The Big Lead

Matchroom, Turki Alalshikh announce Beterbiev-Bivol II PPV for Riyadh Season

Dmitry Bivol, Israil Madrimov, Callum Smith and Shakur Stevenson will represent Matchroom in

By Javon Edmonds

Jul 12, 2023; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Matchroom Sport chairman Eddie Hearn arrives on the red carpet before the 2023 ESPYS at the Dolby Theatre. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Jul 12, 2023; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Matchroom Sport chairman Eddie Hearn arrives on the red carpet before the 2023 ESPYS at the Dolby Theatre. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
facebooktwitter

Matchroom Boxing and Saudi Arabian General Entertainment Authority chairman Turki Alalshikh continues to prove he is the most important promoter this generation of boxing has seen. Alalshikh announced the Feb. 22 Riyadh Season card for Beterbiev-Bivol II on Monday, and it's the most packed in recent history.

Four world championships, including the undisputed light heavyweight title, will be on the line for February's card along with three interim championships — and three of the being belts on the line highlight a current problem in boxing.

Daniel Dubois recently defeated Anthony Joshua for the IBF Heavyweight championship just four months after Oleksandr Usyk unified all four belts when he defeated Tyson Fury on an Alalshikh-promoted card. Now, the WBC has sanctioned a fight for an interim heavyweight championship for the Feb. 22 card. Even with the undisputed light heavyweight belt on the line in the main event, the WBO has a fight for its interim belt on the undercard.

In an era where promoters and boxers are avoiding top competition for the sake of low-risk fights with good paydays, boxing cannot afford its commissions ruining title scenes like the IBF and WBC are currently doing in the heavyweight division. Case in point, WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson — who is also on the Feb. 22 card.

Stevenson spent months challenging former champion Devin Haney for the belt. Instead, Haney ducked Stevenson to move up to junior welterweight — after former undisputed champion Teofimo Lopez briefly retired — to fight a lesser opponent in Regis Prograis for the WBC's belt in that weight class. In his next fight, he got embarrassed by Ryan Garcia while Stevenson continued to hunt for a big fight.

Now, Alalshikh is giving Stevenson a chance to prove himself on pay-per-view and giving fans a rematch of the controversial first fight between Artur Beterbiev and Shakur Stevenson while filling the rest of the card with great fights.

Alalshikh also purchased RING Magazine this year, promising to return the publication to its glory days as the "Bible of Boxing" after a two-year hiatus.

MORE TOP STORIES From the Big Lead

CFB: Projecting the new Playoff rankings

CFB: This should be the end for Ryan Day at OSU

MLB: Breaking down Dodgers’ deferred payments

NFL: Josh Allen announces engagement to Hailee Steinfeld

Home/MMA