In the presence of HE Turki Alalshikh, Chairman of the General Entertainment Authority (GEA) and President of the Saudi Boxing Federation, Riyadh hosted a historic night early this morning (Sunday) at anb Arena with the staging of The Ring IV: Night of the Champions as part of Riyadh Season 2025—an action-packed evening featuring one of the strongest boxing cards of the year, with elite world champions and rising contenders across nine bouts that unfolded through hours of anticipation and excitement.
In the night’s marquee event, the Saudi national anthem was played before American David Benavidez and Britain’s Anthony Yarde entered the ring for a showdown considered a decisive step toward unifying the Light Heavyweight division titles, amid electrifying atmosphere following weeks of tension and fiery exchanges during Fight Week.
David Benavidez secured victory after the referee stopped the fight in the seventh round via technical knockout, following Yarde’s inability to continue.
Both fighters delivered a high-level performance worthy of the magnitude of the event—one eagerly awaited by boxing fans around the world—especially after Benavidez’s promises of “total domination” and Yarde’s belief that “the moment has come” to claim his first world title.
In the co-main event, American Devin Haney and world champion Brian Norman Jr. stepped into the ring for a major battle over the WBO Welterweight World Title. Haney won by unanimous decision, with both fighters delivering one of this month’s most anticipated showdowns—despite clear control from the new “welterweight” champion.
The Night of Champions also featured one of the strongest bouts in the lighter divisions, as American Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez stopped Argentina’s Fernando “Puma” Martinez with a left-hand knockout in the tenth round, after dominating most of the fight.
With this victory, Rodriguez becomes the unified champion of the WBA, WBC, WBO, and The Ring titles in the Super Flyweight division, preserving his undefeated record and cementing his status as one of the greatest fighters of his generation.
The night opened with an impressive win by Mexico’s Juan Guerito in his professional debut, defeating Uganda’s Barker Sisoyanana by unanimous decision after delivering steady offensive pressure across all four rounds.
In the second fight, Saudi boxer Sultan AlMohammed secured one of the night’s quickest victories, earning a first-round technical knockout against India’s Umesh Chavan—affirming his remarkable development and readiness for higher-level competition.
The third bout, between Puerto Rico’s Julio Borras Ruiz and Tanzania’s Pius Mbinda, ended in a draw after six tightly contested rounds, with momentum shifting back and forth and generating strong audience engagement.
In the fourth bout, Saudi Arabia’s Mohammed Alakel extended his undefeated streak to 7–0, defeating China’s Jiaming Li by unanimous decision, delivering one of his most mature performances in terms of distance control, defense, and offensive pressure.
The fifth fight saw a dominant showing from American Vito Mielnicki Jr., who stopped Cameroon’s Samuel Momomah via technical knockout, reinforcing his status as one of the top rising talents in the Middleweight division.
In one of the most important matchups on the undercard, American Abdullah Mason became the youngest active male world champion in boxing after earning a unanimous decision win over Britain’s bloodied Sam Knox, claiming the WBO Lightweight World Title in a remarkable achievement at his young age.