THE GREATEST FIGHT CARD EVER?
2. Daniel Dubois vs. Joseph Parker, IBF heavyweight title
light heavyweight champion in more than 20 years (and the first of the so-called “four belt era”). Now, just four months later, Beterbiev (21-0, 20 knockouts) and Bivol (23-1, 12 KOs) are doing it again. Their first meeting was about as close as it gets in a championship fight. The fan score on BoxRec.com had it 115-114 for Beterbiev. CompuBox showed nearly even results from the two fighters in every punch category. Many are expecting more of the same in the rematch. The Ring spoke with veteran trainer Stephen “Breadman” Edwards to get his thoughts on the eagerly anticipated rematch. “The first fight was really close; it could have been a draw,” he said. “Both men are so skilled that they kind of canceled each other out. I enjoyed the fight, but it was more of a technical match. I thought Beterbiev pushed a little harder down the stretch.” When asked if he saw any surprises in the fight, Breadman said it was Bivol who got his attention. “I thought Bivol fought an excellent fight. I came away very impressed – that was the best I’ve seen from him. When he let his hands go, Beterbiev had a tough time. I noticed that Bivol is very alert in the ring. He doesn’t
allow you to set him up with anything. You just have to wear him down. “That being said, Bivol has a dilemma in the rematch,” Edwards said. “He knows that his best moments in the first fight were when he came forward, so he knows he has to be even more aggressive this time around. But that will put him in position to possibly get clipped. Beterbiev is a freakish puncher – hurts guys just by touching them. Bivol is going to have to accept taking that risk to win the rematch. “As for Beterbiev, I thought he could have fought better in the first fight, and I expect him to look better this time around. I thought he could have gone to the body more, used his left hook more. He won that first fight just off hustle. But people underrate his ring I.Q. and his technical ability. Beterbiev fights with a real sense of purpose. He knows exactly what he’s doing.” “In the end, I’m leaning toward Beterbiev by stoppage,” Edwards said. “I can see Bivol winning rounds early, but then Beterbiev will run him into something late when he’s tired. He’ll use Bivol’s aggression against him. “My pick is Beterbiev, but I’m not 100% confident. These guys are just so even. That’s what makes this fight so interesting.”
Fresh off his dominant stoppage win over countryman Anthony Joshua last fall, Daniel Dubois (22-2, 21 KOs) will defend his IBF heavyweight title against Joseph Parker (35-3, 23 KOs). The Ring caught up with Billy Nelson, who trains heavyweight contender Martin Bakole and has a particular interest in this fight. Bakole is set to face Efe Ajagba next in an IBF title eliminator, so the winner of that bout will become the mandatory challenger for the Dubois vs. Parker winner. “I believe the boxer will beat the puncher,” Nelson told The Ring. “I think Parker’s experience will play a big factor. He’s working with Andy Lee, who has taught him to box and move. If Dubois can’t land his big power punches, well… he’s not the cleverest of fighters, and he’s going to struggle. I think Parker will win a unanimous decision.” Although he favors the New Zealander, Nelson was quick to add that Dubois should not be counted out. “Daniel does possess the power that can end any fight with one punch,” he said. “But if you can negate that, he’s in a world of trouble.”
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When asked who he would rather see win, assuming Bakole wins his eliminator against Ajagba, Nelson didn’t hold his punches. “Martin will stop either of those two (Dubois or Parker). He must have sparred 80 or more rounds with Daniel now, and it was very one-sided. He actually sparred both men and mostly had his way. Both of them know they’re not as good as Martin.” Hopefully, we will find out later this year. 3. Shakur Stevenson vs. Floyd Schofield, WBC lightweight title There are three Americans featured on the big card in Riyadh, and two of them – Shakur Stevenson and Floyd Schofield – will square off in a lightweight title fight. This will be the second defense of the WBC title that Stevenson (22-0, 10 KOs) won in November 2023 against Edwin De Los Santos. On paper, this figures to be the most one-sided matchup of the night. Stevenson is vastly more experienced, with seven world title bouts spanning three weight classes on his resume. Meanwhile, the younger, less- experienced Schofield (18-0, 12 KOs) is taking a massive leap in opposition. The Ring spoke with 2012 Olympian and former junior lightweight
titleholder Jamel Herring, who was stopped by Stevenson in 2021, to get his thoughts on the bout. “Nobody is willing to fight Shakur Stevenson,” said Herring. “The WBC had to go down the rankings just to find somebody willing to get in the ring with him.” Although he respects Schofield for stepping up when so many others have been unwilling, Herring admits the 22-year-old is facing an uphill, if not mountainous, battle. “Shakur is a master of distance,” he told The Ring. “He is always at the perfect range; that’s why his opponents are only able to get one punch off at a time. If you throw combinations at range, you’ll get countered all night. “Look at the Oscar Valdez fight (a junior lightweight unification in 2022, which Stevenson won by a wide decision). Shakur kept him just at the end of his range all night, and Oscar couldn’t lay a glove on him.” So how can Schofield break the Stevenson puzzle? Herring points to a fight involving another Floyd for a blueprint to success. “Floyd [Schofield] is going to have to take a page from Marcos Maidana’s book when he fought Mayweather for the first time. He made it ugly. He got physical. He knew that was his best chance at success. That is what Schofield must do here.
“That’s the mistake I made when I fought Shakur. I tried to box with him in the first half of that fight. By the time I tried to switch strategies, it was too late. You have to make it rough right away.” Along with Schofield’s inexperience against the elite, there was his shaky performance in his last bout against Rene Tellez Giron. Although he won a clear unanimous decision, Schofield showed vulnerabilities and was dropped in the 11th round. Herring wonders if that experience may play a psychological role against Stevenson. “They say you’re only as good as your last fight. Well, Floyd won most of the rounds [against Giron], but he struggled at times. He was put down. Did he learn from that, or did it expose something?” Some in the boxing social media world have questioned whether the Schofields (Floyd and his outspoken trainer-father, Floyd Sr.) are “cashing out” after that shaky performance, taking the big payday while they can. Herring immediately disagreed. “That’s bullshit,” he said. “I see this as Floyd Schofield taking an amazing opportunity. If he loses, there is no shame in losing to Stevenson. He’s one of the best. But if he wins, he shocks the world. In that sense, it’s a win-win.” In the end, Herring is going with the oddsmakers, who currently list
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