Artur Beterbiev vs Dmitry Bivol 2 undercard IN FULL as Daniel Dubois withdraws from ‘greatest boxing card ever’

Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol’s rematch this weekend has the potential to be one of the greatest cards ever.

Of course, those two are the star attractions, but the rest of the undercard features some incredible fights – even after one of the major bouts has now been cancelled.

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Daniel Dubois fell ill just two days before the event and will not be able to defend his IBF belt against Joseph Parker in Saudi Arabia.

Instead, Martin Bakole has stepped up on very short notice to take on Parker in the fight just before Beterbiev faces Bivol.

Beterbiev vs Bivol 2: Undercard

Dubois vs Parker was going to be a huge battle as the Brit was set to defend his IBF belt after dismantling Anthony Joshua in late 2024.

The winner of that bout was likely to face Oleksandr Usyk for a shot at becoming an undisputed champion.

The Ukrainian legend had already said he will take on the winner of this massive contest.

But that won’t be happening now after doctors deemed Dubois medically unfit to compete in the fight.

It’s Bakole who will be stepping in instead, taking the bout with Parker only days before he will enter the ring.

The fast-rising Congolese star and Parker will be fighting with the WBO ‘Interim’ world title on the line.

Bakole has won every fight he has had since 2018 and he’ll prove to be a very stern test for his opponent.

It won’t be the title fight everyone was expecting on this incredible card, but it’s still expected to be a thriller.

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There is a title on the line in the fight beforehand though, even though that has also seen a withdrawal.

There was serious doubts over the third fight taking place after Floyd Schofield pulled out of his clash with Shakur Stevenson.

The duo were set to go head-to-head over the WBC lightweight title, but Schofield withdrew and was pictured in a hospital bed.

There have been some wild accusations that the American was poisoned, which has been strongly denied by Stevenson’s camp who have issued a legal warning.

Meanwhile, the search for a replacement has settled on part-time electrician Josh Padley from Britain.

The fight is still set to be for the WBC lightweight title, so Padley has the chance to transform his career.

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Before that, we have Hamzah Sheeraz looking to become a world champion for the first time.

The London-born middleweight has shot up the rankings with 21 straight wins.

But his opponent, Carlos Adames, is no pushover.

The 30-year-old has held this title since May 2024, and he has won his last six, losing only once in his career.

We will also see the return of the giant Zhang.

The Chinese fighter is popular among boxing fans, and he will be taking on Agit Kabayel.

Zhang is now 41, but he still tries to take on as many fights as possible, and he is looking to build on his brilliant win over Wilder.

British light-heavyweight Joshua Buatsi will step into the ring on the night too.

The Londoner is eyeing a world title shot, but he must first get past Callum Smith.

Smith is an experienced competitor who has 30 wins to his name and has only lost twice, including to Beterbiev.

Another of the early bouts on the undercard will be Vergil Ortiz Jr versus Israil Madrimov.

Ortiz Jr has a 22-0 record at the age of 26, so he has been extremely active in his career, and he will be looking to see off Madrimov.

The 29-year-old only has one loss on his record, and that was against the incredible Terrence Crawford last year.

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Beterbiev vs Bivol 2: Undercard

Subject to change

All times UK

• MAIN EVENT: Artur Beterbiev vs Dmitry Bivol – for IBF, IBO, WBC and WBO light-heavyweight titles
• Joseph Parker vs Martin Bakole – for IBF heavyweight title
• Shakur Stevenson vs Josh Padley – for WBC lightweight title
• Carlos Adames vs Hamzah Sheeraz – for WBC middleweight title
• Vergil Ortiz Jr vs Israil Madrimov – for interim WBC super-welterweight title
• Zhilei Zhang vs Agit Kabayel – for interim WBC heavyweight title
• Joshua Buatsi vs Callum Smith – for interim WBO light-heavyweight title
• Ziyad Al Maayouf vs Jonatas de Oliveira
• Mohammed Alakel vs Engel Gomez

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Beterbiev vs Bivol 2: Date and how to follow

This huge 12-round undisputed title bout will take place on Saturday, February 22 at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Official start times have been announced, with the undercard set to get going at 3:30pm UK time.

Main event ring walks are scheduled for 10:53pm, with the fight set for 10:58pm, but all times are subject to change.

talkSPORT has secured the commentary rights to this massive event.

Adam Catterall will present live coverage from Riyadh on talkSPORT at 8pm with commentary coming from Gareth A Davies, Spencer Oliver and John Rawling.

To tune in to talkSPORT through the website, click HERE for the live stream. Listen via the talkSPORT app here, or on DAB digital radio, through your smart speaker and on 1089 or 1053 AM.

You can also follow the talkSPORT Boxing YouTube Channel for all the latest news, views and exclusive content.

We’ll also be holding a live watch-along for all the action over on the talkSPORT Boxing YouTube channel.

The entire card will also be streamed on DAZN Pay-Per-View and UK fans can pay £19.99 to watch the action here.