Defending light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol successfully retained his WBA and IBO titles with a sixth-round TKO of previously defeated Malik Zinad at the 5 vs. 5 event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Bivol was all set to face Artur Beterbiev at the event, but after Beterbiev suffered a torn meniscus in training, undefeated Zinad was drafted in, with the two fighters both entering the ring in Riyadh with 22-0 records.
And, in a busy opening round Zinad looked to be enjoying some early success against the two-belt champion, only for Bivol to uncork a big right hand that dropped Zinad to the canvas in the closing seconds of the opening round.
After that, Bivol settled into his work, with his more compact boxing allowing him to score regularly while staying out of range of Zinad’s power punches.
As the fight wore on, Bivol’s unflappable demeanour began to frustrate Zinad, who went head to head with the champion at the end of the fifth round in a bid to get inside Bivol’s head. But if it did anything, it only served to fire up the champion, who loaded up with his shots and claimed a sixth-round TKO finish with a barrage of punches that forced referee Howard Foster to step in and wave off the contest at the 2:06 mark of the sixth round.
After Bivol’s win, Chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority Turki Alalshikh announced that Bivol will move on to face Beterbiev in a rearranged matchup for the undisputed light heavyweight championship in Riyahd on October 12.
Alalshikh also thanked Zinad for stepping in to face one of the sport’s best pound-for-pound fighters, and promised him that he will be invited back to Saudi Arabia to feature on one of their big fight cards later this year.
5 vs. 5: Queensberry vs. Matchroom – Official Results
- Zhilei Zhang (Q) def. Deontay Wilder (captain, M) via knockout – Round 5, 1:51
- Daniel Dubois (Q) def. Filip Hrgovic (M) via TKO (doctor stoppage) – Round 8, 0:57 – for IBF interim heavyweight title
- Dmitry Bivol def. Malik Zinad via TKO – Round 6, 2:06 – for WBA Super and IBO light heavyweight titles
- Hamza Sheeraz (captain, Q) def. Austin Williams (M) via TKO – Round 11, 0:45 – WBC silver middleweight title
- Nick Ball (Q) def. Raymond Ford (M) via split decision (113-115, 115-113, 115-113) – for WBA featherweight title
- Willy Hutchinson (Q) def. Craig Richards (M) via unanimous decision (116-112, 117-111, 119-109) – for WBC silver light heavyweight title
