The main event could be IBF heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois vs. Joseph Parker, with the Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol 2 rematch providing the chief support for the massive February 22nd card in Riyadh.
Dubois’s fight against the defensive-minded Parker lacks excitement because it is not a fight that fans are talking about. They’re more interested in seeing undisputed light heavyweight champion Beterbiev fight Bivol again. Their previous match on October 12th was exciting throughout.
“I would riot if Bivol-Beterbiev is not the main event. I would pull myself from the card if Beterbiev vs. Bivol is not the main event,” said Ade Oladipo on the Ariel Helwani YouTube channel, talking about the February 22nd card in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
“It’s the two best heavyweights in the world. The only fight that would be bigger than Beterbiev-Bivol and would push it down to chief support would be Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk. Nothing else could be made that would push it down to co-main.”
Beterbiev-Bivol is too big of a fight for it not to be the headliner for this card, because none of the undercard bouts on the February 22 event come close to being as interesting.
Update: Beterbiev vs. Bivol IS the main event on the February 22nd card, which makes sense. There’s no way that the heavyweight title defense for IBF champion Daniel Dubois against Joseph Parker would work as the headliner for that card. While that’s a fight that would interest fans in the UK, it’s not one that would attract a wider audience outside of that region of the globe.
There’s going to be a lot of pressure on Bivol (23-1, 12 KOs) to give fans their money’s worth by coming to fight Beterbiev in the main event. Last time, Bivol was on his bike, moving and boxing for 12 rounds, making it boring for the fans. Beterbiev was the one pressing the action, looking to make a fight of it. That’s why the judges gave him a 12-round majority decision.