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RIYADH: The Saudi capital served as the backdrop for a spectacular night of boxing as The Last Crescendo fight night delivered a combination of unforgettable moments, showcasing both established champions and emerging talents. Headlining the event was a remarkable upset in the light-heavyweight division, where Dmitry Bivol dethroned Artur Beterbiev to become the undisputed champion. Alongside this historic victory, Joseph Parker made a powerful comeback with a dominant win over Martin Bakole, adding further excitement to an already star-studded card.

The evening’s main event saw a thrilling reversal of fortune as Bivol avenged his previous loss to Beterbiev. Having fallen short in their first meeting, Bivol made key adjustments and outboxed Beterbiev in a tactical showdown that went the distance. Judges scored it 115-113, 116-112, and 114-114 in favor of the Russian, securing his place as the undisputed light-heavyweight champion. With this win, Bivol opened the door for a potential trilogy with Beterbiev, and boxing fans are already buzzing for the next chapter of this riveting rivalry.

The excitement was evident early on in the night as local Saudi fighters Ziyad Almaayouf and Mohammed Alakel both secured dominant victories, igniting the crowd from the very first bout. Almaayouf was impressive in his super lightweight clash with Jonatas de Oliveira, winning by unanimous decision after a disciplined and controlled performance. Alakel followed up with a strong six-round display against Engel Gomez, maintaining his unbeaten record at 3-0. The victories from Almaayouf and Alakel set the tone for a thrilling evening, and the energy in the arena continued to build throughout the night.

In the co-main event, former heavyweight champion Joseph Parker returned to form with an emphatic second-round TKO over Martin Bakole. Parker’s combination of speed and power overwhelmed Bakole, forcing the referee to step in after a crushing barrage of punches sent Bakole to the canvas. The win was a much-needed rebound for Parker, signaling his intent to challenge the top names in the heavyweight division once again.

Shakur Stevenson continued to shine in the lightweight division, successfully defending his WBC title against Josh Padley. From the opening bell, Stevenson’s superior skill and speed were on full display, eventually leading to Padley’s corner throwing in the towel after the ninth round. Stevenson remains undefeated with a 20-0 record, further solidifying his place as one of the sport’s rising stars.

The middleweight division witnessed a controversial outcome in the bout between Carlos Adames and Hamzah Sheeraz. Despite a competitive back-and-forth, the fight ended in a split draw after one judge scored it for Sheeraz, another for Adames, and the third calling it even. As a result, Adames retained his WBC title, though many felt the decision left more questions than answers.

Vergil Ortiz Jr. continued his climb in the welterweight ranks, successfully defending his WBC interim super welterweight title with a narrow unanimous decision over Israil Madrimov. The fight was a war, with both men exchanging powerful shots, but Ortiz’s precision and ability to stay composed in the later rounds allowed him to come out on top. His win kept his perfect record intact, moving him to 23-0.

In the heavyweight ranks, Agit Kabayel extended his unbeaten record to 26-0 with a spectacular sixth-round knockout of Zhilei Zhang. Kabayel’s impressive power was on full display as he dropped Zhang with a brutal body shot that silenced the crowd, confirming his status as a dangerous contender in the division.

Callum Smith added another title to his collection, claiming the vacant WBO light heavyweight belt with a hard-fought majority decision victory over Joshua Buatsi. The bout was a tactical masterpiece, with Smith’s experience and poise in the later rounds giving him the edge, earning a victory that handed Buatsi his first career loss.

The night’s action concluded with the crowd buzzing from an unforgettable evening filled with historic moments, shocking upsets, and impressive performances. With Saudi stars making their mark and world-class fighters delivering thrilling bouts, The Last Crescendo proved to be a night that will live long in the memory.

JEDDAH: Al-Ittihad took a big step toward the Saudi Pro League (SPL) title on Saturday with a 4-1 win over Al-Hilal in the long-awaited top of the table clash.
The victory in Jeddah puts the Tigers seven points clear of their Riyadh rivals with 13 games of the season remaining.
The defeat means that Al-Hilal, who strolled to a record 19th championship in 2024, have won just once in their last five games and are struggling to keep pace with Ittihad who have tasted victory in 15 of their last 17 league games.
Despite the convincing defeat that came in the end, Al-Hilal took the lead midway through the first half. João Cancelo whipped over a wicked ball from the right and there was Marcos Leonardo to poke it home at the near post for a real poacher’s goal.

On the half hour however, Al-Ittihad were back on level terms. Moussa Diaby, who continued his great form of late, swung over a corner kick from the right for Hassan Kadesh to head home.
It got better for the Jeddah giants just before the break as Steven Bergwijn put them ahead. Karim Benzema slipped a pass wide for Diaby and the former Aston Villa star sent over a perfect cross for Bergwijn to head home at the second attempt after Yassine Bounou in goal had blocked the first.
The Dutchman was on target once more six minutes after the restart. N’Golo Kante broke down the right and the former Chelsea midfielder pulled the ball back for Bergwijn to bundle home from close range.
Al-Hilal pushed forward but fell further behind four minutes from the end and in spectacular fashion too. Diaby’s corner from the right landed in the left side of the box and there was Karim Benzema to volley his 16th goal of the league season to move level with Cristiano Ronaldo on the top of the individual rankings.
The bigger prize is, however, that Al-Ittihad now have a comfortable cushion over their title rivals and are looking very good indeed.