Latest news with #ArturBeterbiev
The Independent
3 days ago
- Sport
- The Independent
Who are the oldest active professional boxers today?
Boxing is a sport where youth is a valuable commodity. To keep your reactions and hand speed is an uphill climb as a fighter ages, which leads to fighters commonly retiring before the age of 40. But we are increasingly seeing fighters push the limits of how old a fighter can be and still be competitive. For example, Artur Beterbiev becoming the undisputed light-heavyweight champion at nearly 40, Manny Pacquiao returning to challenge for the WBC welterweight title at 46 or perhaps the most extreme example, Oliver McCall having his second fight of the year at 60 years old. In honour of McCall's incredible resurgence, being undefeated in three fights since 2024, here are the oldest active professional boxers. • Watch over 185 fights a year from the world's best promoters with a DAZN subscription. More information here. Firat Arslan Age: 54 Nationality: Germany Division: Cruiserweight Record: 56-9-3 (41 KOs) Arslan is a career cruiserweight based out of Germany, who made his professional debut in 1997, and has been active every year since, bar 2009, due to a life-threatening cycling injury. Arslan won his first version of a world title in 2008 when he converted his WBA Interim title into the Regular belt, beating Virgil Hill on points. He lost this title the next year to Guillermo Jones The German challenged unsuccessfully for full world titles three times, fighting Marco Huck twice for the WBO cruiserweight title and Yoan Pablo Hernandez for the IBF title between 2012 and 2014. Undeterred by falling short, Arslan continued to campaign and in 2020 earned himself a shot at Kevin Lerena's IBO cruiserweight title, but once again lost, getting knocked out in the sixth round. In 2023, aged 52, the German former champion fought Edin Puhalo in what was supposed to be his farewell, which he won via knockout. But Arslan couldn't be kept away and returned to the ring in 2024. Shannon Briggs Shannon Briggs is one of the heaviest hitters that the heavyweight division has ever seen, across 60 victories had a knockout ratio of 90 per cent and faced some of the best from his era. Briggs made his professional debut in 1992 and went undefeated in his first 25 fights before a defeat at the hands of Darrol Wilson in 1996. In 1997 in Atlantic City, Briggs has his first shot at a world title against Lennox Lewis, who outclassed the Brooklyn native and ended the fight in the fifth round with a technical knockout. After nearly ten years, Briggs would get another shot at a world title, against Siarhei Liakhovich in 2006. He secured the WBO belt with a twelfth-round knockout, having been behind on all three scorecards. His reign was short-lived, losing the title in his next fight against Sultan Ibragimov. There was one final chance at world title glory for Briggs, who faced Vitali Klitschko for the WBC title in 2010, but he was beaten on boxing ability over 12 rounds by one half of the Klitschko heavyweight dynasty. The former WBO champion retreated to small hall shows afterwards and retired in 2016. Briggs is now 53 and has not fought in nearly ten years but has recently announced he will be returning to the ring as a professional in July against an undecided opponent. Oliver McCall Oliver McCall holds the record as the oldest man to win a professional heavyweight fight, at 60. His career has lasted over 40 years, and he has been in 76 fights in that time. In such a long career, the Chicago-born fighter had the opportunity to share the ring with heavyweight greats such as James 'Buster' Douglas, Tony Tucker, Lennox Lewis and Larry Holmes. McCall debuted in 1985, with mixed results, losing five fights before challenging for his first world title against Lennox Lewis in 1994. In the defining moment of his career, McCall knocked out Lewis in the second round to claim the WBC title, defending once before losing it to Frank Bruno the next year. He would only compete for a world title once more in his career in a rematch with Lennox Lewis that saw him pulled out of the fight in the fifth round. The former WBC champion continued to fight until 2014 when he retired for the first time, only to return in 2018 and retire again in 2019. 2024 saw McCall return once again at 59, and since then, he has gone undefeated in three fights, with two wins and a draw.
Campaign ME
05-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Campaign ME
Here's Campaign Middle East's Saudi ‘Work' picks
Campaign Middle East features an annual double-page spread of selected Work from the Kingdom in its Saudi Arabia Report. Here is the 2025 round-up of some 'made-for-KSA, by-KSA' campaigns, featuring Saudi work from Riyadh Season, Rexona Arabia and the Saudi Arabian Football Federation, HungerStation, Foodics, Budget Saudi, Beyond ONE – Virgin Mobile KSA, Disney+ MENA, Golden Chicken, AROYA Cruises and Abdul Latif Jameel Motors Toyota. The Last Crescendo – Riyadh Season Agency: BigTime Creative Shop This cinematic film aims to capture the drama of the highly anticipated rematch between light-heavyweight boxers Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol. Set in a grand European opera house, The Last Crescendo tells the story of the two boxers through three dramatic acts. Directed by Alan Masferrer and shot over four days in Serbia, the film blends the art of opera with the raw drama of boxing. The soundtrack, composed by Philip Kay, was written specifically for the film, adding another layer of emotional depth. Quit Screens To Scenes – Budget Saudi Agency: FP7 McCann Saudi To redefine how people celebrate special moments, Budget Saudi launched a campaign to encourage Saudi audiences to take virtual expressions of celebration into reality. The campaign invited consumers to share details on special moments, whether a birthday, promotion or a personal achievement. Those who celebrated online were brought together by Budget for a real-world celebration supported by emoji-style hearts, claps and confetti. The car rental company also leveraged influencer Abdulaziz Bakr, someone who is typically only seen on a screen, to the activation in an effort to foster a deeper sense of community beyond the screen. We're Coming – Rexona Arabia x Saudi Arabian Football Federation Agency: ‿and us To celebrate the unstoppable determination of the Saudi Arabia Women's National Football Team, this campaign showcases the team's grit, resilience and relentless pursuit of their goals as they continue to break boundaries and inspire a new generation of athletes in the Kingdom. Narrated through the voices of young girls who dream of a future in football along with the National Team themselves, the campaign underscores a collective vision: the Saudi Women's National Team is not stopping until they achieve whatever they set out to achieve. Social Feed – HungerStation Agency: VML Dubai HungerStation introduced Social Feed – an AI-powered feature that allows users to turn any food post on social media into an orderable dish. The campaign taps into changing consumer behaviours, particularly the influence of social media on food choices. It also builds on HungerStation's ongoing efforts to rethink how users engage with food delivery. By blending social media habits with ordering, HungerStation created a platform where food seen online is now part of its menu. 10 Years – Foodics Agency: Foodies Block The cloud-based restaurant management tech and payments platform celebrated 10 years through this campaign by prompting audiences towards nostalgic moments with reflections on how restaurants operated 10 years ago. 'Remember when paper was used to take orders?'; 'remember waiting in long lines just to place an order?'; 'remember paying in cash and struggling to find spare change?' With a teaser reel followed by a brand video and four short-form social media videos, which were amplified through Saudi influencers, Foodics organically gathered more than 3.2 million impressions within the first week of the campaign's launch. Switch – Beyond ONE Group – Virgin Mobile KSA Agency: Swing This relatable integrated campaign promotes Virgin Mobile KSA's Switch Postpaid Plan by drawing inspiration from the daily inefficiencies that have consumers overpaying for underused experiences. The brand took a comedic route to bring its brand values of heartfelt service, delightful surprise, smart disruption and insatiable curiosity to life. Three hero films served as the centrepiece for the campaign, accompanied by a media mix of social media, digital-out-of-home, digital platforms and point-of-sale placements to ensure maximum visibility and impact. The Curse of Anything – Golden Chicken Agency: Tarek Nour Saudi Arabia This campaign taps into the universal problem of deciding what's for dinner, and the most common response to that question from friends, colleagues, and family: 'Anything!' While it might seem like a straightforward answer, the response frequently leads to a stressful and overwhelming decision-making process, especially for young mothers and busy individuals. To address this, Golden Chicken positions its products as a solution, simplifying the decision and providing the perfect meal solution. Watch and Live The Stories – Disney+ MENA Agency: Science & Sunshine To tie together Saudi storytelling with iconic entertainment options available on the streaming platform, Disney+ MENA released three short videos on its Disney+ Saudi Arabia Instagram account, inviting audiences to showcase how mainstream entertainment becomes a part of everyday Saudi households. Picking from six of its top performing content offerings, the campaign showcases fine-dining kabsa inspired by Disney's Ratatouille and FX's The Bear, Wolverine-inspired toothbrush claws, and a father singing beloved Disney tunes. From dallah coffee pitchers and folded ghutras by the door, every scene hints at how the streaming platform is immersed in Saudi culture and households. Toyota Reclaims Toyota – Abdul Latif Jameel Motors Toyota Agency: Serviceplan Experience To address a digital challenge in Saudi Arabia, where local consumers commonly search for their vehicles using informal Arabic nicknames (terms the company's official website couldn't use), Abdul Latif Jameel Motors Toyota leveraged off-page SEO techniques to turn a technical obstacle into a creative breakthrough. Serviceplan Experience developed an off-page SEO strategy that placed the informal nicknames into backlinks and anchor tags. Collaborating with trusted publishers and bloggers, the team ensured these high-volume terms linked back to Abdul Latif Jameel Motors Toyota's website. Yalla, AROYA Cruises – AROYA Cruises Agency: Social Clinic Former Real Madrid football star Cristiano Ronaldo, who now plays for Saudi football club Al-Nassr FC, has been spotted in a new advertising campaign, alongside his partner Georgina Rodríguez, for AROYA Cruises, the cruise line owned by Cruise Saudi, a PIF-funded company. The campaign took a cinematic, playful approach – offering a glimpse into how Ronaldo and Rodríguez turn a regular day at home into a spark of cruise excitement. To see the print version of the Saudi Work section, check out page 16-17 here.
Japan Times
23-02-2025
- Sport
- Japan Times
Dmitry Bivol beats Artur Beterbiev for undisputed light heavyweight title
Riyadh – Russian Dmitry Bivol avenged a previous defeat to take the undisputed light heavyweight world title from Artur Beterbiev via a majority decision in an epic rematch in Saudi Arabia on Sunday. The judges scored the fight in Riyadh 114-114, 116-112 and 115-113. The previous encounter last October, when both went toe-to-toe as unbeaten champions, ended with exactly the same score but in favor of Russian-born Canadian Beterbiev, who added the WBA belt to his WBC, WBO and IBF titles.
Reuters
23-02-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
Bivol takes Beterbiev's undisputed light-heavyweight world title
RIYADH, Feb 23 (Reuters) - Russian Dmitry Bivol took Russian-born Canadian Artur Beterbiev's undisputed light-heavyweight world boxing title on a majority points decision in their rematch in Saudi Arabia on Sunday. The judges scored the fight in Riyadh 114-114, 116-112 and 115-113. The previous fight last October went by exactly the same score to Beterbiev.
Makkah Newspaper
22-02-2025
- Sport
- Makkah Newspaper
Undisputed Light Heavyweight Championship Headlines a Historic Fight Night in 'The Last Crescendo' Card
After an electrifying Boxing Week filled with enthusiastic crowds and intense media coverage, Saudi Arabia's capital, Riyadh, is set for the ultimate showdown tonight as anb Arena hosts 'The Last Crescendo', a blockbuster event under Riyadh Season. All eyes are on the highly anticipated rematch between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol for the undisputed light heavyweight championship—a long-awaited battle to determine the true ruler of the division. In another high-stakes bout, Shakur Stevenson will defend his WBC lightweight championship against Josh Padley, facing yet another challenge to maintain his dominance at the top. Meanwhile, in the middleweight division, Carlos Adames and Hamzah Sheeraz will square off for the WBC title, with Sheeraz aiming to achieve a career-defining victory against the experienced Adames. Additionally, Vergil Ortiz Jr. is set to face Israil Madrimov in a highly anticipated clash for the WBC interim super welterweight title, while Zhilei Zhang and Agit Kabayel will battle for the WBC interim heavyweight championship, in what is expected to be one of the night's most intense encounters. The light heavyweight division will also see an explosive matchup between Joshua Buatsi and Callum Smith for the WBO interim title, a fight that could reshape the division's future and determine the next world title contender. On the undercard, Craig Richards will take on Troy Jones, while Saudi boxer Ziad Al-Maayouf will battle Brazilian Jonatas Rodrigo in a significant fight, as Al-Maayouf looks to strengthen his record and advance in his professional career. Another Saudi fighter, Mohammed Al-Aql, will step into the ring against Angel Gomez, marking another opportunity to showcase Saudi Arabia's growing boxing scene on the international stage. With global boxing fans eagerly tuning in, tonight's fights promise an unforgettable spectacle, packed with intensity, rivalry, and high-stakes action, in front of a massive live audience and worldwide attention. This event further solidifies Saudi Arabia's position as a premier destination for hosting world-class sporting spectacles.
