FRANK Warren's new DAZN partnership came with the sort of heavyweight headliners we're used to seeing feature on a Riyadh Season card, like the stacked Last Crescendo bill taking place in the Saudi capital this weekend.

Three crossroads matchups were announced on the same April 5 bill at Manchester's Co-Op Live Arena with varying levels from English and faded contenders to budding world-level standouts with time of the essence.

Former two-time WBC interim world champion Dillian Whyte (31-3, 21 KOs) isn't the same fighter of old, though neither is Joe Joyce (16-3, 15 KOs) after the Juggernaut's cloak of invincibility was dashed in a startling two-fight 2023 series with Zhilei Zhang.

Zhang now looks to upset another unbeaten contender in Germany's Agit Kabayel (25-0, 17 KOs) for WBC interim honours this weekend, while these two Brits eager for a Riyadh Season call-up themselves will look to show they've still got more in the tank.

Longtime cruiserweight rivals Lawrence Okolie and Richard Riakporhe finally get to settle their differences in the latter's heavyweight debut, 10 months removed from falling short at world level against Chris Billam-Smith for WBO world honours.

Okolie, who made three successful world championship defences before being unseated by his former sparring partner a year earlier, has flirted with the sport's glamour division before.

Testing the waters with a brief bridgerweight experience and a highlight reel knockout on his Queensberry debut in December have the Joe Gallagher-trained former world titleholder itching for more.

Riakporhe refused to disclose specifics after producing an underwhelming display at Selhurst Park last summer, in what was set up to be an explosion on the world scene in his Billam-Smith rematch.

After a phantom bridgerweight move, cancelled December fight date and injury shelving him, the 35-year-old's opposition resume gets an immediate boost against Okolie. Too much too soon or timed just right? Critics bemoaned his longtime partnership with Angel Fernandez, highlighting a perceived inability to conjure up a backup strategy if plan A wasn't working.

Now, he's aligned himself with Scottish-based trainer Billy Nelson, known most notably for working with world-level contender Martin Bakole (21-1, 16 KOs) and it'll be interesting to see whether any subtle adjustments from their first camp are immediately apparent.

On that topic, David Adeleye (13-1, 12 KOs) has lauded Adam Booth's work and the feeling is mutual since their collaboration began last year. He ended a 13-month layoff with a first-round finish of now-former English champion Solomon Dacres, bouncing back from defeat in emphatic fashion.

Warren remains level-headed about Adeleye's trajectory, telling The Ring: "David's taking it a bit more seriously now. We know that, sure it was a spectacular win, but that doesn't make him an overnight sensation, he's now got to reproduce that and position himself for some seriously big fights. I'm hoping it might be for the British title, we'll see what happens before then."

BOXXER chief Ben Shalom promised Jeamie Tshikeva (8-1, 5 KOs) bigger and better opportunities if he passed the Michael Webster-shaped test earlier this month, and so it proves against a former sparring partner firing on all cylinders after rounding out his athletic base, centred around movement.

Tshikeva's style isn't pretty but effective in a way Adeleye hasn't really faced - Kamil Sokolowski aside - and perhaps we'll see those developments in real-time, the longer their contest goes. Many have pointed out Adeleye's air of increased respect for a budding contender he has sparred rounds with previously, rather than the needle attached to domestic duels against Fabio Wardley and Dacres prior.

The aforementioned pair both wait for a return date, albeit with contrasting options tabled and differing leverage too. IBF heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois' sparring partner Dacres has handled defeat well, while British champion Fabio Wardley (18-0-1, 17 KOs) carefully assesses the scene expecting an opportunity to bridge the gap between domestic and world-level opposition to kick off 2025.

Currently ranked at No. 6 with the WBC and WBO, the 30-year-old's dream of headlining a card at Ipswich's Portman Road looks ever closer under the Queensberry banner as they've hinted at a Kubrat Pulev matchup for the WBA (Regular) title.

Another man in a similar position, albeit at the rung above, is Wardley's gymmate Moses Itauma (11-0, 9 KOs). The Ring's Prospect of the Year, who turned 20 three days after Christmas, was originally slated to return on the Nick Ball vs. TJ Doheny undercard in Liverpool next month.

Having already leapfrogged domestic-level names after a blistering first-round knockout win over Demsey McKean on December 22, he's now ranked #5 with the WBA and WBO. Warren has since told The Ring they'll be announcing news on him after returning from Riyadh, as former IBF titleholder Charles Martin (30-4-1, 27 KOs) has recently attracted attention by calling for an opportunity.

"We're waiting for a couple of options and want to make sure it's the right one before pulling the trigger. Either he'll box in Riyadh next or Liverpool," Warren stated Friday.

24 hours earlier, Frazer Clarke's return was officially announced as part of the Ben Whittaker vs. Liam Cameron 2 undercard on Easter Sunday. He'll box a stubborn test in Ghana's Ebenezer Tetteh (23-2, 20 KOs), who memorably went seven rounds against Whyte on Dec. 15 before damage accumulation saw him pulled at the end of another exhausting stanza.

It'll be interesting to see how much Clarke has left in the tank after two gruelling fights for very different reasons in 2024, leaving him facing an untimely rebuild just ten fights and three years into life within the paid ranks.

Having sparred Dubois' upcoming opponent and former WBO titleholder Joseph Parker recently in Riyadh, the Olympic bronze medallist doesn't have time on his side at 33 but will be inspired by a former amateur foe, who reinvigorated his career after linking up with head coach Andy Lee four years ago.

Everyone's peaks-and-troughs are different and being immersed in someone's company doesn't guarantee anything, though with heavyweights, you just never really know.