Deontay Wilder was knocked out emphatically by Zhilei Zhang as Queensberry whitewashed promotional rivals Matchroom 10-0 in the inaugural 5v5 team boxing event in Saudi Arabia, with Frank Warren claiming bragging rights over Eddie Hearn.
Former long-reigning WBC heavyweight world champion Wilder continued to look an absolute shadow of his former destructive self as he was firmly second-best again in a must-win battle of two veteran big-hitters, before being brutally stopped in round five by a pair of devastating right hands.
At 38, Wilder could now opt to retire from the sport after suffering a fourth defeat in his last five fights, while 41-year-old Chinese southpaw ‘Big Bang’ Zhang still remains a player in the heavyweight ranks after achieving the most high-profile win of his career to date.
The result of the main event was actually immaterial in terms of the overall outcome of the unique team portion of the evening, with Queensberry having already sewn up a dominant victory at Riyadh’s Kingdom Arena - scene of Oleksandr Usyk’s historic win over Tyson Fury a fortnight ago.
Daniel Dubois picked up the IBF interim title in the first of Saturday night’s two massive heavyweight contests, impressing after a rocky start against the previously undefeated Filip Hrgovic before a gruelling contest was waved off in round eight due to nasty cuts above both of Hrgovic’s eyes that were streaming with blood.
‘Dynamite’ Dubois could yet be upgradeFd to full IBF heavyweight champion status if new undisputed king Usyk is stripped as expected as he commits to a likely December rematch against Fury instead of fulfilling his mandatory obligations, while a likely huge all-British showdown with Anthony Joshua now looms at Wembley Stadium in September.
Dubois’ victory saw Queensberry take an unassailable 8-0 lead on the night, having earlier reinforced their dominance at 6-0 with captain Hamzah Sheeraz earning double points for a comfortable 11th-round stoppage of Austin ‘Ammo’ Williams that saw him keep the WBC silver middleweight belt in what was a final eliminator for the full title currently held by Carlos Adames after recently being stripped from Jermall Charlo.
Liverpool’s indefatigable Nick Ball had made it 2-0 to Warren’s stable after claiming a split-decision win following a bruising 12-round war with Raymond Ford to take the American’s WBA featherweight championship, finally realising his world title dream after being controversially denied the WBC strap in a contentious draw with Rey Vargas at the same venue back in March.
Queensberry had made the best possible start to proceedings when Scotland’s Willy Hutchinson claimed a wide decision win over Craig Richards in an opening upset to take home the WBC Silver light-heavyweight title.
Away from the 5v5 action in Riyadh, Dmitry Bivol provided another successful defence of his long-held WBA light-heavyweight world title with a first stoppage win since 2018.
The unbeaten Russian dropped spirited late replacement opponent Malik Zinad in the first round before being given a sterner test than expected by the Libyan, who took the fight on short notice after a ruptured meniscus in his knee during training suffered by Artur Beterbiev last month forced the postponement of his mammoth undisputed clash with Bivol that was initially supposed to headline the night.
However, Bivol rose through the gears at warp speed to force a heavy stoppage in the sixth round, remaining firmly on track for that rescheduled meeting with Beterbiev that Turki Alalshikh, chairman of the General Entertainment Authority in Saudi Arabia and influential mastermind behind such big boxing events, confirmed will now take place on October 12 to open the latest Riyadh Season.
