In his second world title attempt, Anthony Yarde (23-2, 22 KO’s) will be facing the grandest of all challenges when he attempts to dethrone formidable unified light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev (18-0, 18 KO’s) on 28 January 2023 at Wembley Arena, London.
Yarde’s first title fight came against Sergey Kovalev in August 2019, whilst challenging for the Russian’s WBO title, losing via TKO in the 11th round.
Yarde will now face an even greater challenge in the form of the undefeated Beterbiev, the only champion in boxing today with a 100% KO ratio.
This will be Beterbiev’s first professional fight in the UK, with all of his fights thus far, with the exception of the Adam Deines fight in Moscow in March 2021, having taken place in his adopted home of Canada and the US.
Beterbiev won his first world title in November 2017 when he stopped Enrico Koelling in the 12th round to win the vacant IBF title. Beterbiev defended his IBF belt twice, including against Britain’s Callum Johnson, before the Russian entered a unification against WBC champion Oleksandr Gvozdyk in October 2019. Gvozdyk, the technically skilled Ukrainian puncher, unbeaten at the time, was down three times in the tenth round, forcing the referee’s stoppage. Beterbiev defended his IBF and WBC belts against Deines and Marcus Browne, before entering a three-belt unification against WBO champion Joe Smith Jr in June 2022 at the Hulu Theater, Madison Square Garden.
This was Beterbiev’s most recent outing, in which he demolished the reigning WBO champion in two rounds. With this devastating unification victory, Beterbiev became just one step away from becoming undisputed light heavyweight champion, with compatriot Dmitry Bivol holding the only other belt, the WBA (Super) title.
As things stand, only the supremely talented Bivol is viewed as a significant threat to Beterbiev in the 175 lbs division.
Beterbiev said at the announcement press conference in London: “Long time ago I been here for the Olympic Games, 2012, and I’m happy to be here. We will see what happens on 28 January. I don’t want to talk a lot, you know, I want to do something on 28 January.”
Unassuming and not a man to talk much, more eager to let his fighting do the talking as opposed to the customary trash talking often commonplace in boxing today. His fighting has, indeed, made a lot of noise. 18 professional fights is not a lot on paper, but Beterbiev has overcome a lot in those fights, a variety of opponents, styles and challenges, to prove his pedigree as a real champion. Gvozdyk was a really good champion. Beterbiev wore Gvozdyk down and forced a stoppage. He overcame the most adversity in his career by scoring come-from-behind fourth and ninth-round stoppages against Johnson and Browne.
Johnson dropped Beterbiev in the second round, before Beterbiev weathered the storm to stop Johnson two rounds later. Against Browne, with blood leaking from a horrendous cut on Beterbiev’s forehead, the referee said the Russian would only be given one more round to resurrect his hopes of holding onto his titles. At this point, Beterbiev did what the truly elite champions do. He moved up a gear and battered Browne into submission.
Yarde’s first title came in his 11th fight when he stopped Chris Hobbs in four rounds to win the Southern Area title. Yarde then subsequently had seven consecutive fights, none of which lasted more than seven rounds, in which he made defences of the WBO European title and the WBO Inter-Continental title. After the Kovalev loss, which was his first significant step-up as a professional, Yarde had a comeback fight against Colombian journeyman Diego Jair Ramirez in Madrid, then domestic dust-ups against Dec Spelman and Lyndon Arthur. Yarde suffered a split decision loss against Arthur, and after a swift first-round knockout victory in his comeback fight in Birmingham, Yarde looked for redemption against his Manchester rival. Yarde blasted himself back into title contention, stopping Arthur in four rounds to regain his WBO No. 1 spot.
Yarde stated in the announcement press conference: “When I’m shouting ‘Lions in the Camp’, it’s not no gimmick. Lions have no choice but to go and hunt, or they go hungry, and I’ve got that same mentality.”
One thing the “Beast From the East” cannot be accused of is having a lack of heart. Yarde has chased both title shots against two of the best light heavyweights of the past decade, with the first being in Kovalev’s hometown of Chelyabinsk, Russia.
Yarde also stated: “I’m going to be switched on. I’m going to be sharp, I’m going to be fast.”
Yarde’s confidence and courage cannot be faulted whatsoever. However, when coming up against a proposition in the form of Beterbiev, maintaining a game-plan in the face of that sort of adversity requires something special. Pressure can burst pipes, so they say, but it can also create diamonds. Perhaps after the losses to Kovalev and Arthur, and the heeding of lessons learnt, Yarde is ready to become unified light heavyweight champion.
Lloyd Honeyghan defeating Donald Curry, Randy Turpin shocking the great Sugar Ray Robinson and Tyson Fury beating long-time heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko are amongst the finest and greatest British wins in history. If Yarde defeats Beterbiev, it would belong right amongst those wins. Heading into this showdown, the gap in pedigree and skill between the pair is vast.
Beterbiev is arguably one of the biggest punchers in light heavyweight history, and no light heavyweight in the modern era could confidently be favoured against the fearsome Russian.
Beterbiev has destructive punching power with controlled brutality. A gifted boxer who is also a destroyer. The subtle movements that influence the opponent’s guard. The feints. Powerful jab. Ramrod right hand. And he knows how to cut off the ring. If that jab or right hand knocks an opponent off balance, huge danger is imminent. Once an opponent feels that power, it may not take long for game-plans to be abandoned.
When fighting Beterbiev, you are fighting a guy who can box and simultaneously clean you out.
Just like Yarde did not have the necessary preparation prior to Kovalev, perhaps the same situation still applies.
The likes of Dariusz Sek, Walter Gabriel Sequeira and Travis Reeves, in no way, prepared Yarde for the step up in class for Kovalev.
Do fights against Alex Theran, Arthur and Stefani Koykov prepare Yarde for Beterbiev? That remains to be seen.
However, maybe the adversity that Yarde has experienced has prepared him mentally for this almighty challenge.
All of that mental strength will be needed to be competitive against Beterbiev.
Beterbiev has just turned 38 years old. Father Time is an unconquerable foe and may strike at any moment. At least that’s what his rivals are hoping. Beterbiev’s most recent performance, arguably his most destructive, certainly dismisses any such hopes emphatically.
As opposed to his first title shot, Yarde has home advantage this time at the same venue in which he made his professional debut in 2015. Will this be a defining factor this time? Beterbiev does not believe so.
Speaking to BT Sport, the Russian said: “I’m not focused on the city. I’m not like this person (who is obsessed with location). London, New York, Moscow, I’m not focused on city. I’m more focused on opponent.”
Beterbiev is well-travelled and has achieved some of his biggest wins on the road.
One man has a 100% knockout ratio, and the other has eliminated all but two men that he has ever faced. An exciting match-up between two destructive hard hitters in the light heavyweight division, who both look to seek and destroy. The unified light heavyweight titles are at stake on British shores. British fans will have the privilege of witnessing one of the most special fighters of the modern era, and a hometown fighter seeking the greatest of wins in his quest to become the first British light heavyweight champion in a decade, since Nathan Cleverly’s reign ended in 2013 against Kovalev.
Fireworks? This has all the ingredients for a full-blown explosion.
By Sina Latif