Five Things We Learnt from Matchroom vs. Queensberry

On Saturday, June 1, we finally got to see Matchroom vs. Queensberry at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in the 5v5 concept created by Turki Alalshikh, with Frank Warren and Eddie Hearn going head-to-head. The entire card was available in a number of regions on DAZN through PPV – as well as on TNT Sports and ESPN+. During the night – we saw vital victories for Willie Hutchinson and Nick Ball before Dmitry Bivol and Hamzah Sheeraz won their respective bouts. In the heavyweight division, Daniel Dubois recorded a vital win over Filip Hrgovic before Zhilei Zhang brutally stopped Deontay Wilder. Here are five things that we learnt from this historic card, where Queensberry defeated Matchroom 10-0.

Queensberry vs. Matchroom: Five Things We Learnt

Queensberry vs. Matchroom: Wilder is Finished

Deontay Wilder was full of confidence in the build-up to the fight despite his disappointing performance last time out against Joseph Parker. Following the fifth-round stoppage loss to Zhilei Zhang, it is clear this should be the end for “The Bronze Bomber.”

The beginning of the fight was disappointing, with not much action, with Wilder pawing out with a jab but looking gun-shy and unable to throw the right hand. It was a relief to see Wilder reassure those in the corner – he was ok after the end of the fight, but it is now time for the Alabama native to walk away and leave us with the memorable moments he’s given us throughout his career.

Dmitry Bivol Has the Power

The IBO and WBA light heavyweight champion was due to meet Artur Beterbiev – but his opponent picked up an injury delaying that fight, and Bivol ultimately faced unbeaten and unproven Malik Zinad from Libya. The challenger started brightly but was soon punished – with a beautifully timed left-right-left combination, which knocked the Libyan-born fighter down.

Zinad recovered well and worked nicely off his jab before being hit with a big left hand in round six, which he followed up with a vicious barrage of heavy shots, forcing the referee to step in and end the fight. Bivol‘s last KO win was against Sullivan Barrera on March 3, 2018. The commentators on the DAZN broadcast were talking about the lack of KOs from Bivol, but the Russian answered impressively, stopping his opponent in style.

Hamzah Sheeraz Is a Problem for Any Middleweight

Hamzah Sheeraz against Austin Williams was an intriguing bout, where both felt confident they would take their opponent’s unbeaten record. While “Ammo” managed to close the distance and hurt Sheeraz with that big left hand, the Brit was dominant for most of the contest, with his ram rod jab marking Williams up before stopping the American in the eleventh round. Sheeraz controlled the tempo and distance brilliantly – and proved he would be a problem for any middleweight.

Queensberry Have an Impressive Roster

Queensberry got the bragging rights, as they won every fight, scoring three Knockout wins in the five fights. It proved what a talented roster they have at Queensberry, with every win ultimately being dominated by Frank Warren’s team, aside from Nick Balls’ narrow split decision victory over Ray Ford, which is a contender for fight of the year. Matchroom will be eager for revenge, but Queensberry have proven they will be tough to beat in any future 5v5 contest.

Daniel Dubois Has a Granite Chin

Danie Dubois ultimately wore Filip Hrgovic out and stopped the Croatian heavyweight in round eight to win the IBF interim heavyweight title. Dubois has been criticized for his desire and chin, but he proved he can take a shot in this fight, with the Croatian landing the big right hand at will in the early rounds. The Brit was eating every punch until he warmed up, and then “Dynamite” started to break down his opponent with his own right hand before stunning Hrgovic at the end of round seven. The constant pressure and power punching from the Queensberry man – ensured he won by eighth-round TKO, which led to immediate talk of a fight with Anthony Joshua on the rumoured September Wembley stadium card.