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01:45:56
THE NIGHT IS OVER
Some great scraps over in Riyadh. All the spoils go to Frank, who castigated the pundits who picked against him. Boxing is the ultimate individual sport.
However, a team element was successfully introduced tonight, and the two stables will surely do it again. Thanks for joining me. Catch you on the next one.
01:33:38
(WILDER’S CAREER) IS OVER
Zhilei ‘Big Bang’ Zhang finds the biggest punch at the right time to erase Wilder in round five. See the paragraph below for the potency of Zhang’s right hook.
Unfortunately, Wilder didn’t see it coming as quickly as the rest of us. The “free shot” that finished Deontay was a flush blow as the Alabama banger staggered around.
01:25:57
WAITING FOR AN EXPLOSION
Zhang’s left hand to head and body is a dangerous weapon. However, as Joe Joyce found out, the fast counter right hook is pretty handy, too.
Wilder looks gun-shy and devoid of confidence. What has become of the former destroyer of heavyweights? Can he even let the big shots go anymore?
01:17:39
BOMB SQUAD WAITING TO LIGHT THE FUSE
It’s all pretty tense here as both men paw their lead hands against each other. Zhang has his left hand cocked; Wilder the return right hand ready.
Zhang landed some solid shots in round two that hurt Wilder, who tucked up against the ropes and rode out the storm. A big assignment for ref Kieran McCann, who warned Zhang for leaning on.
01:05:04
EXPECT A WILD RIDE AS THE BIG BOYS CLASH….
The final bout of the evening is getting underway as Deontay Wilder and Zhilei Zhang clash over 12 rounds or less.
Zhang is looking to complete the clean sweep for Queensberry, while Wilder needs a win to save Matchroom’s blushes and, more importantly, reignite his own career.
00:40:54
DANIEL DUBOIS STOPS HRGOVIC
Has Hrgovic done the work in the gym? That is the question being asked right now. It would be crazy to suggest he hadn’t for a fight of this size. He endured a torrid seventh, shipping right hands as the unbeaten fighter is on queer street.
The cuts look terrible as well and they have just ended his evening. The doctor climbed up to the ring apron to instruct the referee to wave it off. The Croatian took a beating there at the end. Dubois boxed really well. The stoppage came at 57 seconds of round eight.
00:33:48
WE’VE MADE IT SEVEN…SOMEHOW
Hrgovic is feeling the pace after a third of the bout. The cut is causing him issues as well. Hrgovic leaning in with the right hand but it’s landing short.
Referee John Latham warns Hrgovic about his constant rabbit punching while Dubois is launching the head. Dubois has taken some flush shots really well. Hrgovic, meanwhile, is cut on the left eye and looks perpetually tired.
00:16:40
DUBOIS AND HRGOVIC THROWING HEAVYWEIGHT HAYMAKERS
A cracking opening round for the IBF Interim heavyweight title as Hrgovic finds a home for the right hand immediately. Dubois trying to establish his jab with an aggressive approach.
Hrgovic going to the body and leading with the uppercut, such is his early confidence. Dubois making his opponent work hard. Hrgovic is cut.
00:04:31
HRGOVIC AND DUBOIS HUNTING DOWN A WORLD TITLE
A couple of heavy hitters are about to go to war now in Riyadh as Filip Hrgovic and Daniel Dubois enter the ring. Hrgovic is nearly 30 pounds heavier than Dubois, which will help in the clinches, while the Englishman is lighter on his feet.
Is it fair to say that we know a bit more about Dubois at this stage? We know what he does well, what he struggles with etc. Not that the Croat is an unknown quantity, but it’ll be interesting to see how Hrgovic handles him as the fight goes on (if, indeed, it does go on for any length of time). Barry Jones reckons it’ll be a battle of the jabs.
23:46:02
BRILLIANT BIVOL!
After avoiding any risks, Bivol found a gap, hurt Malik Zinad with a right hand and unloaded with the power shots as Zinad wandered around the ring trying to find an area of security.
A great stoppage from referee Howard Foster at 2-06 of round six as Bivol discovered his emotion just in time. Used to going the distance, this was a much-needed stoppage for the outstanding champion.
“We are professional boxers; we have to change our tactic at any moment, any second in the ring,” Bivol said in relation to the cancelled Beterbiev fight, which has now been rescheduled for October.
23:35:08
BIVOL’S FISTS DOING THE TALKING
Bivol is such a technical master. Floating in and out of range, using his jab, movement, and defensive qualities. More aggressive from the Russian.
Zinad is not overawed at all. Props to chief cornerman Will Jones for letting everyone know who the boss is in the corner. “Let me talk!” he bellows to quieten the voices.
23:23:47
ZINAD DOWN BUT NOT OUT
It was never in question that Zinad would travel to Saudi Arabia to accept this opportunity. This 22-0 fighter is a road warrior. Originally from Libya, now based in Malta, Zinad has also fought in Hungary, Belgium, the UK, France, Slovenia, Germany, Luxembourg, and, last time out, Australia.
Right now, he finds himself on the deck after standing up tall and receiving a three-punch combination. It was a good start for Zinad as well until that point. Classic Bivol.
23:10:20
BIVOL NEEDS TO DEAL WITH MYSTERY MAN ZINAD
While I can’t claim to be any kind of Malik Zinad expert, I did watch his fight against Jerome Pampellone. Obviously not realising at the time that he could potentially find his way on to a card of this magnitude.
We should be watching Beterbiev vs. Bivol this evening, but we’ll have to make do. Zinad is wily and tricky. Bivol can be extremely risk-averse and often fights down to the level of his opposition. Hopefully, someone will take the initiative here and force the fight.
22:55:38
SHEERAZ STOPS WILLIAMS
Williams went down in round 10 from a scything right hand. He looked very unsteady, and every last echo of the bell saved his skin for another two rounds of punishment.
Williams came out flying in round 11 and tried to put it on Sheeraz again. He quickly paid the price. Sheeraz lined up an exhausted Ammo and forced the stoppage from Mark Lyson at 45 seconds of the eleventh.
“He was a muscular lad and we worked on a gameplan to break him down on the inside,” said the winner.
22:44:40
SHEERAZ SHELLING WOBBLY WILLIAMS
Austin Williams just can’t seem to stop himself from standing at the wrong range. His style is a little wobbly, and Sheeraz’s hard shots are helping him to wobble a little more.
Sheeraz lands a beautiful right hand in round nine. This is starting to make for uncomfortable viewing. Will experienced trainer Kevin Cunningham intervene soon?
22:36:16
WORLD TITLE VISION FOR SHEERAZ
Sheeraz has his eye on those double points, while Ammo has his eye swelling up. Sheeraz is stepping back, which causes Williams to fall short time and again. He’s trying to get inside and turn the bigger man while throwing. Mostly, it’s not working.
“His eye’s almost gone,” shouts a member of Sheeraz’s corner as their man peppers the optic with his merciless left hand.
22:28:05
SHEERAZ TAKING OVER
This is a really intriguing contest but Hamzah is taking over. One thing to look at is how Williams lands that straight left hand. Should Sheeraz make it to a higher level, imagine Alimkhanuly lining up a similar shot.
That said, Sheeraz’s jab is dictating everything. Hard and heavy, moving Williams around the ring. No real sign of the uppercut just yet.
22:21:10
WILLIAMS’ TRAINER READS THE RIOT ACT
Williams has been copped a couple of times by Sheeraz’s heavy shots. He’s standing in punching distance without doing anything apart from helping Sheeraz find a home for his big shots.
“You ain’t doing nothing we worked on in camp!” yells Kevin Cunningham in the Williams corner.
22:14:02
‘TIGER’ ON THE PROWL
All of my ‘Ammo’ headers are now null and void as Austin Williams now refers to himself as ‘Tiger’. No matter, we defer to matters of the ring as Sheeraz dwarfs his opponent.
Williams is going to struggle to close the range and get inside of Sheeraz’s lengthy levers. Until round two when Williams buzzes him, again and again.
22:03:55
SHEERAZ READY TO SHAKE OFF AMMO’S BULLETS?
Now this is a fight. Two unbeaten middleweights going head-to-head. The pair pack a punch and don’t know what it feels like to lose.
There is a lot riding on it: money, pride, and the weak middleweight division that is prime for someone to rise up and take over (or at least present themselves as a viable threat to Janibek Alimkhanuly). Exciting.
21:49:04
BALL WINS AFTER A GREAT FIGHT
“And the new!” announces Thomas Treiber as Nick Ball becomes a world champion. Just months after the Rey Vargas disappointment, Britain has another champion.
Pawel Kardyni and Jean Robert Laine both scored 115-113 in Ball’s favour, while Byung-Mu Kim went 115-113 in Ford’s.
“Just seeing what’s next, what Frank’s got going on. I’m ready for the call whenever,” said Ball.
Frank Warren added: “It was a really competitive fight. Nick’s the man, he got robbed last time out, he should be unified champion. This is a great fight card.”
Eddie Hearn said: “I did think our man edged it. Two absolute warriors. Ray rolled the dice, staying at 126. He’ll move to 130 now, a massive career ahead of him.”
“Nick Ball was the better man tonight I ain’t got no excuses,” said Ray Ford.
21:32:22
CLOSE CALL AS WE HIT THE FINAL ROUND
This has been a fascinating contest. Ball waiting a little too long, leaning back in straight lines wich allows Ford to snap off those accurate one-twos.
As daft as it sounds, Ford seems “comfortable” enough to fire back whenever Ball unloads his combinations. Ball wants to hold in round 11, as Ford’s timing serves him well.
21:21:35
BLOODY BALL BUSTED UP
Ball’s nose is in a bad way. He’s trying not to blow out, which causes swelling, but that’s hard to avoid.
Ford needed this turnaround in fortune. Like the Kholmatov fight, Ford often seems tired and struggling, yet he keeps on going and creates repeated moments of success.
21:16:06
NICK ON THE BALL…FOR NOW
Chris Mannix has it scored 58-56 in Ball’s favour after six rounds. It’s all Ball right now as he lets go with fierce combinations. Ford has neglected the body and is standing in front of the Queensberry man.
In round seven, the champion looks fatigued and complains to the referee…before unleashing a huge flurry of shots. Suddenly, Ball is on wobbly legs with a bloodied nose. It’s heating up!
21:08:51
FORD FIGHTING BALL’S FIGHT
Caught standing inside for too long, Ford now has some damage by the left eye as Ball begins to take over. He’s working like a demon. Great pressure from the Liverpudlian, who’s really coming on. Is the American struggling a little?
“Ray, talk to me a little, how you feel?” asked Ford’s cornerman after round five, a little ominously.
21:01:26
SHARPSHOOTER FORD BOXING WELL
Ball is exploding inside to get his work off. His job is to make the sharper Ford keep working and see how his stamina holds up.
Right now, Ford is blocking attacks and answering with his razor-sharp left hand. Ford appears to be cut under the right eye from a punch, according to referee Hector Afu.
20:54:05
BATTLE OF STYLES
The jab for Ford will be important as he attempts to keep Ball at bay for 12 rounds. Ford’s left hand to head and body work lovely on the blind side.
Short and compact, Ball is physically strong. Commentator Todd Grisham likened Ball to Isaac Cruz, which is a nice comparison. Ford’s stance is spot on through two rounds. Ball sliding in with a side-on uppercut.
20:42:26
WILL FORD KICK BALL OUT OF TOWN?
1-0 to Queensberry as we move on swiftly to contest number #2.
Intriguing matchup this. One of the hardest to call on the entire card. An usually quick turnaround for two men fighting at this level.
On March 2, Raymond Ford won the WBA featherweight title that he defends tonight. Ray was losing to Otabek Kholmatov when he turned the fight around at the death to stop the Uzbek and claim world glory.
Nick Ball boxed on March 8, earning a debatable draw against WBC champion Rey Vargas in this same Kingdom Arena.
Ball is small for the weight, and Ford struggles to make it. Both fighters have a history of closing strong. Let’s see what happens.
20:26:53
HUTCHINSON STAMPS ON THE SPIDER
It’s all over and we have a winner: Willy Hutchinson.
Judge Kieran McCann (England) had it closest at 116-112, while Barry Lindenman (USA) scored 117-111 and Troyce Stamey (USA) a wider 119-109.
The clock just ran out for Craig Richards. A fun fight to kick things off. It got a little dicey for Hutchinson, whose gas tank held up and skills got him through.
‘Braveheart’ walked away with the vacant WBC Silver light-heavyweight title.
“I can assure you, Craig Richards is no bum, he’s a tough fighter,” said Hutchinson, channelling his inner Tyson Fury.
“I’m young, hungry and ready to take over the world. I want to become the WBC champion.”
Lauding his fighter, promoter Frank Warren: “He’s got a bit more work to do. He’s got the skills, he’s got the desire, just needs a bit more tweaking.”
20:12:20
SWING FOR THE RAFTERS IN ROUND 10
Both men look exhausted in round 10 as a bar room brawl breaks out. Richards looks ready to go down. Then Willy looks like he can’t last the pace. What a round.
20:07:00
EDDIE OFF HIS CHAIR
Hutchinson has never gone past seven rounds—could he be blowing a bit? If he is, the shots are still landing hard, regardless. Just because someone has never done the rounds doesn’t mean they can’t do them when required.
Hutchinson’s unorthodox approach has worked all night. Stepping off, walking around and leaping in with shots. Richards seems befuddled and a little rusty. He’s struggling to pin down the fizzing target.
Promoter Eddie Hearn jumped off his chair at the end of the ninth to give his man some much-needed encouragement. Craig responded with some heavy shots.
19:58:34
FIGHT HEATING UP AS RICHARDS STEPS FORWARD
Trained by Shane McGuigan, Craig Richards entered as the fight favourite. ‘The Spider’ needs to let some punches go, especially to the body, if he’s to turn the tide.
Referee Kevin Parker spoke with both corners about aggressive glove touching at the close of rounds. Those shots have been some of the heaviest Richards has thrown all night.
19:48:35
FIRED UP HUTCHINSON IN THE ASCENDENCY
Richards ate a big right hand at the close of the third. It’s all Hutchinson so far, in an offensive capacity.
It feels like the Scottish fighter is growing in confidence, mostly due to Richards’ nonchalance as he struggles to hit a groove. Richards wants to take it late, but he needs to do enough to get to that stage in the fight.
Meanwhile, backstage, Ray Ford is speaking to an interviewer, claiming he doesn’t like the “energy” of Nick Ball and his team. Interesting comments from the featherweight champion.
19:38:27
HUTCH INCREASING THE HURT
A surprisingly tentative start from these two that will surely heat up. In round two, Hutchinson turned it up a little when he dipped Richards’ legs with a left hook and later with a right hand.
Craig is a notoriously slow starter. Hutchinson is switch-hitting and warming into it.
19:27:20
RICHARDS’ EXPERIENCE OR HUTCHINSON’S POWER?
Craig Richards and Willy Hutchinson are in the ring. Bit of a crossroads affair this one. Richards has been there, done it, yet never quite got hold of the t-shirt. Despite that, he has shown skill and durability in good company.
Hutchinson can punch at a certain level but got stopped by Lennox Clarke (no shame there, Lennox is a good fighter) in his first major test….until now. They’ve had plenty to say to each other during the week as well, in the corridors and at the weigh-in. Expect a spicy affair.
19:03:09
GOOD EVENING AND WELCOME
Once again, what a night we have in store! *Rubs hands in excitement*
A bit of Bivol, a bit of Ball, a bit of DDD, a domestic dust-up and loads more.
That all builds up nicely to the heavyweight crescendo of Deontay Wilder vs. Zhilei Zhang. Let’s go.
Teams from Queensberry Promotions and Matchroom Boxing square off for a £3 million prize in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Action begins on DAZN from 7pm UK, 2pm ET and 12 noon PT.
Queensberry vs Matchroom Weights and Running Order
12 x 3 mins Heavyweight contest
ZHILEI ZHANG (282.7lbs) VS DEONTAY WILDER (214.6lbs)
12 x 3 mins IBF Heavyweight Interim Title
DANIEL DUBOIS (245.8lbs) VS FILIP HRGOVIC (274.4lbs)
12 x 3 WBA & IBO World Light Heavyweight Titles
DMITRII BIVOL (175lbs) VS MALIK ZINAD (174.2lbs)
12 x 3 mins WBC Middleweight Silver Title & WBC Final Eliminator
HAMZAH SHEERAZ (159.6lbs) VS AUSTIN WILLIAMS (159.4lbs)
12 x 3 mins WBA World Featherweight Title
RAYMOND FORD (125.4lbs) VS NICK BALL (125.8lbs)
12 x 3 mins WBC Silver Light Heavyweight Title
WILLY HUTCHINSON (174lbs) VS CRAIG RICHARDS (174.2lbs)
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