WBA Flyweight Title And Itauma Brothers On Beterbiev vs Yarde Undercard
P4P star Artur Beterbiev (17-0, 17 KOs) defends his WBC, WBO, and IBF light heavyweight titles against WBO mandatory challenger Anthony Yarde (23-2, 22 KOs) at London’s 10,000-capacity OVO Arena, Wembley this Saturday, January 28 live on BT Sport 1 (Not PPV) in the United Kingdom and ESPN + stateside.
In the first world title bout of the night, undefeated Ukrainian Artem Dalakian (21-0, 15 KOs) makes the sixth defence of his WBA World flyweight championship against Costa Rican mandatory challenger David Jiminez (12-0, 9 KOs).
Jiminez upset the odds against Golden Boy’s Ricardo Sandoval last year to claim the mandatory spot via a majority decision win after scoring a crucial 11th-round knockdown. Dalakian has been heavily inactive, only boxing once a year in 2019, 2020 and 2021 and not competing in 2022 due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Flyweight is a division that could see several key unification bouts in 2023 after the addition of P4P star Bam Rodriguez, who fights for the WBO title on April 8, and will be aiming for undisputed in the next eighteen months.
Highly-rated light heavyweight hope Karol Itauma (9-0, 7 KOs) fights for his first professional title. Itauma meets Ezequiel Osvaldo Maderna (28-10) for the vacant WBC International title.
Maderna has shared the ring with main event participant Artur Beterbiev amongst other top 10 fighters at 168 and 175 and marks a solid step up for Itauma but a fight he is expected to win inside the distance.
Joining Karol on the card is his brother, 18-year-old amateur sensation Moses Itauma who turns over to the pro ranks on the card. Itauma, a World Youth and European Heavyweight champion, is tipped by many to the be the future of the heavyweight division in years to come.
Big-hitting cruiserweight Tommy Fletcher (3-0) will have his fourth pro fight. The 20-year-old ‘Norfolk Nightmare’ has sent ripples through the division with three mighty knockouts to date, with two of them coming in the first round. Fletcher faces journeyman Darryl Sharp (7-96-1) over six rounds.
Hugely popular Brick Lane southpaw Khalid Ali (4-0) takes on Ivica Gogosevic (12-44-2) over 6 rounds at super welterweight. 20-year-old featherweight Umar Khan (5-0) returns to action against the tough Sandeep Singh Bhatti (8-5).
World Youth Championship bronze medallist Charles Frankham (6-0) clashes with Joshua Ocampo (8-10-4) at super featherweight. His brother welterweight Joshua Frankham (6-0) takes on domestic competition in the form of Joe Hardy (2-4).
Sean Noakes (3-0) and Masood Abdulah (7-0) also feature in separate bouts against Santiago Garces (4-12-3) and Lesther Lara (17-13-2) respectively.
Artur Beterbiev vs Anthony Yarde – Sat, Jan 28 – OVO Arena Wembley, – Live on BT Sport (Not PPV)
Also Read; Anthony Yarde Emphasises Importance Of Beating Artur Beterbiev Through Skill
