Dubois stuns Hrgovic, Zhang batters Wilder in Queensberry 5 vs 5 whitewash

Daniel Dubois produced the fight of his career to end Filip Hrgovic’s unbeaten run at the landmark 5 vs 5 event in Riyadh, then set his sights on a huge all-British clash with Anthony Joshua.

The Brit thrust himself right back into the heavyweight title picture with a stunning victory that also wrapped up glory for Frank Warren’s Queensberry stable over Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom – glory that soon became a 10-0 whitewash when Zhilei Zhang delivered a brutal knockout of Deontay Wilder in the final bout.

The team element brought another edge to the stacked card in Saudi Arabia, with each boxer earning a point for a decision win and two for a knockout. Had there been any draws, no points would have been awarded, while there was another interesting ripple.

Captains for each side – Wilder for Matchroom and Hamzah Sheeraz for Queensberry – had their personal points doubled but it proved inconsequential in the end.

At the end of an enthralling evening, bragging rights belonged to Warren but, as ever, there was also plenty at stake individually, with world titles and even careers on the line.

Wilder’s future in the sport looks in serious doubt after he suffered another damaging defeat to Zhang.

The American picked up from where he left off in his last outing against Joseph Parker – and that was not a good thing.

He was again tentative and gun-shy as Zhang dominated the early exchanges, keeping the former WBC champion penned in the corners and landing some tidy blows as he ticked off the opening rounds.

After some encouragement from his team, Wilder belatedly got his right hand into action in the fifth and threatened to haul himself back into the fight.

But he continued to look bereft confidence and he was soon caught by a brutal right from Zhang which sent him spinning around, with another vicious right sending him sprawling to the canvas.

Wilder, dazed, struggled to get back to his feet as the referee waved off the fight – a fight that will surely be the final chapter in his boxing career after a run of four losses in five.

Dubois beat a bloodied Hrgovic in the eighth round to wrap up the team victory for Queensberry.

The Brit landed a series of huge right hands and almost ended the contest at the end of the seventh round before the doctor adjudged Hrgovic wasn’t fit to continue in the next due to the damage to both of his eyes.

Victory improves Dubois’ record to 20-2 and sets up the prospect of a mouth-watering with Joshua.

“Full respect to Hrgovic and to come through that was a learning experience for me. Onto the next,” Dubois said.

“I ate some shots but they woke me up and then I was on it. I just thought, ‘Don’t wait, don’t wait’. The round before the finish I felt it was coming.

“I felt the next opponent would be AJ so bring it on. I’m anxious to become the best. This is my era, this is my time.”

In an electric opening, both came out swinging for the knockout. Hrgovic landed the better and more accurate shots in the first round, but Dubois responded in the second and appeared to briefly wobble the Croatian.

The Brit continued to find success in the third and then went in search of the finish in the fourth, pressuring his bloodied opponent into the corner.

Hrgovic survived but was left sporting a big cut above his right eye, not that it seemed to deter him as the pair traded big rights in the fifth.

The bruising nature of the contest continued in the sixth as both started to show signs of fatigue, but Dubois came out in the seventh with renewed vigour, landing some vicious combinations and coming within a matter of seconds of securing the knockout.

He wouldn’t have to wait long, though, with the doctor ruling that Hrgovic wasn’t fit to continue.

Queensberry captain Sheeraz proved too good for Austin ‘Ammo’ Williams in their middleweight title eliminator, claiming a stoppage victory in the 11th round.

Williams made a promising start, but Sheeraz showed why he was favourite coming in to take control and then hurt his opponent.

It was a first defeat for Williams, who was dropped in the 10th and then finished in the 11th as Sheeraz launched a devastating flurry.

His two points were doubled to four given his status as captain, leaving Matchroom a mountain to climb at 6-0 down.

Nick Ball earned a split-decision win after a thrilling encounter with Raymond Ford to become the new WBA featherweight champion of the world.

The three judges returned verdicts of 115-113 but, crucially, two scored it in favour of Ball as Queensberry moved 2-0 ahead.

It was a high-quality contest between two technicians, with Ball the more aggressive in the early rounds as he unleashed combinations in bunches.

A looping overhand left was the best shot of a strong fourth as Ball dominated the first half of the fight, but Ford eventually showed his pedigree.

Successive lefts in the seventh seemed to briefly stun Ball and he landed some slick counters in the eighth and ninth as he came back into the contest.

Ball took the shots well, though, and continued to come forward, his relentless cardio making him a constant threat.

And both left everything in the ring in a thrilling final round as Ball got the nod.

Opening the night, Willy Hutchinson pulled off an upset to beat Craig Richards via unanimous decision as Queensberry grabbed an early 1-0 lead.

Both fighters cut confident figures in the build-up, but the big question mark was whether Hutchinson could cope facing someone of Richards’ calibre.

He answered emphatically, with the three judges scoring it 116-112, 117-111 and 119-109.

Hutchinson came through the opening exchanges well, landing some slick shots in the second round and he enjoyed more success in the third, catching Richards with a couple of stiff overhand rights.

Richards was scrambling again in the fifth, but he landed some nice combinations in the seventh as he attempted to make up for his slow start.

He then started swinging for the fences in the last three rounds and caught Hutchinson with a series of big rights in the 10th and 11th rounds, but it was too little too late as the Queensberry man secured a dominant victory.