on the back of two big wins over southpaws which could be ideal preparation to take on Adames, a switch-hitter who has a preference for boxing left-handed. Also, Gausha had success down the stretch last summer and was able to regularly catch Adames, who looked to be tiring despite it not being fought at a high pace.

Adames’ aggressive style can play into the hands of Sheeraz, who maintains his high output and carries his power late, so I am backing the favourite to make a statement by breaking his man down somewhere in ROUNDS 7-12 at 11/4.

CLICK HERE to back Sheeraz in Rd 7-12 with Sky Bet

Smith for the upset

Hoping to put themselves in the conversation to fight the winner of Beterbiev and Bivol are Joshua Buatsi and CALLUM SMITH, as they head-to-head in the only all-British affair of the night.

Nearly nine years after Buatsi won a bronze medal at the 2016 Olympic games in Rio, we’re still not sure how good he is. The 31-year-old remains unbeaten after 19 outings in the paid ranks and while points victories over Craig Richards, Dan Azeez and Willy Hutchinson look good on paper, Buatsi’s performances against those domestic rivals provided as many questions as they did answers.

There is no doubting the ability of Buatsi, and he looks great at times, but he also fights in spurts and lets his opponents back into it when seemingly well on top. He can’t afford to do that here, as Smith brings serious power and a wealth of experience to the table.

A former champion at super middleweight, all three of Smith’s wins at 175lb have come by stoppage and he hasn’t had the most gruelling of careers, so should still have plenty left at 34. He lost his world title to Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez via a decision in 2020 and was stopped in seven rounds by Beterbiev 13 months ago, but there’s no shame in losing to those elite operators and he has the top-level experience that Buatsi doesn’t.

Hutchinson caught Buatsi with plenty of left hooks and that is Smith’s best shot, while Buatsi (8/15) is used to winning the jab exchange and he may struggle to do so again a taller and longer opponent here. Both men have a bit to prove right now and, in what is likely to be a tense and cagey affair, I just favour Smith, who could be a touch of value at 7/4.

CLICK HERE to back Smith with Sky Bet

Posted at 1200 GMT on 21/02/25

Beterbiev v Bivol 2: Big fight details and TV coverage

When and where: Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Saturday, February 22
Start time: Undercard approx 1500 GMT, Main Event approx 2300 GMT
TV channel and cost: TNT Sports Box Office & DAZN (both £19.99) plus Sky Sports Box Office (£19.95)

CLICK HERE to bet on the boxing with Sky Bet

Beterbiev v Bivol 2: Full fight card

Artur Beterbiev vs Dmitry Bivol (approx 2300 GMT)
IBF, IBO, WBC and WBO light-heavyweight titles
Joseph Parker vs Martin Bakole
IBF heavyweight title
Shakur Stevenson vs Josh Padley
WBC lightweight title
Carlos Adames vs Hamzah Sheeraz
WBC middleweight title
Vergil Ortiz Jr vs Israil Madrimov
Interim WBC super-welterweight title
Zhilei Zhang vs Agit Kabayel
Interim WBC heavyweight title
Joshua Buatsi vs Callum Smith
Interim WBO light-heavyweight title
Ziyad Al Maayouf vs Jonatas de Oliveira
Mohammed Alakel vs Engel Gomez (Approx 1530 GMT)