We will know a lot more about the state of boxing when we awaken on March 2 than we do when we wake up on Feb. 1. February is an extraordinarily busy month in boxing, and if we include March 1, it has fights that will significantly impact the pound-for-pound rankings as well as future matches.
The big show, of course, is the Riyadh Season card on Feb. 22, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, a star-studded affair that includes some of the sport's biggest names and at least four bouts that could easily be main events.
That show will be headlined by the rematch for the undisputed light heavyweight title between champion Artur Beterbiev and former champion Dmitry Bivol. That show also includes the following bouts:
• An IBF heavyweight title fight between Daniel Dubois and Joseph Parker.
• A WBC lightweight title bout between Shakur Stevenson and Floyd Schofield.
• A WBC middleweight championship match between Carlos Adames and Hamzah Sheeraz.
• An interim WBC heavyweight title bout between Zhilei Zhang and Agit Kabayel that is very intriguing.
The month kicks off with a solid card at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday headlined by a bout between interim WBC light heavyweight champion David Benavidez and regular WBA light heavyweight champion David Morrell Jr. on PPV.com.
That bout alone would lend significance to February, but it may not even rank in the top five fights of the month. And that card also includes a couple of bouts on the undercard -- Brandon Figueroa against Stephen Fulton and Isaac Cruz against Angel Fierro -- which should be bangers.
Nine of my Sweet 16 in my pound-for-pound rankings -- No. 4 Beterbiev; No. 6 Bivol; No. 7 Gervonta Davis; No. 9 Junto Nakatani; No. 10 Stevenson; No. 13 Benavidez; No. 14 Madrimov; No. 15 Morrell Jr. and No. 16 Ortiz Jr. -- are in action between Feb. 1 and March 1.
Bakhodir Jalolov, a two-time Olympic gold medalist at super heavyweight who is 14-0 with 14 KOs as a pro, will compete on Feb. 6 in Montreal against David Spillmont in a bout on ESPN+.
I'm going to make two lists here. The first will be a list of the bouts I'm most eager to see. That could be because of a combination of action expected, significance within the sport or an opportunity to get a better handle on an elite prospect who is making a step up, these are bouts I'm looking forward to seeing most.
After that, I'll rank the 10 bouts that I believe will carry the most impact and importance in the sport.
Kevin's favorite five
5. Zhilei Zhang versus Agit Kabayel, 10 rounds, heavyweights, Feb. 22, Riyadh: This bout won't feature the most skill ever seen inside of a ring, and it's not the most significant heavyweight bout on its card. But it figures to be a fun slugfest, it will be for an interim belt and it's going to tell us a lot about two men who have steadily moved up the ladder in the last couple of years.
Zhang is the better known of the two. He's coming off of a stoppage of Deontay Wilder and is 27-2-1 with 22 knockouts. He's slow and methodical, but is a massive puncher. Kabayel is 25-0 with 17 KOs and vaulted into the spotlight with a brilliant stoppage of Frank Sanchez in May.
We know Zhang is legit; he's limited by his lack of hand and foot speed, but he's been in with good enough competition that we know what to expect from him. Kabayel is 32, but he's still something of an unknown quantity. The bout with Zhang will say much about how good Kabayel can be.
4. WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson versus Floyd Schofield, 12 rounds, Feb. 22, Riyadh: I've long believed Stevenson is one of the elite talents in boxing, though he hasn't always fought like it.When Stevenson puts it all together and is on top of his game, I believe he's good enough to be pound-for-pound No. 1.
He's not showing it regularly and he's lost some fans in the process for less-than-compelling bouts. He's 22-0 with 10 KOs and has elite skills, though, which means it's never wise to give up on him.
Schofield is an unbeaten 22-year-old making a huge leap up to challenge Stevenson.
Schofield is 18-0 with 12 KOs and might be the guy to bring that talent out of Stevenson. Schofield is highly talented, as well, and this match will show where he ranks on the prospects list. But who knows? He could wake up a world champion on Feb. 23.
3. Interim WBC light heavyweight champion David Benavidez versus regular WBA light heavyweight champ David Morrell Jr., 12 rounds, Feb. 1, Las Vegas: Benavidez has been on a roll recently, and since 2022 has beaten David Lemieux, Caleb Plant, Demetrius Andrade and Oleksandr Gvozdyk. He can box and punch and can bring the fight.
Morrell didn't look great in his last out, an Aug. 3 decision over Radivoje Kalajdzic, but he'd largely been sensational for that. Morrell has all the tools to be a long-reigning champion, but so, too, does Benavidez.
File
Israil Madrimov is No. 14 on Kevin Iole's pound-for-pound list.
2. Interim WBC super welterweight champion Vergil Ortiz. Jr. versus Israil Madrimov, 12 rounds, Feb. 22, Riyadh: I have Madrimov, who pushed Terence Crawford to the limit, ranked No. 14 pound-for-pound, while I have Ortiz at No. 16. They're both young, strong and talented and this fight could be the best bout in the month by a long shot.
1. Undisputed light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev versus Dmitry Bivol, 12 rounds, Feb. 22, Riyadh: Beterbiev and Bivol put on a highly entertaining battle on Oct. 12, with Beterbiev escaping with a close decision. A big-time puncher who had his string of 20 KOs in 20 fights ended by Bivol, Beterbiev has the skills to do it all in the ring. Beterbiev is No. 4 pound-for-pound and Bivol is No. 6.
Bivol isn't a heavy puncher, but has the skills to do everything in the ring. There are some knowledgeable boxing people who believe he won the first fight.
It's going to be a a great action fight with true significance, the best kind of fight, in my opinion.
Kevin Iole's significant bouts from Feb. 1 through March 1
10. Jack Catterall vs. Arnold Barboza Jr.: They will meet for the interim WBO super lightweight title. Ryan Garcia, Devin Haney and Teofimo Lopez are in this division. The winner is in play for fights with those guys.
9. WBO lightweight champion Denys Berinchyk versus Keyshawn Davis: The pair will headline a Feb. 14 ESPN show at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York. With WBA champion Gervonta Davis and WBC champion Shakur Stevenson fighting in the month, this unheralded bout gains significance as it puts the winner in the running for bouts against the bigger names.
8. WBC middleweight champion Carlos Adames versus Hamzah Sheeraz: Sheeraz is on a roll and has been looking very promising. He's 21-0 with 17 KOs, with 10 of those in the first or second rounds. A big win for Sheeraz here would make him a significant figure.
7. Zhilei Zhang versus Agit Kabayel: Everyone loves heavyweights and the winner of this gets an interim belt and moves into the Oleksandr Usyk sweepstakes.
6. WBC bantamweight champion Junto Nakatani versus David Cuellar: Nakatani is heading toward a showdown with undisputed super bantamweight champion Naoya Inoue. He needs to keep winning to make that bout a reality.
5. Interim WBC super welterweight champion Vergil Ortiz Jr. versus Israil Madrimov: Simply a great fight between two talented boxers with the winner positioned well for a big bout.
4. WBC interim light heavyweight champion David Benavidez versus WBA regular light heavyweight champion David Morrell: Two of the best fighters in the world compete to become the next logical challenger for the winner of the undisputed title match between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol.
3. WBA lightweight champion Gervonta Davis versus Lamont Roach: The fight doesn't thrill me that much, as Davis is a massive favorite and there were far better opponents he could have faced. At DraftKings sportsbook, Davis is -1400 and Roach is +800. But I have the fight here because Davis is one of the two biggest draws in boxing; he says it might be his last fight (which I don't believe, but he did say it) and it could have significant implications for a very talented division.
2. IBF heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois versus Joseph Parker: The winner is likely to get a shot at the "real" heavyweight belts, held by No. 1 pound-for-pound Oleksandr Usyk.
1. Undisputed light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev versus Dmitry Bivol for the undisputed light heavyweight title: It doesn't get much better than two of the top fighters in the world meeting for the undisputed title.
File
IBF heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois