“The Last Crescendo” has been hyped as one of the biggest boxing cards in history and while it’s taken a few hits, a massive rematch is still set to cap off Saturday’s event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol battled to a virtual standstill in their first fight this past October, though two of the judges saw fit to score it for Beterbiev, a verdict that wasn’t without controversy. So there was only one option: run it back!
Unfortunately for fight fans, a stacked lineup has crumbled over the past few days as WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson lost opponent Floyd Schofield (replaced by Josh Padley) and Joseph Parker now faces Martin Bakole instead of Daniel Dubois after Dubois withdrew due to illness.
We press on—and with apologies to Padley—we’re focusing on two of the most compelling fights atop the card, Beterbiev vs. Bivol 2 and Parker vs. Bakole. MMA Fighting’s Alexander K. Lee and Jed Meshew give their picks for who leaves Saudi Arabia with a statement victory to kick off their 2025 campaigns.
Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol 2
Meshew: I gotta be honest: this is the fight I’m most looking forward to this weekend, MMA included. The first fight was so close and the action was so tightly wound, I’ll be shocked if this one isn’t also an excellent matchup.
The first fight was a classic boxing encounter between a smooth technician and a force of nature. Dmitry Bivol’s footwork and jab let him get out to an early lead as he played matador against Artur Beterbiev, but then Beterbiev started bringing his physicality to bear on Bivol, plowing through the jab to land his power shots. Those started to take a toll on Bivol, who responded in kind by committing to his own power shots to get Beterbiev to back off. Back and forth the adjustments went for 12 rounds, and in the end I scored the bout a draw at 114-114.
I doubt we end up with a draw this time, around so I guess I’ll pick Beterbiev to edge out another close one. Bivol is probably the “superior boxer,” but Beterbiev brings too many physical advantages to this matchup. Every time he hit Bivol in the first fight, even if he blocked, it would physically move him. Bivol isn’t working with the same sort of force and it makes his road to success much more difficult.
Lee: In what proved to be a delightful clash of styles the first time around, give me the power puncher to win again in the rematch.
Bivol used his footwork and size to consistently walk Beterbiev down in the first fight and there’s no reason to think he can’t do the same for another 12 rounds. There’s also no reason to think Beterbiev’s heavier punches won’t be the difference again. When Beterbiev is able to string together combinations in rhythm with his more telegraphed haymakers, he’s so dangerous, and even the aggressive Bivol had to back off at times in their previous encounter. Adjustments will be key for Bivol to put the exclamation points on close rounds that went to Beterbiev last time.
I’ll go a step further than Jed and not only pick Beterbiev to win, I’m picking my fellow Canadian to score a knockout. He’ll drop a few rounds early on as he patiently works to figure out Bivol’s timing before dropping Beterbiev in one of the middle frames and then finishing before the tenth.
Joseph Parker vs. Martin Bakole
Lee: It’s definitely unfortunate we lost Daniel Dubois for this one, though Turki Alalshikh’s UFC-esque ability to find a late replacement is impressive, especially one as fun as Martin Bakole.
No, Bakole hasn’t exactly slayed a murderer’s row of opponents to earn this opportunity, but the best ability is availability and seeing him jump on this opportunity with nothing to lose is undeniably intriguing. Is he a hidden gem ready to pull off a shocking upset or will it just be business as usual for Joseph Parker as he marches towards a desired title fight with Oleksandr Usyk?
Unfortunately for you chaos seekers, this one should play out as expected, with the more seasoned Parker controlling much of the action as Bakole adventurously hunts for a knockout. Now, it’s not as if Parker can just cruise because it wasn’t all that long ago that Zhilei Zhang was putting him on his backside, but there are levels to this and I’m comfortable placing Zhang well above Bakole.
I also doubt Parker will want to take too many chances in this one, so he’ll out-tech Bakole for 12 rounds and win a decision that will have its fair share of hairy moments for the New Zealand veteran.
Meshew: Sooooooo, what to make of this one?
Parker has been steadily rising up the ranks with high-profile wins over Deontay Wilder and Zhang, and was hoping to earn a shot at Usyk by beating Dubois for the IBF heavyweight title. Now he gets to keep his WBO interim belt, but a possible fight with Usyk is very much in question. Not the least of which because Bakole is no joke.
Bakole has been wanting to get a big opportunity for a while now and while circumstances are less than ideal, the Congolese fighter brings the sort of power to a fight that can change things quickly.
If Bakole wasn’t stepping in under such wild circumstances, I might give him a chance in this one. Parker is faster and much more technical, but power is the great equalizer. That being said, I’m not sure how ready Bakole is to fight a hard 10 rounds and I suspect Parker may just need to avoid any slip-ups early, which he’s more than capable of doing.
Parker by late round stoppage.