On May 3 (May 4 Japan time), the semi-final event of the “Riyadh Season” took place at The Venue in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The WBC World Cruiserweight Title Match featured champion Badou Jack (Sweden) — 28 wins (17 KOs), 3 losses, 3 draws — against reigning champion-in-recess Noel Gevor (Armenia) — 27 wins (12 KOs), 2 losses. Jack won by decision.
Both fighters were returning from long layoffs: the 41-year-old Jack after about 2 years and 2 months, and the 34-year-old Gevor after about 1 year and 6 months. The bout began with a battle of jabs. Early on, Gevor used his footwork and outworked Jack with combinations that included the right straight. Jack looked to counter with his right hand.
In round 6, Jack landed a right straight followed by a flurry, while Gevor responded with lighter, volume punches and continued to move. From round 9, Jack increased the pressure, but was often neutralized by Gevor’s clinching when they got close. In round 10, Jack chased with a right body straight, but Gevor countered with a right straight of his own.
By round 11, both fighters began to trade without any decisive blows, often ending in clinches. In the final round, Gevor threw light combinations before either clinching or moving out of range. Jack failed to land a decisive shot, and near the end, took a left hook from Gevor. The judges scored the fight 115-113, 115-113, and 114-114.
In a 12-round super middleweight bout, former WBO World Super Welterweight Champion Jaime Munguia (Mexico), ranked No. 5 by the WBC, No. 8 by the IBF, and No. 9 by the WBO at super middleweight — with a record of 44 wins (35 KOs) and 2 losses — faced Bruno Surace (France), ranked No. 6 by both the IBF and WBO, who came in undefeated with 26 wins (5 KOs) and 2 draws. In this direct rematch, Munguia won by decision.
The two had previously fought on December 14 last year (December 15 Japan time) in Tijuana, Mexico, where Munguia, seen as the overwhelming favorite, knocked Surace down in the second round, only to suffer a shocking comeback KO loss in the sixth. Now a member of Team Canelo, Munguia entered the rematch seeking redemption. In the opening round, he kept a high guard and threw few punches, starting cautiously. Surace, in contrast, looked to land the same right straight that had scored him the KO in the first fight.
By round 3, Munguia began to increase his output, throwing jabs, right straights, and lefts to the body. Surace responded with jabs while timing his right hand. In round 5, as Munguia applied more pressure, Surace found himself backed up against the ropes more frequently. However, Munguia didn’t overextend himself and still threw a limited number of punches.
In round 6, Surace threw a right hand over Munguia’s shoulder as the latter stepped back. It didn’t land cleanly, but the timing was eerily similar to the previous bout, posing a threat. Munguia still couldn’t find a clear path to attack. Round 7 saw an evenly matched exchange, with neither man giving ground. Near the end of the round, Munguia unleashed a combination, but Surace responded with a left-right counter.
In round 8, Munguia had the higher output, but Surace’s tight guard prevented any clean hits. In round 9, Munguia again initiated the action, while Surace kept blocking and looked for opportunities to land his right, connecting once in the final seconds. In rounds 10 and 11, as Surace became more passive, Munguia pressed forward, landing and then stepping out to avoid counters.
In the final round, Munguia remained cautious and didn’t overextend himself. The bout ended with scores of 117-111, 117-111, and 116-112 in favor of Munguia. It was a strategic, risk-averse performance focused on securing the win. His form and potential will likely be judged more clearly in his next outing.
In a 10-round heavyweight bout, Efe Ajagba (Nigeria) — ranked No. 3 by the WBC and IBF, and No. 12 by the WBO, with a record of 20 wins (14 KOs) and 1 loss — faced Martin Bakole (Congo), ranked No. 4 by the WBC, No. 6 by the WBA, and No. 10 by the IBF, with a record of 21 wins (16 KOs) and 2 losses. The bout ended in a 10-round draw, with scores of 96-94 for Ajagba, and two scores of 95-95.
Both fighters looked to land big right hands while exchanging jabs. The action picked up in round 3 when Ajagba landed a fast right straight, and Bakole answered with a left hook. In round 4, Bakole backed Ajagba up to the ropes and landed a left hook, while Ajagba looked to counter with a right straight.
Starting from round 6, Ajagba used his footwork to move around the ring, throwing jabs and right straights. Bakole pursued him but couldn’t land his right straights or left hooks. In round 8, Bakole invited Ajagba to come forward, and when the distance closed, he unleashed combinations of left and right hooks along with uppercuts. In rounds 9 and 10, Ajagba continued to move and landed jabs and right straights, but his output remained low. Bakole, though also throwing few punches, pressed forward with sharp shots and flurries, creating moments of aggression before the final bell.
This bout marked Bakole’s return to the ring since his shocking second-round TKO loss to WBO Interim World Heavyweight Champion Joseph Parker (New Zealand) — 36 wins (25 KOs), 3 losses — on February 22 (February 23 Japan time) at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. That fight was a last-minute replacement bout announced just two days before.
In a 6-round light heavyweight fight, Bryan Leon (Cuba) — 6 wins, all by KO — who serves as a sparring partner for Canelo Álvarez, faced Aaron Guerrero (Mexico) — 11 wins (7 KOs), 3 losses, 1 draw. Leon took control from the start with fast flicking jabs, right straights, left body shots, and right counters. In round 4, he scored a knockdown with a left hook, but Guerrero showed grit and fought back until the final bell. Leon secured a clear, confident victory.
WBO No. 13 ranked cruiserweight Richard Riakporhe (UK) — 17 wins (13 KOs), 1 loss — made his heavyweight debut against Kevin Nicolas Espindola (Argentina) — 9 wins (4 KOs), 9 losses — in an 8-round bout. Riakporhe scored a knockdown with a left body shot in the 4th round and won by TKO at the end of the round.
Marco Verde (Mexico), the 2024 Paris Olympic silver medalist in the welterweight division, made his professional debut in a 6-round middleweight bout against Michel Polina (Mexico) — 4 wins (2 KOs), 5 losses, 3 draws. Verde scored two knockdowns in the opening round and secured a TKO victory at 1:34.
Attention will be on whether Munguia (Mexico) can bounce back in the future.
This article has been translated and published with permission from BOXING MASTER.
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