Beterbiev vs Yarde could be heading to London in the New Year
The light heavyweight champion of the WBC, IBF, WBO, Artur Beterbiev (18-0, 18KO), could face WBO #1 Anthony Yarde (22-2, 21KO) on January 28 in London, says ESPN.
First, 31-year-old Yarde must win a fight he has scheduled for November 19 in Telford, UK, against an opponent to be determined. 'The Beast from the East' is trained by Tunde Ajayi and promoted by Frank Warren.
Russian-Canadian Beterbiev was scheduled to defend all three of his 175-pound titles against Yarde on October 29, but the champion had to undergo surgery on his right knee, from which he is recovering well.
Beterbiev, 37, is the only reigning world champion to have achieved all of his victories by knockout and Yarde has 21 KOs from 22 bouts, so between them they have 39 knockouts from 40 victories.
British challenger Yarde, ranked WBC #3, WBA #9, IBF #4 and WBO #1, is coming off a fourth-round knockout win over Lyndon Arthur in a rematch, avenging a 2020 loss.
The only other world champ at 175lbs is man of the moment, Dmitry Bivol, who has held the WBA strap since 2017, but rose to prominence after defeating Mexican superstar Canelo on points earlier this year in his eighth defence.
