It is becoming a tradition for a midweek fight card to follow the public workouts during Riyadh Season events.

Once unified heavyweight champion, Oleksandr Usyk, and Tyson Fury and the undercard fighters had completed a few minutes of shadow boxing and quickly retreated back to their hotels on Thursday evening, the stage was prepared for five professional fights.

Luke Bibby, 8-0 (2 KOs), and Jordan Ellison, 15-56-5 (1 KO), got the action underway with six rounds at super lightweight.

Ellison is a useful fighter who was good enough to win a regional title and has latterly made a career out of testing young prospects. If they overlook him, turn up out of shape or aren’t quite as good as their team thinks, Ellison will beat them.

He made an aggressive start, scoring with his left hand and catching Bibby whenever the Scotsman stepped in without using his jab. Bibby sharpened up from the start of the second round and was the busier fighter from that point on. He scored with straight, snappy punches to the head and right hooks to the body but Ellison kept him honest and punished him for every mistake. Bibby deservedly took a 59-55 decision and remains unbeaten.

Three days ago, Levi Barnes, 8-0 (2 KOs), was sat at home and probably expecting to watch this weeks events from Riyadh on television. The 20 year old switch hitter from Lancashire received a late call up, jumped on a flight and boxed Mexico’s Ramiro Garcia Lopez, 8-18 (7 KOs), over four rounds at super welterweight.

Barnes controlled the distance from the off. He feinted with his flicking jab, fired in his back hand and swayed away from Lopez’s attempt to counter. The few hard shots that did land came from Barnes as he quickly found his groove and timing. Lopez can punch when he lands but Barnes tamed him relatively easily. It was a solid performance on short notice from Barnes. He was given a 40-36 decision.

Saudi Arabian middleweight, Abdullah Darkazanly, 1-0, made his professional debut against Costa Rica’s Jose Aguirre, 2-9 (1 KOs).

Darkazanly was tidy, held his shape well and mixed up his attacks well to head and body. Aguirre quickly realised that he needed to close the distance but Darkazanly used his feet well and stepped around the target and landed some nice combinations. It was a nice sharp display of boxing from the debutant who had plenty in the tank and upped the tempo in the final moments. The 40-36 scorecard in his favour was a formality.

Aadam Hamed, 4-0 (2 KO), stopped Colombia’s Jesus Gonzalez, 3-5, in the third of four rounds at super lightweight.

With his father, the outstanding former world featherweight champion, Prince Naseem, watching from ringside, Hamed dictated the action from the start and found his range and distance almost immediately. The southpaw set a high tempo and caught Gonzalez with an accurate series of hurtful shots as the first round ended.

Realising he was badly outgunned, Gonzalez tightened his defences and presented a constantly moving target in the second but he struggled to keep Hamed off.

In the third, Hamed hurt Gonzalez with a well timed right and and a follow up left dropped the Colombian heavily. Hamed went looking for a finish and found it. Although Gonzalez looked disorganised rather than hurt, referee, Lee Every, decided he was taking too many punches and stopped the fight.

In March, Chris Kongo, 17-2 (7 KOs), outpointed the unpredictable Florian Marku in what appeared to be a breakthrough performance but the Londoner has been unable to capitalise on the victory.

Kongo usually competes at welterweight but rounded out his year with a routine six round win over Colombia’s John Henry Mosquera, 5-21-1 (1 KO), at middleweight. It was Mosquera’s 14th fight of a busy year and he set his mind on staying safe and offering Kongo as little as possible to work with.

Kongo dominated the fight with a solid jab but although he managed to find a home for his right hand to head and body occasionally, he initially found it difficult to make a significant impact. In the fourth, Mosquera picked up a cut over his right eye and responded with a brief, violent flurry of his own but he was finding it harder and harder to stay out of trouble.

Kongo pressured the Colombian over the final round but Mosquera safely negotiated the six rounds.

The score was 60-54.