Callum Smith vs. Joshua Buatsi | PPV - 22 February 2025

[mickey1975]

Kalle hinted at Lyndon Arthur for Smith next.

[keithmoonhangover]

Kalle hinted at Lyndon Arthur for Smith next.

That would be good. I only wish Arthur has more output.

[garethhop]

Smith should destroy Arthur.

Would be amazed if they try to headline a DAZN show with that.

[THEBUTCH]

I don't believe for a second that Buatsi would go in with Smith next

Smith hits way too hard for Buatsi.

As for Lyndon Arthur...he has no business being in the same ring as Smith

[Twinkle Toes]

Buatsi seesm to have a knack of swerving all the big fights

[Glass Joe]

Public have lost interest in Buatsi (if there were any to begin with) needs a fight like Smith but will probably fight a nobody next.

[mickey1975]

Public have lost interest in Buatsi (if there were any to begin with) needs a fight like Smith but will probably fight a nobody next.

Literally nobody outside boxing circles know who he is.

[Glass Joe]

yep eddie thought he would be a superstar but got a wish version of AJ

[THEBUTCH]

Buatsi's a good fighter who is (maybe "was") improving, but isn't capitalising on any of his wins.

There have been some attempts to raise his profile. Before the Lockdowns started an image of Buatsi was randomly projected onto a huge building in Croydon that peaked a bit of interest...very briefly.

[magnus]

I've long had the feeling that Buatsi's team have swerved genuine tests of his ability. Will be shocked if the Smith fight happens.

[Ruthless-RKO]

It’s looking likely to be Lyndon Arhur.

[margaret thatcher]

It’s looking likely to be Lyndon Arhur.

for buatsi or cal

[Ruthless-RKO]

It’s looking likely to be Lyndon Arhur.

for buatsi or cal

Cal

[wrighty]

I wanted Buatsi v Johnson. It seemed that was in touching distance

[Ruthless-RKO]

[Ruthless-RKO]

Smith got a little run out then so we’d finally see this one!

[Ruthless-RKO]

Artur Beterbiev-Dmitry Bivol II set for February 22 in Riyadh

Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol will rematch for the undisputed light heavyweight title on February 22 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, headlining the latest Riyadh Season event on a card stacked with championship bouts.

The main event, announced Monday on social media and billed as "The Last Crescendo," will revisit the October clash in which Beterbiev narrowly edged Bivol via majority decision to unify the division.

In that fight, the 39-year-old Beterbiev, 21-0 (20 KOs), who has spent much of his career training in Montreal, went the distance for the first time. Meanwhile, the 33-year-old Bivol, 23-1 (12 KOs), suffered his first career defeat despite outlanding Beterbiev 142-134 on punches, according to CompuBox. Beterbiev, for his part, landed 90 power shots to Bivol’s 84, highlighting the razor-thin margin.

The undercard will see IBF heavyweight titleholder Daniel Dubois, 22-2 (21 KOs), defend his title against Joseph Parker, 35-3 (23 KOs). Dubois, 27, from the UK, is on a three-fight win streak following a 2023 stoppage loss to Oleksandr Usyk. Parker, 32, a New Zealand former titleholder, enters on a five-fight win streak, with notable victories over Deontay Wilder and Zhilei Zhang. Parker’s last title fight was a loss to Anthony Joshua in 2018, while Dubois knocked out Joshua in his most recent fight.

WBC lightweight titleholder Shakur Stevenson, 22-0 (10 KOs), will face Floyd Schofield, 18-0 (12 KOs). Stevenson, 27, originally from Newark and now training in Houston, accepted the challenge from Schofield, 22, nicknamed “Kid Austin,” following Schofield’s unanimous decision win over Rene Tellez Giron last month, after Schofield called Stevenson out. Their exchanges on social media helped build anticipation for this showdown, which many believed to be out of reach for Schofield.

Carlos Adames, 24-1 (18 KOs), will defend his WBC middleweight title against Hamzah Sheeraz, 21-0 (17 KOs). Adames, 30, based in Las Vegas, has been plagued by inactivity (fighting just once per year since 2022) but is riding a six-fight win streak. Sheeraz, 25, from the UK, earned the title shot with a stoppage of Tyler Denny in September.

The WBC interim junior middleweight title will be contested between Vergil Ortiz Jnr, 22-0 (21 KOs), and Israil Madrimov, 10-1-1 (7 KOs). Ortiz, 26, from Grand Prairie, Texas, won a majority decision over Serhii Bohachuk in August to capture the title. Madrimov, 29, from Uzbekistan, is coming off a unanimous decision loss to Terence Crawford in August in Los Angeles, marking Crawford’s debut at 154lbs. More perplexing is that Madrimov will be scheduled for this fight while keeping his fight on December 21 with Bohachuk.

“It’s surprising to see, considering Serhii knocked Vergil down twice and sent him to the hospital [August 10 in Ortiz’s narrow victory by decision in Las Vegas],” Tom Loeffler, Bohachuk’s promoter told Boxing Scene on Monday.

Madrimov would be left with just over two months to recover and prepare against a WBC interim titleholder who has knocked out every foe except Bohachuk.

Also on the card, 41-year-old Zhilei Zhang, 27-2-1 (22 KOs), will face Germany’s Agit Kabayel, 25-0 (17 KOs), for the WBC interim heavyweight title. Zhang, who twice stopped Joe Joyce before losing to Parker, rebounded with a dramatic knockout of Wilder in June. Kabayel, 32, earned this opportunity by stopping Frank Sanchez and Arslanbek Makhmudov in back-to-back fights.

Opening the event, Joshua Buatsi, 19-0 (13 KOs), will defend his WBO interim light heavyweight title against Callum Smith, 30-2 (22 KOs). Buatsi, 31, a 2016 Olympic bronze medalist training in California with Virgil Hunter, is coming off wins over Dan Azeez and Willy Hutchinson in 2024. Smith, 34, rebounded from a stoppage loss to Beterbiev with a fifth-round knockout of Carlos Galvan on Saturday.

[cormack]

Hell of a card

[Delta Jay]

This is what I meant the other day on the Yafai thread. WBO don’t let you fight for a title coming off a loss. First on the card quick run out, W box ticked. This fight was already signed.

[Ruthless-RKO]

This is what I meant the other day on the Yafai thread. WBO don’t let you fight for a title coming off a loss. First on the card quick run out, W box ticked. This fight was already signed.

Yarde did the same

[Coco]

This is what I meant the other day on the Yafai thread. WBO don’t let you fight for a title coming off a loss. First on the card quick run out, W box ticked. This fight was already signed.

Yarde did the same

It was a nice warm up for Smith against a tough bloke who knew his way around.
Obviously low risk but got some rounds in, made to think, and got the job well done.

[keithmoonhangover]

I've been overrating Call for a long time and picked him to beat Canelo and Beterbiev, buuuuuuuuuuuuut, he's definitely going to beat Buatsi.

[Ruthless-RKO]

[cormack]

I've been overrating Call for a long time and picked him to beat Canelo and Beterbiev, buuuuuuuuuuuuut, he's definitely going to beat Buatsi.

I hope you are right as buatsi is really annoying and i would love it for Callum to beat him .

[TheLeprechaun]

Buatsi has been disappointing as his level has been found but Callum is one of the most overrated guys to come out of the UK. Very basic guy. Buatsi should win this easy.