Artur Beterbiev vs Anthony Yarde is Now Scheduled For January Due To Injury Sustained By Beterbiev
Per promoter Frank Warren’s interview with IFL TV, Artur Beterbiev (17-0, 17 KOs) will defend his WBC, WBO, and IBF light heavyweight titles against WBO mandatory challenger England’s Anthony Yarde on the 28th of January.
The unified light heavyweight championship contest will headline a Queensberry Promotions card in London, likely at The O2 Arena, live on a BT Sport platform – potentially BT Sport Box Office. Beterbiev vs Yarde will be televised by ESPN Plus in the United States.
Bob Arum, who promotes Beterbiev, declared before the 3-belt unification with Joe Smith Jr that should Beterbiev win, he would travel to London to make a defence against Yarde.
Top Rank and Queensberry have been known to work closely together so it’s no surprise that this fight was relatively easy to make and Warren was able to get Yarde home advantage.
Yarde will have a ‘keep busy’ bout on November 19 in Telford first, where an official announcement of the fight with Beterbiev could be made. No opponent has been set but it’s expected to be a very comfortable fight for the Londoner.
NoSmokeBoxing outlined in July the potential problems with staging Beterbiev Yarde in the UK including Beterbiev’s relationship with Chechen dictator Ramzan Kadyrov, a close ally of Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
Kadyrov has been accused of human rights violations so widespread that they constitute crimes against humanity. The dictator founded and owns Fight Club Akhmat, a professional sports club for martial arts.
Beterbiev, among some UFC fighters, is a member of the fight club and has received substantial gifts from Kadyrov, such as a Mercedes W222 worth over £80,000, for ‘successfully representing his regime’.