The “Last Crescendo” event delivered a night of unforgettable boxing, capped by Bivol’s masterful performance against Beterbiev. The undercard also showcased a fight of the year contender and some exciting stoppages. It very much lived up to the hype.
Bivol Dethrones Beterbiev in Epic Rematch
Dmitry Bivol has cemented his place in boxing history, avenging his previous loss to Artur Beterbiev and capturing the undisputed light-heavyweight championship at the thrilling “Last Crescendo” event. In a closely contested fight, Bivol emerged victorious via majority decision, handing Beterbiev the first defeat of his professional career.
The judges’ scorecards read 114-114, 116-112, and 115-113, reflecting the closely fought nature of the encounter. Bivol’s victory earns him the WBA, WBO, IBF, and WBC light-heavyweight titles.
Bivol started strong, landing a significant right hand in the second round. The fight exploded into life at the end of the third, with both fighters exchanging heavy blows. While Beterbiev applied pressure in the fifth, Bivol demonstrated resilience and began to find his rhythm in the sixth and seventh rounds. He showcased excellent movement and connected with combinations in the ninth and eleventh, while Beterbiev sought the knockout in the final round. Ultimately, Bivol’s tactical approach and precise punching earned him the victory.
Parker KOs Bakole, Retains Interim Title
In other action, Joseph Parker retained his WBO interim heavyweight title with a dominant second-round knockout of late replacement Martin Bakole. Parker landed several powerful shots in the first round before a thunderous overhand right to the top of Bakole’s head send him to the canvas in the second. Bakole was able to beat the count but his trainer Billy Nelson had seen enough, extending Parker’s winning streak to six fights.
Adames and Sheeraz Fight to Controversial Split Draw
Carlos Adames retained his WBC middleweight title after a controversial split draw against the previously undefeated Hamzah Sheeraz.
Sheeraz controlled the early rounds, but Adames fought back strongly. The judges’ scores were 115-114, 110-118, and 114-114. It was later revealed that Sheeraz fought with a broken hand.
Ortiz Jr. Remains Undefeated, Beats Madrimov
Vergil Ortiz Jr. maintained his perfect record with a unanimous decision victory over Israil Madrimov, retaining his WBC interim super-welterweight title. The fight was closely contested, with Ortiz Jr’s power allowing him to pull away in the later rounds.
Stevenson Stops Padley in Ninth
Shakur Stevenson retained his WBC lightweight title with a ninth-round TKO victory over a game Josh Padley. Padley, a late replacement, showed impressive resilience, but Stevenson’s superior skill and power eventually proved too much.
Padley lost the fight but won the crowd, and sets himself up for further big nights back at domestic level where he will surely be a big draw.
Kabayel Stops Zhang, Claims Interim Title
Agit Kabayel earned the interim WBC heavyweight title with a sixth-round knockout of Zhilei Zhang. Zhang briefly floored Kabayel in the fifth, but Kabayel responded with his signature body work. A clearly exhausted and in-pain Zhang was sent to the floor and wasn’t able to beat the count, forcing the referee to stop the fight.
No two fighters have seized the opportunities that the Saudi Involvement in boxing has presented more than Kabayel and Parker. Hats off to them both.
Smith Outpoints Buatsi in Thriller
Callum Smith defeated Joshua Buatsi by unanimous decision to claim the WBO interim light-heavyweight title. The scores of 119-110, 115-113, and 116-112 doesn’t tell the story of just how back and forth this fight was. Smith’s body work proved crucial, and he weathered a late storm from Buatsi in the 10th and 11th to secure the win.
A shoe in for fight of the year contender.
