Since Saudi Arabia entered boxing in earnest in 2019 (the rematch between Andy Ruiz Jr. and Anthony Joshua), the Kingdom has put together some great cards featuring multiple fights that are good enough to be main events, all in the same program. Saturday is another example of this.

After Oleksandr Usyk’s undisputed clash with Tyson Fury on May 18, we initially expected another undisputed fight between lightweight heavyweight champions Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol. Beterbiev’s knee injury meant that this fight – one of the best that boxing has to offer – will end on ice, but Saturday’s gala will still be a huge event at the Kingdom Arena in Riyad.

Bivol will now make the eleventh defense of his WBA lightweight heavyweight title against Malik Zinad, backed by a novel promoter-versus-promoter best-of-three fight. Five fighters from each of the promotional teams of Eddie Hearn (Matchroom Boxing) and Frank Warren (Queensberry) will face each other in the miniseries.

There are championship titles, huge money opportunities and egos at stake. What are the best fights, why are they worth watching and who wants to win?

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6. Willy Hutchinson (+120) vs. Craig Richards (-150), lightweight heavyweight

This is a chance for Richards to shine on the huge stage again and it will be engaging to see how he fares against a tough lightweight heavyweight.

Richards, 34, from south London, ended a 21-month sideline in February after a seventh-round TKO victory over Boris Crighton. He needs to win this fight to get back into contention.

Richards (18-3-1, 11 KO) lost a unanimous decision to Bivol in his 2021 world title fight and Joshua Buatsi in 2022 before being sidelined with a hand ligament injury.

Hutchinson, 25, of Scotland, has made progress in Richards’ absence and has won four straight fights at the distance since moving up from super middleweight.

While Hutchinson (17-1, 13 KO) has been very vigorous and animated lately, Richards has experience he can draw on. Richards unexpectedly ended the fight with Bivol, with one judge awarding the Russian one point advantage and the other two points. If Richards shows this quality again, he will make up for some of the lost time against Hutchinson.

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5. Hamzah Sheeraz (-225) vs. Austin Williams (+175), middleweight

A star could be born in this titleless middleweight fight. Emotions are needed in the 160-pound division, and for one of these two contenders, this is an opportunity to express his opinion on whether he will be able to show his good form in this fight.

Sheeraz (24) from London is first in the WBO rankings, and his victory will give him a chance to fight the WBO and IBF world champion Janibek Alimkhanuly. Sheeraz (19-0, 15 KO) has stopped his last 13 opponents, but he faces an opponent who is also in form.

“Ammo” Williams (16-0, 11 KO), 28, of Houston, knocked out Armel Mbumba-Yassa in February, and the southpaw may have faced a better opponent in his career.

Much will depend on how effective the 6-foot-3 Sheeraz’s jab is this evening. He may have to make a decision for the first time in six years.

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4. Dmitry Bivol (-2500) vs. Malik Zinad (+1100), for Bivol’s WBA lightweight heavyweight title

Saudi Arabia’s funding has made boxing matches that had previously not taken place due to financial disagreements an invigorating reality. Once Beterbiev’s injury is healed, we can confidently expect an undisputed fight for the lightweight heavyweight title before the end of the year.

And this means that there is no room for error in Bivol. If he does not prepare or achieves poorer results, Bivol (22-0, 11 KO) may miss the meeting with the Russian, which will decide about his career and change his life.

The 33-year-old Bivol has already risen to the occasion, reducing the chances of winning against Canelo Alvarez in May 2022, and it is challenging to imagine a disheartening victory for the little-known 30-year-old Zinad from Libya. But the slight chance of a seismic shock makes watching this fight compulsive.

Zinad (22-0, 16 KO), who lives in Malta and trains with Buddy McGirt in the U.S., defeated Jerome Pamplolone by majority decision in Australia in April and has worked challenging to get this opportunity.

Bivol, the WBA champion, won a shutout decision over Lyndon Arthur in December and could do the same against Zinad, who has not competed at an elite level so far in his career.

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3. Raymond Ford (-175) vs. Nick Ball (+140) for Ford’s WBA featherweight title

With both having invigorating moments in their last fights three months ago, Ford’s first defense also promises to be an eventful one.

Ford, 25, of Modern Jersey, was trailing on the judges’ scorecards when he stopped Otabek Kholmatov with just seven seconds left in the final round to win his first world title.

But Ball, 27, of Liverpool, England, was torn by conflicting emotions as he drew with WBC champion Rey Vargas. Ball thought he had done enough to win after knocking down Vargas twice in a mighty second half of the fight. It was very painful for Ball, but his performance earned him another shot at the title.

At 5-foot-2, Ball (19-0-1, 11 KO) will be 5 inches shorter compared to the 5-7 Ford, but Ford has talked about adding weight, which raises questions about whether he will be comfortable at this weight.

Ford (15-0-1, 8 KO) is the favorite to win the first defense, but it is challenging to judge. Don’t rule out a draw and then a rematch.

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2. Daniel Dubois (+210) vs. Filip Hrgovic (-275), heavyweight

The winner will face a vacant IBF world title fight against Anthony Joshua at Wembley Stadium on September 20 or 21, and that should bring out the best in these two contenders.

Hrgovic, 31, from Zagreb, Croatia, is technically superior, so he can afford to be patient. But don’t be surprised if Dubois, 26, decides to do so early.

Dubois (20-2, 19 KO) has the power, and his best hope for winning this fight may be to stop Hrgović, whose skills helped him win a bronze medal at the 2016 Olympics in the amateur category.

Hrgović (17-0, 14 KO) has been the leading contender for the IBF title for two years. During this time, many of his recent performances have been challenging to read, especially his mismatch with Mark De Mori in 2023, which ended in a first-round KO victory. If Hrgovic is as consistent as he was until the final round against Demsey McKean last year and after his controversial victory over Zhilei Zhang two years ago, Dubois will punish him. The Londoner has no shortage of desire and won several rounds before Usyk stopped him in the ninth round last August. Dubois said Usyk should have also been counted in the world title fight when he landed a punch that was considered low.

Fighting English rival Joshua in his hometown of London would be a dream fight for Dubois. However, Hrgovic’s excellent experience and the sensitivity Dubois has shown during visits to the pitch and two stoppage defeats make Hrgovic the likely decision winner.

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1. Deontay Wilder (+120) vs. Zhilei Zhang (-150), heavyweight

In boxing, there are only a few last chances before your career starts going downhill. Neither Wilder (38) nor Zhang (41) can afford to lose this fight at their advanced age for a boxer, but especially Wilder after he became a shadow of his former self in December last year in a match against Joseph Parker, who lost by unanimous decision.

Wilder (43-3-1, 42 KO), the WBC champion from 2015 to 2020, says he is motivated again and desperate to impress Zhang. This desperation may have caused Wilder to start attacking with mighty punches from the first bell.

Despite only one victory in his last four fights (a first-round KO of Robert Helenius in October 2022), Wilder still demands attention from the boxing world due to his drowsy right hand. The Alabama native was once feared in the heavyweight division, but he needs a vintage performance to remind us of that. Win, and Wilder will join another American, Jared Anderson, scheduled for August 3 in Los Angeles.

Zhang (26-2-1, 21 KO) also needs a win after losing a majority decision to Parker in March, but the Chinese boxer feels better about his recent form than Wilder. Wilder isn’t the only striker in this fight, as Zhang is also unsafe. Last year, he ended Joe Joyce’s progress with continuous stoppage victories and dropped Parker twice before losing a decision.

Zhang has been entertaining lately and has deceitful power, but his lack of mobility in the ring makes him an attractive target for Wilder, who could start attacking the Modern Jersey fighter early.

It’s challenging to watch this fight from a distance. Instead, watch for Wilder to KO in the first five rounds.