THE PEOPLE who appear on the latest Riyad Season card are fighting for something.

But is there more to it?

Winning titles, winning convincingly and testifying will be on the agenda for those involved, but does any of them have something extra they need to show us.

asks whether any of the 10 fighters taking part in Saturday’s gala in Riyad actually have something to prove.

Artur Beterbiew – NO. The three-belt world champion is considered the best lightweight heavyweight in the world, and in his last fight against Callum Smith he put in one of his best performances ever. All that’s missing is a fourth world title that would become undisputed.

Dmitry Bivol – Yes. We all want to know how Bivol’s chin copes with Beterbiev’s crushing power.

Fabio Wardley – Yes. He never finished the job against Clarke, despite dropping and hurting him. Wardley needs to prove he is better than a player as good as Clarke.

Frazer Clarke – Yes. His professional career started properly against Wardley. He hasn’t learned much in his previous eight fights, such is his pedigree. Clarke, like Wardley, needs to show that he is above the British level. Failure by any of them means a huge setback to their ambitions.

Chris Eubank Jr – NO. He’s not up to par and his fans deserve better. If he lost, it would be a huge shock, but if he wins, few will bat an eyelid.

Kamil Szeremeta – NO. He’s there to create the biggest stir of the night and therefore has nothing to lose.

Skye Nicolson – Yes. The Australian wants to go undisputed and go down as one of the greatest players of all time. We need to see Nicolson dominate Chapman and he will probably provide more excitement.

Raven Chapman – Yes. “The Omen” hasn’t made a mistake so far, but she needs to show that the world level is not too much of a leap for her. He can’t afford to outclass Nicolson.

Ben Whittaker – Yes. He needs to impress Cameron and stop fooling around. He’s a character, he’s a showman, but after a while it gets monotonous. Do something that catches your attention for the right reasons.

Liam Cameron – NO. The fact that Cameron is struggling at all – considering what he’s had to go through in his personal life – is a victory in itself. This is a great opportunity and we will continue to fight, win or lose.

The BIGGEST lightweight heavyweight fight of our generation has arrived and it has just about enough split boxing fans in the middle. Artur Beterbiev against Dmitry Bivol, who will fight for all four 175-pound belts on Saturday in Riyad, seems to be a classic case of a fight between a boxer and a puncher – but is it something more? We take a look at where you can win and lose this game for the ages.

ARTHUR BETERBIEV – KEYS TO VICTORY

POWER

No prizes for predicting that Beterbiev, a man with 20 wins and 20 knockouts, might just win it the distance, but when all is said and done, it might just be the fact that the unified WBC, WBO and IBF champion just punched too much for Bivol to handle. The disturbing thing for WBA champion Bivol is that his opponent doesn’t even have to land immaculate to knock you out, and can do it with his left or right hand, head or body. Facing him is the most perilous task in boxing today.

PRESSURE

Yes, it is the power in his hands that defeats people, but it is his feet that put pressure on his opponents, draining them of energy and perfectly putting them to sleep. We all know how Bivol likes to box on his toes, from the front to the attack, from the first and third positions, but will he be able to adopt this style when Beterbiev is beating him mercilessly? This may be the most crucial question in the entire fight, and foot pressure may prove to be the key to Beterbiev’s victory.

CHIN

With fighters like Anthony Yarde, Callum Smith and Oleksandr Gvozdyk, it’s protected to argue that Beterbiev has faced a higher caliber of lightweight heavyweight fighters than Bivol in his 23 fights. Yes, he was famously dropped by Callum Johnson in the second round of their 2018 encounter, but he roared back and won two rounds later. Bivol has never been a forceful puncher, and if he can’t earn Beterbiev’s respect by landing some shots early, the 39-year-old could tip his chin back and take down anything that gets in his way.

DMITRII BIVOL – KEYS TO VICTORY

STYLE

If you had to choose one boxer in the world whose style truly undone a boxer like Beterbiev, you would probably choose Bivol. Yes, Saul “Canelo” Alvarez is not Beterbiev, he is not as substantial, forceful or powerful as him, but most people chose the Mexican ahead of the 2022 fight and Bivol just stuck to his boxing, stayed long and stayed away since the shooting – and made a lot of people look very stupid. It was exactly the same six months later with Gilberto Ramirez. Who’s to say he’s not skillful enough to do the same here, stay in good shape for 12 rounds, and beat the aging Beterbiev? Stranger things have happened.

ENGINE

Beterbiev never went the distance because he hits too challenging for anyone to do it, but the fact is he never went the distance. Enrico Koelling took him to 12th place before eventually succumbing with just 27 seconds on the clock, but that was seven years ago. Although he has seen 10th place twice in eight fights since then, this is not a man used to championship rounds. Meanwhile, Bivol has no problem completing all 12 tasks and may be able to take control once he reaches the halfway stage and defeats a frustrated Beterbiev.

Dmitry Bivol captures Lyndon Arthur during their fight in Riyad. (Photo: Richard Pelham/Getty Images)

YOUTH EFFECTIVENESS

At 33, Bivol is no spring chicken, but he appears to be a man in the prime of his life and at the peak of his abilities. Beterbiev, meanwhile, is now 39 years vintage and had to postpone his fight with Smith due to dental issues, while his original date with Bivol was postponed due to a torn meniscus. Perhaps this is a man at the end of his life whose body is simply trying to withstand almost a lifetime of fighting. Bivol shows no such symptoms and his health appears to be improving as he approaches his thirties. In such a close fight, this may be crucial.

Steve Wellings (online editor)

I’ve been coming back to this topic since it popped up on the radar as a possibility. Bivol is a great player who, despite his straightforward style, is arduous to surpass. This is evidenced by sparring partners as well as evidence in the ring. Bivol’s distance judgment and ability to dictate range are exceptional traits.

However, Beterbiev can draw anyone into the fight. The final stages of this fight will be telling. Beterbiev managed to dismantle good fighters in the last third of fights. It’s tough to imagine Bivol going the full 12 rounds without getting hit by something tough.

Although I’ve been leaning towards Bivol lately, I’m coming back to it now Beterbiev scoring KO number 21. It all depends on whether his elderly, weather-damaged form will hold up one last time against the best opponent he has ever faced as a professional.

Daniel Greig (Video Editor)

I truly believe this is the best fight in boxing right now, hands down. And while this is a 50/50 fight, I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw a one-sided performance from either of these fighters, similar to the Spence vs. Crawford fight.

However, if Bivol is to win this fight, he needs to earn Beterbiev’s respect early, and I don’t think that will happen. I think we’ve seen a few performances from Bivol where he switches off, and that’s something you just can’t do against a ferocious pressure player like Beterbiev. Moreover, while the last time we saw Bivol stoppage was against Zinad, he took several shots in the first round that he simply cannot afford against Beterbiev.

I see Beterbiev slowly breaking down Bivol and stopping him in the later rounds. With that being said, this fight could go any way.

Jordan Pollock (head of content)

Initially, I had a feeling that Bivol would take the crown with a safety-first points win, but now my arm has been twisted by Beterbiev’s KO.

The idea of ​​”winning on safety first” doesn’t seem realistic considering the man on the opposite side is the talented, resilient and masterful Artur Beterbiev – not to mention his 100% KO punching power.

Beterbiev, round 10.

Declan Taylor (senior reporter)

I choose Buffalo win on points. This is one of those predictions that will make you look extremely stupid if Beterbiev just walks through it.

If you’re trying to find someone to beat Beterbiev in terms of attributes, you want someone to give you a chance to annihilate him and go 12 rounds without getting knocked out. You could look at Bivol’s skills and say that’s the guy I want.

Of course, we’ve seen what he can do, his distance control, not his power punching, which is a bit of a concern. If Beterbiev has no respect for his authority, he will just get over it. But we know how well trained he is, how good he is at keeping things at bay when he needs to, boxing on orders and staying switched on.

I think Beterbiev being 39 years elderly and having had two pretty earnest injuries in the last 12 months suggests that his strength is waning, which is strange considering he’s 20-0 with 20 knockouts. Of course, if he gets to Bivol, he will knock him out.

If there’s one person who has the style to just nullify a fight and last 12 rounds, I think it’s Bivol. If Bivol does this, I feel it’s in Bivol’s best interest to make it stink. This is his best chance to win. If this turns into a shooting, he’ll be in trouble.

I’m Farooqi (head of digital department)

We’ve been spoiled with great fights and undisputed fights lately, and this one has the potential to be among the best. This is another fight that boxing fans have been waiting for for years and I can’t wait for Saturday night.

As for who I think will win, I’ve wondered many times over the years since this fight was first widely covered. I was initially a supporter of Beterbiev because of how he performed against opponents in the professional rankings.

However, as Bivol started to rack up some notable wins, I was impressed with his movement, his ring IQ, and how he remained composed and didn’t get sidetracked from his game plan or make too many costly mistakes. So I switched to Bivol and stayed there for a while.

But as the fight got closer, I started to think again that Beterbiev would take it. When you consider his amateur pedigree, how he brutally demolished several top operators at 175 pounds, and his explosive power – a gun to his head – I’d go with Beterbiev.

I expect Bivol to have some early success in this fight, but as they move into the mid to behind schedule rounds, I think Beterbiev’s strength will be the deciding factor and I expect him to extend his knockout streak to 21 fights.

Shaun Brown (Reporter)

Massive fights are best when you can make a powerful case for both boxers to win. And this is exactly the case with Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol.

Bivol is potentially a stylistic nightmare for Beterbiev and that’s why I’m not hopeful this will be a great fight. I think Bivol will beat Beterbiev at the beginning because he has to. It doesn’t allow him to start quickly and he can’t stay on the ropes for more than a few seconds.

I can see Bivol gaining the advantage, but it will be worthless because for 36 minutes it is impossible to avoid Beterbiev’s shots. Let’s not forget that Beterbiev doesn’t have to hit you tough to hurt you. He is so powerful.

I think so Beterbiev stops Bivol in round 10. Whatever he lands will take its toll in the second half of the fight and at some point Bivol will fade and it will be talked about at this stage as Beterbiev is one of the best fight finishers in boxing.