An unforgettable night of boxing occurred at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where fight fans witnessed a series of intense battles that reshaped the future of the heavyweight division.
In the main event, Zhilei Zhang delivered a career-defining performance, finishing off former WBC heavyweight champion Deontay "Bronze Bomber" Wilder with a brutal fifth-round knockout. Wilder, who showed little action until the fifth round, was caught off-balance by a counter-right hook from Zhang. This short, powerful punch spun Wilder around, and Zhang capitalized with a final blow that put Wilder flat on his back. The referee stopped the fight at 1:51 of the fifth round after Wilder struggled to regain his footing.
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In a significant upset, Daniel Dubois stopped Filip Hrgovic in the eighth round to claim the IBF interim heavyweight title. The ringside doctor advised the contest be halted due to severe cuts over Hrgovic's eyes. Dubois had Hrgovic in trouble by the seventh round and dominated the eighth until the referee called for a doctor’s intervention. The fight was stopped at 57 seconds of the eighth round.
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WBA light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol stopped Malik Zinad in the sixth round of their scheduled twelve-round bout. Bivol hurt Zinad with a right hand and followed up with a flurry of unanswered punches, prompting the referee to stop the contest at 2:06 of the sixth round. Earlier, Bivol dropped Zinad in the first round and maintained control despite suffering a bloody nose in the second round.
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Middleweight contender Hamzah Sheeraz scored an eleventh-round knockout of Austin "Ammo" Williams in a WBC title eliminator. Sheeraz, utilizing his reach advantage, dropped Williams late in the tenth round and finished him with a series of hard shots early in the eleventh, stopping the fight at 45 seconds of the round. Williams struggled to close the distance effectively against the taller Sheeraz.
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Nick Ball outworked WBA featherweight champion Raymond Ford in an exciting twelve-round split decision. Despite Ford’s efforts in the middle rounds, Ball’s aggressive close-range fighting in the final round secured the victory. The scores were 115-113, 115-113 for Ball, and 115-113 for Ford.
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Willy Hutchinson delivered a masterclass performance against veteran Craig Richards, winning by a unanimous decision. The scores were 116-112, 117-111, and 119-109. Hutchinson nearly stopped Richards in the tenth round but had to fend off a rally from Richards in the eleventh before finishing strong in the twelfth to secure the win.
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Image Credit: Matchroom Boxing