The IBA aren’t messing around with their Dubai card. While most fans are tuning in for Kubrat Pulev vs Murat Gassiev and the WBA heavyweight title noise, the undercard they’ve stacked underneath it is so loaded it almost feels like its own event. December 12 at Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium is shaping up to be one of those nights where you blink and miss something nasty.
The whole thing drops as part of the new IBA “Festival of Boxing,” which is basically a two-week celebration stuffed with fights, events, and the monster 2025 Men’s World Championships. Say what you want about the IBA, but when they spend, they spend loud.
Four Undercard Fights With Real Consequences
You don’t often see an undercard with this many make-or-break slots. It’s like they raided every division with unfinished business.
Bakhodur Usmonov vs Maxi Hughes
This one’s a WBA lightweight eliminator. Usmonov is unbeaten and sharp, but Maxi Hughes has spent years upsetting people who thought they’d walk through him. The winner moves toward Gervonta Davis, which is no small carrot. Technical chess but with teeth.
Yoel Finol vs Shakhobidin Zoirov 2
A rematch for the IBA Pro bantamweight strap. Zoirov, the 2016 Olympic gold medallist, wants revenge after Finol nicked a Majority Decision in 2024. This isn’t friendly. Finol feels he already solved him once. Zoirov feels robbed. Someone’s leaving angry.
Khariton Agrba vs Nerii Muñoz 2
Another rematch, another eliminator. Muñoz iced Agrba in July in a proper shocker. Agrba didn’t take that lightly, and now they run it back with Gary Antuanne Russell’s WBA super-lightweight belt sitting in the distance. Both hit hard, both come forward, and someone’s chin will get tested early.
Vadim Musaev vs Tulani Mbenge
Maybe the most underrated fight on the card. Musaev is 13-0 and looks smooth, but Mbenge is an IBO world champion who’s been in with proper operators. The welterweight division doesn’t need more killers, but it’s getting one from this fight.
IBA Officials Promise A Wild Night In Dubai
Umar Kremlev kept things blunt:
“I am confident that the whole world will be watching the Pulev vs Gassiev fight… We expect spectacular boxing and a competitive battle between two opponents of the highest calibre.”
Al Siesta, running the IBA Pro operation, pushed the stakes even harder:
“From title eliminators to rematches with bad blood, these bouts will provide fans with non-stop action leading up to the main event.”
And he wasn’t exaggerating. Between eliminators, revenge fights, and rising world-level contenders, this undercard feels more charged than some pay-per-views.
The “Festival of Boxing” backdrop adds another layer. Thirteen days of events, capped by the IBA Men’s World Championships and its record-breaking $8.32 million prize pool. Whatever you think of IBA politics, the fighters won’t complain about that number.
Dubai loves its big boxing nights, but this one feels different. The matchmaking actually makes sense. The stakes are real. The rematches have proper backstory. And the heavyweight main event on top is almost a bonus. If the IBA want to convince the world they’re entering a “Golden Era,” stacking a card like this is exactly how you start proving it.
‘Golden Era’ my foot! These promoters always talking big but we all know only like two of these fights will be good, rest will be boring or one-sided.
‘Festival of Boxing’ sounds made up to me 😂 It’s just a way for them to sell more tickets and make it sound cooler than it really is.
‘Festival’ sounds like some party not a fight night lol. Just call it what it is: a bunch of dudes trying to punch each other for money.
‘Festival’ makes no sense when people gonna be bleeding in the ring. Ain’t nothing festive about that.
Why they keep doing rematches if people already won? Finol beat Zoirov already so what’s the point? Feels like they just trying to make more money off same fight.
True bro, if someone won already then move on to another guy. Ain’t fair to keep running it back unless there was cheating or something.
They always say it’s gonna be wild, but half the time they just dance around. If they want us to care, they better throw punches and not hugs.
Exactly! All talk no action most times. They hype it up and then we get 12 rounds of nothing. Hope this one actually delivers for once.
I don’t get why people say undercards don’t matter. These fights sound more real than the main event. If someone’s getting a title shot next, then that’s the one I wanna see. 💪