Chinese powerhouse Zhilei Zhang scored an emphatic fifth-round TKO over Deontay Wilder and may have closed the lid on the former WBC heavyweight champ's career at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh on Saturday. The official time was 1:51.
Zhang (27-2-1, 22 KOs) blasted home a heavy right-hand shot to the jaw of Wilder in the fifth that forced him to spin 180 degrees into a corner. Quick as a flash, another right landed flush and the American just melted to the canvas and lay flat on his back. Always brave, "The Bronze Bomber" found his feet, but the referee had no choice but to wave the fight off.
"I would like to thank the fans in China," Zhang told DAZN via a translator. "I successfully took his right hand away. I blocked a lot of punches, but, hell yeah, he punches hard, and I give him a lot of respect.
"I'm on the road to facing the champion."
WATCH: Queensberry vs. Matchroom: Zhang vs. Wilder 5v5 live on DAZN
Up until the end, it was a very disappointing fight. Wilder simply backed off and offered a simple little paw with the left hand. Zhang remained in hot pursuit and applied a lot of pressure on an opponent who struggled to pull the trigger. The writing was on the wall very early.
The ending saved the show, which included some excellent action from start to finish.
The Sporting News provided live results, analysis, and highlights from the big card in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia:
Zhang vs. Wilder from Queensbury against Matchroom 5v5: Live updates, results, highlights
| Round | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | Total |
| Zhang | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | - | ||||||||
| Wilder | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | - |
THE WINNER IS THE 280-POUND PLUS ZHILEI ZHANG, WHO SCORES THE STOPPAGE AT 1:51 OF ROUND 5. THIS MIGHT BE THE LAST TIME WE SEE DEONTAY WILDER IN A BOXING RING. THE AMERICAN IS NOW 1-4 IN HIS LAST FOUR STARTS.
QUEENSBERRY DOMINATE THE 5V5, WINNING 10-0 OVER MATCHROOM.
Round 5: Wilder lands two big rights that trouble Zhang somewhat. He's also warned for punching behind the head. HUGE RIGHT HAND SENDS WILDER STUMBLING INTO THE CORNER AND HE GOES DOWN. The ex-champ miraculously gets up but he is GONE! The fight is stopped with Wilder wobbly on his feet.
SN Unofficial Scorecard: -
Round 4: One-two lands by Wilder - let's break out the champagne. Right to the body from Wilder backs the Chinese fighter up. Zhang jabs to the body. Zhang just misses with a fight-ending left. The American is too cautious -- simply pawing with his left hand while retreating -- and it's making for a nightmare of a fight
SN Unofficial Scorecard: 10-9 Zhang (40-36 Zhang)
Round 3: Normal service resumes: Wilder backs off consistently and Zhang walks him down with ease. Left hand lands from Zhang. Left hook attempt by Wilder but it was mere nuisance value. Given how much was expected, this has been awful.
SN Unofficial Scorecard: 10-9 Zhang (30-27 Zhang)
Round 2: Wilder attempts a solid right but falls just short. Wilder distressed in the corner after a combination by Zhang. "The Bronze Bomber" is backing off and he's under a lot of pressure. All Zhang right now. Almost no offensive effort from Wilder.
SN Unofficial Scorecard: 10-9 Zhang (20-18 Zhang)
Round 1: Wilder being backed up but very attentive to what's coming at him. Zhang applying the pressure well with his feet. Virtually nothing of consequence landed in the opening three minutes.
SN Unofficial Scorecard: 10-9 Zhang
7:50 p.m. ET/ 0:50 p.m. GMT: It's been a long night and a very entertaining one. Now, it's the main event. Former WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder is looking to take down Chinese giant Zhilei Zhang. We switch back to round-by-round coverage. Will we need it?
Daniel Dubois vs. Filip Hrgovic: SN live scorecard
| Round | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | Total |
| Dubois | 9 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 | - | |||||
| Hrgovic | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9 | - |
THE NEW INTERIM IBF HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION IS DANIEL DUBOIS. THE OFFICIAL TIME OF THE STOPPAGE IS 0:57 OF ROUND 8. EVEN THOUGH HRGOVIC WAS EDGING SOME ROUNDS, HE WAS TAKING PLENTY OF DAMAGE AND SUCCUMBED.
QUEENSBERRY PROMOTIONS ARE NOW 8-0 AHEAD ON THE 5V5 WITH MATCHROOM AND CANNOT LOSE. THE TEAM ALSO SECURES A $3 MILLION BONUS.
“Full respect to Hrgovic, he’s a good fighter," said Dubois. "To come through that was a learning experience for me. I’m glad I’ve got this IBF belt and on to the next.
“I was a bit cold to start with, but I heard my corner’s advice and we’ll come through anything. Once I felt a few shots, I woke up and I was just on it.
“I’ve heard the next name will be AJ (Anthony Joshua), so bring it on. This is my time.”
Round 8: Another right from Dubois. Hrgovic struggling with the cuts and now pounded to the body. The doctor inspects the eye damage. IT IS OVER!!! It's a TKO win for Dubois because the cuts were caused by punches. The Englishman ratcheted up the aggression over the last two or three rounds and was rewarded. This is the best win of his career and sets him up for a world title fight.
SN Unofficial Scorecard: -
Round 7: Big shots scoring for Dubois. A big right and then a sharp left hook on the inside. Hrgovic not exhibiting good body language. Excellent attack from Dubois again. HUGE RIGHT FROM DUBOIS and Hrgovic looks to be in serious trouble. ANOTHER RIGHT HAND BOMB! And another one. This fight looks like it could be over in the next round.
SN Unofficial Scorecard: 10-9 Dubois (69-65 Hrgovic)
Round 6: Both fighters trade big blows, but Hrgovic seems to be a step ahead. Good left-hand work from Dubois. The Croatian fighter needs an injection of pace because Dubois could come back blazing at any time.
SN Unofficial Scorecard: 10-9 Hrgovic (60-55 Hrgovic)
Round 5: Hrgovic bleeding badly and the cut was caused by a punch. Nice jab from Dubois scores. The pace has slowed down and neither man is landing cleanly Oh, BIG RIGHT from Hrgovic. HUGE RIGHT from Hrgovic although Dubois dropped in a counter in response. Quality fight.
SN Unofficial Scorecard: 10-9 Hrgovic (50-46 Hrgovic)
Round 4: Solid jabs from Dubois and a nice right hand backs Hrgovic up. Hrgovic slams home another right hand and a jab. Left to the body from Hrgovic. One-two from Hrgovic, who's finding better timing. It was a good start from Dubois, but the British fighter has lost a step.
SN Unofficial Scorecard: 10-9 Hrgovic (40-37 Hrgovic)
Round 3: Battle of the jabs and it's an even contest. Hrgovic cut around the right eye. Two rights from Hrgovic land hard. Another right hand scores for Hrgovic. The pace slowed perceptibly in this round and the edge goes to Hrgovic.
SN Unofficial Scorecard: 10-9 Hrgovic (30-28 Hrgovic)
Round 2: High-contact action. Dubois now catching combinations. Another right tags the Brit and backs him up. Power jab from Dubois and a follow-up right. Good one-two from the British fighter. Hrgovic putting his punches together well. Both trade huge shots. Very even round.
SN Unofficial Scorecard: 10-10 (20-19 Hrgovic)
Round 1: Dubois takes center ring and backs up the Croatian. Hrgovic's left hand is very low and needs to be careful. Big jab by Dubois, but he's nailed by two rights from Dubois. Three in a row sore heavily. ANOTHER RIGHT! Big right from Dubois. This isn't going far. Even though he scored some good shots, this was a bad round for Dubois.
SN Unofficial Scorecard: 10-9 Hrgovic
6:57 p.m. ET/ 11:57 p.m. GMT: We move to the heavyweight division and it's back to the 5v5 format. Daniel Dubois (Queensberry) vs. Filip Hrgovic (Matchoom) will throw down in a potentially explosive encounter. Remember, Queensberry are 6-0 ahead, so Matchroom needs two knockouts in the final two bouts just to get a draw. Michael Buffer is now on the mic... We head back to round-by-round scoring.
Dmitry Bivol vs. Malik Zinad: SN live scorecard
| Round | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | Total |
| Bivol | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9 | - | |||||||
| Zinad | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 | - |
AND STILL THE WBA LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION OF THE WORLD, DMITRY BIVOL. THE RUSSIAN STAR SECURES THE TKO AT 2:06 OF ROUND 6 AND KEEPS HIS UNDISPUTED TITLE CLASH WITH ARTUR BETERBIEV ALIVE.
“I’m happy that I won," said Bivol. "My coach is happy and my team is happy. I had enough time to change my preparation for a different fighter from Beterbiev."
Mid-interview, Turki Alalshikh took the DAZN mic and informed the boxing world that the undisputed title fight would take place on October 12 in conjunction with the opening of Riyadh Season.
“I feel great [that the fight has been announced]," Bivol continued. "This is what I wanted.”
Round 6: Left-hand work from both men and Zinad competitive in that posture. BIG RIGHT from Bivol. BIG LEFT HOOK from Bivol. THE CHAMP BREAKS THROUGH WITH A POUND-FOR-POUND ASSAULT AND THE CHALLENGER FALLS APART. The referee jumps to the challenger's rescue.
SN Unofficial Scorecard: -
Round 5: BIG RIGHT HAND lands for Zinad. Bivol guilty of coming forward without much punching. Bivol scores with a nice right. Given the odds against him, Zinad has announced himself in the fight and claimed one round on this card.
SN Unofficial Scorecard: 10-9 Zinad (49-45 Bivol)
Round 4: More of the same. The champion is keeping his opponent honest and controlling pace and distance. Zinad is reticent to let go with anything ambitious for fear of a counter. It's too easy right now. Both fighters bump heads at the end of the round and there's some bad blood.
SN Unofficial Scorecard: 10-9 Bivol (40-35 Bivol)
Round 3: The main attack from Zinad is the jab and the one-two, which Bivol is timing with ease. You're not going to open up a fighter of Bivol's calibre with this approach. Zinad needs a lot more, but the task is probably beyond him. Bivol backing the challenger up and doing what he wants.
SN Unofficial Scorecard: 10-9 Bivol (30-26 Bivol)
Round 2: The action goes long again in round two and the challenger is noticeably more cautious. Left hand scores from Bivol. Blood from the challenger's nose. One-two from Zinad pierces the guard. Solid left hand to the face by Bivol and he's now threading that shot home nicely.
SN Unofficial Scorecard: 10-9 Bivol (20-17 Bivol)
Round 1: Plenty of fencing at long range with the left jab from both. Couple of nice rights from Zinad, but it's very early. Another big right from the challenger. THREE-PUNCH RETURN FROM BIVOL DECKS ZINAD. The Libyan fighter is up quickly and catches a couple more counters.
SN Unofficial Scorecard: 10-8 Bivol
6:04 p.m. ET/ 11:04 p.m. GMT: Next up is WBA light heavyweight champ and pound-for-pound star Dmitry Bivol against the unbeaten Malik Zinad. Bivol is looking to remain on course for an undisputed title clash against Artur Beterbiev. Zinad is looking to spring what would be a colossal upset. We'll now be switching to round-by-round. This fight is outside of the 5v5 format.
Hamzah Sheeraz vs. Austin Williams: SN live scorecard
| Round | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | Total |
| Sheeraz | 10 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | - | ||
| Williams | 9 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 8 | - |
THE WINNER BY 11TH-ROUND TKO IS HAMZAH SHEERAZ. THE OFFICIAL TIME IS 0:45. SHEERAZ IMPROVES TO 20-0 (16 KOs). WILLIAMS LOSES FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 17 STARTS.
QUEENSBERRY LEADS 6-0 IN THE 5V5.
"We thought we'd break him down in close," said Sheeraz afterwards. "I know everyone says 'use your jab', but, at the same time, I need to break him down. I was throwing the uppercut, but the corner was saying right hook. I turned it over and he was gone.
"If I'm not ready (for world level), I never will be."
Round 11: Solid right hook counter catches Williams. ANOTHER RIGHT LANDS AND A FOLLOW-UP ATTACK DRIVES AMMO ACROSS THE RING. BRUTAL PUNISHMENT! THE REFEREE STOPS THE FIGHT! That call was well-timed. Great performance by Sheeraz, who bossed the fight from start to finish.
SN Unofficial Scorecard: -
Round 10: Williams has been the gamest fighter of the night. Unloading in desperation and looking to turn the tide. Sheeraz is just too big and defensively sound right now. BIG RIGHT HAND COUNTR DECKS WILLIAMS. Bell saves Ammo, who staggers back to his corner with the blood flowing from his mouth.
SN Unofficial Scorecard: 10-8 Sheeraz (99-90 Sheeraz)
Round 9: Williams comes out blazing again and finds some success. Nothing resembling a foothold, but the American is doing the right thing and he's staying alive. HUGE RIGHT HAND lands from Sheeraz. Williams is doing well to stay in this. This was almost a round for Ammo, but the big right hand shot took it away from him.
SN Unofficial Scorecard: 10-9 Sheeraz (89-82 Sheeraz)
Round 8: Williams is brave and stays busy. He's punching away, but Sheeraz's guard seems almost impenetrable. Two big uppercuts blast through the American's guard. Sheeraz seems to be setting Williams up for a big shot on the inside. Ammo looks very tied now.
SN Unofficial Scorecard: 10-9 Sheeraz (79-73 Sheeraz)
Round 7: Williams comes out and forces out the work. Sheeraz tucks up well and then finds some space to work. As has been the case from the beginning, the jab is like Christmas. Big uppercut from Sheeraz scores. Jab bashes Ammo backwards, doubling and tripling into the target. It's one-sided.
SN Unofficial Scorecard: 10-9 Sheeraz (69-64 Sheeraz)
Round 6: Stiff right hand lands by Sheeraz. Some beautiful boxing by the Englishman who is having a field day. He's not just outboxing his man, but he's hurting him with singles and doubles. Jab snaps Ammo's head back, and then Sheeraz follows up with the right uppercut.
SN Unofficial Scorecard: 10-9 Sheeraz (59-55 Sheeraz)
Round 5: Williams lets his hands go but gets clipped by a solid left on the counter. Another left scores by Sheeraz. Williams gets some rhythm and finds the left hand again. Sheeraz gets back on the left jab, which is a quickly loaded punch that's keeping the American honest.
SN Unofficial Scorecard: 10-9 Sheeraz (49-46 Sheeraz)
Round 4: Both men trading uppercuts and Sheeraz is getting the best of it. The damage Williams sustained in the third seems to have stayed with him. Right now, it's the Englishman in control and Williams needs a big moment.
SN Unofficial Scorecard: 10-9 Sheeraz (39-37 Sheeraz)
Round 3: Williams opens up fast with a two-handed flurry. Straight right lands from Sheeraz scores. Another right buckles Williams momentarily. Sheeraaz gets behind the jab and carries the omnipresent threat of his backhand. BIG LEFT scores for Sheeraz out of the southpaw stance. Williams had felt the power and is backing off in a hurry. Huge right from Sheeraz scores.
SN Unofficial Scorecard: 10-9 Sheeraz (29-28 Sheeraz)
Round 2: HUGE LEFT rocks Sheeraz to his boots. A stunning punch from Williams and beautifully timed. That has sent a huge message of intent. Sheeraz takes his time to recover by covering up behind a high guard. Uppercut from Sheeraz. Another left rocks Sheeraz. The American beginning to work behind a sharp right jab.
SN Unofficial Scorecard: 10-9 Williams (19-19)
Round 1: Left hook-right hand from Sheeraz, who looks enormous compared to his opponent. Williams moving right and stepping around in the southpaw stance. Sheeraz scores with a right. Left hand lands from Williams. Sheeraz has comfortably taken center ring and looks so physically imposing.
SN Unofficial Scorecard: 10-9 Sheeraz
5:02 p.m. ET/ 10:02 p.m. GMT: The third fight features a battle of unbeaten middleweights. Austin "Ammo" Williams (Matchroom) takes on Hamzah Sheeraz (Queensberry). We return to round-by-round scoring for this 12-round bout.
Ray Ford vs. Nick Ball: SN live scorecard
| Round | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | Total |
| Ford | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 117 |
| Ball | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 112 |
AND... THE NEW WBA FEATHERWEIGHT CHAMPION OF THE WORLD IS NICK BALL. NOT THE FIGHT WE SAW AT SN, BUT THE ENGLISHMAN WINS A SPLIT DECISION. SCORES ARE 115-113, 115-113. 113-115.
QUEENSBERRY IS 2-0 UP OVER MATCHROOM.
“My style is all-action, put the pressure on, and it paid off," said Ford. "I’m a true champion. He’s a tough man and a class boxer. I had to dig deep."
Round 12: Uppercut counter from Ford. Ball blasts through his opponent's guard with heavy blows, but takes a big right hook counter. Uppercut from Ball now. HUGE LEFT from Ford and Ball is hurt. Still firing back, the challenger is giving it everything. Another BIG left from the champion, but Ball will not wilt. Both men trade pure fire down the stretch.
SN Unofficial Scorecard: 10-9 Ford (117-112 Ford)
Round 11: One-two from Ford scores. Right hand and a body shot from Ball. A big attack from the challenger but nothing landed. Great left to the body from Ford. Jab scores well from Ford. Ball takes a left hand and asks for more. He's not able to pin the American down and the rounds are slipping away.
SN Unofficial Scorecard: 10-9 Ford (107-103 Ford)
Round 10: Both men trading blows back and forth. Ford dominating on the outside, but Ball is still able to find his way inside and score effectively. Sharp left hand from Ford, who controls the distance in the second half of the round. Ball needs something to happen.
SN Unofficial Scorecard: 10-9 (97-84 Ford)
Round 9: Right hand lands for Ball. Combination from the champ but not a lot of power on the shots as Ball continues the forward march, Sharp shots from Ford from the outside, but Ball responds well again to head and body. Ford has Ball backing up late in the round. Very even round.
SN Unofficial Scorecard: 10-10 (87-85 Ford)
Round 8: Left hand scores again from Ford, who is going through the gears now. The New Jersey-based star is immensely skilled and he picks Ball off again with a huge left uppercut. Blood is pouring from the challenger's nose and he's distracted by the injury.
SN Unofficial Scorecard: 10-9 Ford (77-75 Ford)
Round 7: Ford launching serious two-fisted attacks. HUGE LEFT HAND from Ford lands flush and bursts the challenger's nose across his face. Big turning point. Ball bravely responds by taking the action back inside and pumping away. The damage was done by the champ.
SN Unofficial Scorecard: 10-9 Ford (67-66 Ford)
Round 6: Ford boxing well, but suddenly catches a left uppercut in close. Body attack from Ball and a right hook. Not a lot coming back from the champion right now and he looks flustered. Body shot from Ford, but he's not doing enough work. Ball overpowering his man inside. Left hook lands on the inside from the challenger.
SN Unofficial Scorecard: 10-9 Ball (57-57)
Round 5: Two-fisted attacks continue from Ball. He's not scoring with everything, but the challenger is making a big impression with the work rate. BIG left uppercut from Ball, who spins out to his right. The champ sustains more facial damage. Big round for Ball.
SN Unofficial Scorecard: 10-9 Ball (48-47 Ford)
Round 4: Ford is cut beneath the right eye. The champ with blazing hand speed having fun with the one-two. The Englishman opens up with an impressive attack. BIG left from Ball. A leaping jab from the challenger. Ford suddenly loses accuracy. The right hand from Ball lands hard. Very effective attacks from the challenger throughout the round.
SN Unofficial Scorecard: 10-9 Ball (39-37 Ford)
Round 3: Sharp jabs to open the round from the champion. Ford cornered but ties his man up and spins. One-two from Ford, who has excellent speed and craft. Ball is far from outgunned here, but he doesn't have the American's accuracy when he lets his hands go.
SN Unofficial Scorecard: 10-9 Ford (30-27 Ford)
Round 2: Ford stays close enough to limit Ball's rush room. Nice attack from the challenger, though, and he scores an uppercut in close. Body attack again from Ford and a flush left hand. All of Ball's shots hit the guard and Ford responds with a nice right hook to the body. Great attack by Ford but not a lot landing
SN Unofficial Scorecard: 10-9 Ford (20-18 Ford)
Round 1: As expected, the 5-2 ball is super-aggressive from the start. Ford, a sharp-shooting southpaw, finds a home for the left hand to the body. A couple of nice attacks from the challenger, but he can't penetrate the guard. Body again and a quick combination from Ford.
SN Unofficial Scorecard: 10-9 Ford
3:44 p.m. ET/ 8:44 p.m. GMT: Next up is Raymond Ford (Matchroom) defending his WBA featherweight championship against rampaging Englishman Nick Ball (Queensberry). Ball is coming off a highly controversial draw against WBC champ Rey Vargas. This is the first defense of the title for Ford, who won the vacant crown with a 12th-round stoppage over the previously unbeaten Otabek Kholmatov. We'll immediately be switching back to round-by-round coverage.
Craig Richards vs. Willy Hutchinson: SN live scorecard
| Round | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | Total |
| Richards | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 110 |
| Hutchinson | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 119 |
HUTCHINSON SECURES THE 12-ROUND UNANIMOUS DECISION WIN. OFFICIAL SCORES ARE 119-109, 117-111, 116-112.
QUEENSBERRY TAKES THE LEAD AND IS 1-0 AHEAD.
"Craig Richards is one helluva fighter," said Hutchinson during his post-fight interview with DAZN. "I’m young, I’m hungry, I’m sexy, and I’m ready to take over the world. I want to become the WBC champion of the world.
"I thank Frank Warren for having faith in me."
Round 12: Quick hands from Hutchinson, who has a second wind and is boxing smart. Counter jab scores and it's all slipping away for Richards. Excellent tactical round from the Scot who rubberstamps what should be a wide victory with a fabulous closing round.
SN Unofficial Scorecard: 10-9 Hutchinson (119-110)
Round 11: Both fighters trade huge blows. THEY ARE EXHAUSTED! HUGE right from Richards. and Hutchinson is in trouble. Another right scores. Right hand from Hutchinson blasts his opponent full in the face. Left hand from the Scotsman, but he's running on fumes.
SN Unofficial Scorecard: 10-9 Richards (109-101 Hutchinson)
Round 10: TWO BIG RIGHTS from Richards. Instead of boxing and preserving his lead, Hutchinson is trading with him. It looks like he's fading—another right from Richards. Hutchinson looks like he's fading fast here and Richards could be on the cusp of a sensational comeback. Two big rights land from Hutchinson in a crazy round. HUGE attack from Hutchinson, who turns it all around. BIG right hand from Hutchinson, whose nose is gushing blood.
SN Unofficial Scorecard: 10-10 (100-91 Hutchinson)
Round 9: Right hand from Hutchinson, who has switched back to orthodox. Two-fisted response from Richards. Left hand to the body from Hutchinson. Richards responds with a sharp right to the head. More showboating and quick shots from Hutchinson, but he gets nailed by a head-snapping right. Another BIG RIGHT from Richards, which was his best punch of the fight. Late rounds might be interesting. He NEEDS the knockout.
SN Unofficial Scorecard: 10-9 (90-81 Hutchinson)
Round 8: Richards responding to his corner's cries that Hutchinson is tiring. The Scotsman has never been beyond seven rounds in his career. BIG shot lands from Hutchinson. Left hand scores from Hutchinson and off the center line. The pace has slowed down perceptibly, but the pattern of the fight hasn't changed.
SN Unofficial Scorecard: 10-9 (80-72 Hutchinson)
Round 7: Pair of left-hook right hand combos from Hutchinson... and a right to the body. Richards is coming on a little, but nothing resembling a foothold. Busting right jab from the Scotsman. Sensing urgency, Richards gets on the attack, but he's missing so often.
SN Unofficial Scorecards: 10-9 (70-63 Hutchinson)
Round 6: Beautiful right uppercut by Hutchinson off the ropes. Richards coming forward but woefully ineffective right now. Southpaw jab working wonders for the Scot. This was a quiet round and not a lot happened, but Hutchinson edges it.
SN Unofficial Scorecards: 10-9 (60-54 Hutchinson)
Round 5: Right hand from Hutchinson. BIG left hook-right hand from Hutchinson. Right to the body from the Scotsman who is now putting on a clinic. Big attack rocks Richards badly. The Englishman attempts to fight back, but his shots are easily avoided. Hutchinson back to southpaw and outboxing his man with ease.
SN Unofficial Scorecards: 10-9 Hutchinson (50-45 Hutchinson)
Round 4: Hutchinson busier and Richards not accomplishing much on the counter. Showboating from the Scotsman as he makes his man miss. Richards more aggressive but Hutchinson fires back with shots of his own. Right hand lands for Hutchinson. We're a third of the way through and the Scotsman has tactical control.
SN Unofficial Scorecards: 10-9 Hutchinson (40-36 Hutchinson)
Round 3: Nice three-punch volley by Hutchinson backs Richards up. Back to southpaw again and boxing very well. Some nice jabbing by Richards and crossing over the right more regularly. Two BIG rights from Hutchinson win the round for him.
SN Unofficial Scorecard: 10-9 Hutchinson (30-27 Hutchinson)
Round 2: Big left hook from Hutchinson and he gets a reaction from Richards. Scotsman is switching back and forth from the southpaw stance. Right cross from Hutchinson, who looks stronger at this point. Nice jab exchanges from both men. Right hook from the Scotsman out of the lefty stance.
SN Unofficial Scorecard: 10-9 Hutchinson (20-18 Hutchinson)
Round 1: Richards runs out to center ring to meet his man. Long left hook attempt by Hutchinson and a right hand over the top. Jab gets going from Richards, but just having a look right now. Close round with an edge to the Scotsman.
SN Unofficial Scorecard: 10-9 Hutchinson
Note: The 5 v 5 (Queensberry vs. Matchroom) scoring system will award the fighter's team 1 point for a decision win, 2 points for a KO/TKO win and 0 points for a draw, with captain's points worth double. Team Queensberry will be captained by Hamzah Sheeraz and Team Matchroom captained by Deontay Wilder.
2:09 p.m. ET/ 7:09 p.m. ET GMT: The first fight is about to get underway. In light heavyweight action, Craig Richards takes on Willy Hutchinson in an England vs. Scotland collision. We switch to round-by-round scoring immediately.
Hello everyone, and welcome to The Sporting News' live coverage of Queensberry vs. Matchroom 5v5.
Queensberry vs. Matchroom 5v5 fight card
- Zhilei Zhang def. Deontay Wilder via TKO 5 (1:51); Heavyweights
- Dmitry Bivol (c) def. Malik Zinad via TKO 6 (2:06) for the WBA light heavyweight title
- Nick Ball def. Raymond Ford (c) via SD 12 (115-113, 115-113, 113-115) WBA featherweight title
- Daniel Dubois def. Filip Hrgovic via TKO 8 (0:57); Heavyweights
- Hamzah Sheeraz def. Austin Williams via TKO 11 (0:45); Middleweights
- Willy Hutchinson def. Craig Richards via UD 12 (119-109, 117-111, 116-112); Light Heavyweights