It’s another Riyadh Season boxing card; this time, it’s back in the desert kingdom. The headline bout is the mouthwatering unification clash between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitrii Bivol, but the undercard is also stacked with tasty scraps between world champions and unbeaten fighters.
Our Boxing tipster, Matt Gipon, has five fights here for us to feast on, so let’s get straight into it.
Boxing Betting Tips
TV: All fights on DAZN/TNT
Skye Nicolson v Raven Chapman – Raven Chapman to win
Chris Eubank Jr v Kamil Szeremeta – Chris Eubank Jr points or decision
Jai Opetaia v Jack Massey – Jai Opetaia points or decision
Fabio Wardley v Frazer Clarke – Fabio Wardley to win the fight in round 4 – 6
Artur Beterbiev v Dmitrii Bivol – Artur Beterbiev points or decision
Skye Nicolson v Raven Chapman – Raven Chapman to win
TV: Sky Sports, TNT, DAZN
Saturday, 18:00
Unbeaten featherweights Skye Nicolson, 29, and Raven Chapman, 30, will put their friendship aside on Saturday night when they duke it out for Skye’s version of the world title. The outstanding Australian amateur has been untouchable in her pro career so far, and Paddy makes Nicolson a big favourite to win on points.
Chapman was an international amateur, too, and she was confident that her front-foot pressure would get her the win. But what’s more pertinent is that Chapman is with Frank Warren, while Nicolson is with Eddie Hearn, so I’m sticking with the form guide that every Warren fighter beats the Hearn fighter.
Chris Eubank Jr v Kamil Szeremeta – Chris Eubank Jr points or decision
TV: Sky Sports, TNT, DAZN
Saturday, 20:00
Take away the names and this is two middleweights in their mid-30s with a few losses trying to get back to championship level, but Chris Eubank Jr. is an attraction and Kamil Szeremeta is a former title challenger, and somehow this fight has found its way onto a huge card.
Eubank is a big favourite but his best days were up at super middleweight back in 2018 and 2019, and since then he hasn’t really impressed. Szeremeta drew with a distinctly average opponent in his last outing so I expect Eubank to win, but it could be another drawn-out points victory for the Brighton man.
Jai Opetaia v Jack Massey – Jai Opetaia points or decision
TV: Sky Sports, TNT, DAZN
Saturday, 21:00
Jai Opetaia, 29, is another unbeaten world champion, and he is getting a lot of hype. Most people consider the Samoan-Australian the best cruiserweight in the world, and some even have him in their pound-for-pound top 10. Jai has shown plenty of power and skill, but the only times he’s faced world-class opposition, he’s been taken the distance.
Few would have called Jack Massey, 31, world-class a couple of years ago, but the Englishman has gone from scaffolding yards to Saudi cards with a win over Isaac Chamberlain and a valiant defeat to Joseph Parker at heavyweight. Massey is big, tough, and underrated skills-wise, but I think Opetaia will take a decision win.
Fabio Wardley v Frazer Clarke – Fabio Wardley to win the fight in round 4 – 6
TV: Sky Sports, TNT, DAZN
Saturday, 22:00
It’s only got a British title on the line but this is the tastiest contest of the undercard. The scrap between Fabio Wardley, 29, and Frazer Clarke, 33, is a rematch of their epic heavyweight war back in March that ended in a draw, and the winner on Saturday takes the domestic crown, settles the feud, and has the chance to make millions on future Riyadh Season cards.
The first fight was a back-and-forth encounter – Clarke was dropped in the fifth round and had a point deducted in the seventh, but he adapted during the bout and busted up Wardley’s nose and eye. The scrap confirmed that Wardley is a really dangerous puncher, and that while Clarke has great fundamentals, he doesn’t have the gears to stop a good opponent.
Some pundits think that Clarke, the 2020 Olympic bronze medallist, will be able to learn and change more than Wardley, but I think Fabio, the former white-collar champ, has greater room for improvement. Heavyweight fights so often come down to power, resilience, and confidence, and I think Wardley has the edge in all of those characteristics. This weekend, he’ll finish what he started in March.
Artur Beterbiev v Dmitrii Bivol – Artur Beterbiev points or decision
TV: Sky Sports, TNT, DAZN
Saturday, 23:00
It has already been said on probably every boxing media outlet, but this really is the best fight in boxing right now – two unbeaten champions, both on form, and both in their natural weight division at light heavyweight. On paper they are evenly matched and it doesn’t get any better than this, the only negative is that picking the winner is no easy task.
Neither man has faced an opponent of this quality as a pro because there are so few truly elite boxers. Artur Beterbiev faced Oleksandr Usyk as an amateur, and in the big competitions, Usyk had his number. Although they are different styles, Bivol shares Usyk’s mastery of distance, but Dmitrii Bivol is about three inches and 25 pounds smaller than the Ukrainian.
Beterbiev’s age, 39, has been a talking point for a few years already, but the Russian’s professionalism and dedication mean he is still in incredible shape. The more concerning factor is that Artur had to postpone this fight earlier in the year because of a ruptured meniscus—injuries like that are never easy to recover from, especially as a boxer approaches 40.
Bivol, 33, is close to even money to win on points, and although I can see that outcome happening, I don’t think it is close to a 50% likelihood. Bivol, the Kyrgyzstan-Russian, has renowned boxing skills, while Beterbiev is the only boxing world champion with a 100% KO record. But make no mistake—both can box and both can punch.
If this fight took place a couple of years ago I would edge toward a late stoppage win for Beterbiev like he did against Callum Smith, Anthony Yarde and Oleksandr Gvozdyk, but his injured knee is a concern. Beterbiev winning on points is an incredible price and that’s where my money is going.
Boxing Tips
Skye Nicolson v Raven Chapman – Raven Chapman to win
Chris Eubank Jr v Kamil Szeremeta – Chris Eubank Jr points or decision
Jai Opetaia v Jack Massey – Jai Opetaia points or decision
Fabio Wardley v Frazer Clarke – Fabio Wardley to win the fight in round 4 – 6
Artur Beterbiev v Dmitrii Bivol – Artur Beterbiev points or decision
*All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widgets, while odds in copy are accurate at time of publishing but subject to change.
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