Anthony Yarde wants a rematch with IBF, WBC & WBO light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev & a fight against WBA champ Dmitry Bivol at some point.
Yarde (23-3, 22 KOs) feels like he’s got what it takes to defeat any fighter, including Beterbiev (19-0, 19 KOs) and Bivol, if he gets his tactics right.
The 31-year-old Yarde fought Beterbiev to a standstill in the first seven rounds before getting caught with a couple of big right hands from the unbeaten champion in the eighth and pulled out by his trainer Tunde Ajayi moments later, perhaps a tad bit early.
For Yarde to get another crack at Beterbiev or a title shot against the unbeaten WBA champion Bivol, he’s going to need to defeat one or two of these contenders at 175:
- Joshua Buatsi
- Joe Smith Jr
- Callum Smith
- Craig Richards
- Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez
- Dan Azeez
To get another title shot, Yarde will need to act quickly by immediately taking on high-caliber contenders. He says he wants a fight against former WBO light heavyweight champion Joe Smith Jr. That would be an excellent start for Yarde to get a rematch with Beterbiev or a fight with Bivol.
Yarde wants Beterbiev & Bivol
“Put me back in with Beterbiev. I want a rematch. I want to get back in that mix. That’s what I’m eager for. I’m striving for that,” said Anthony Yarde to talkSPORT Boxing. “I don’t care who I fight. A fight against Buatsi, I love that fight.
“Whoever has all the belts, I love those fights as well. Bivol, I want to experience fighting Bivol before he retires and Canelo. All these kinds of names.
“I want to be in there with them because I feel like me on my day; if I get my tactics right and things go my way, I have the ability to beat all those guys. That’s my belief in myself.
“The future is definitely exciting for boxing. I’ve never really cared about an undefeated record. I’ve cared about my lion’s heart. I want to go out there; I want to be an underdog. I want to fight these guys.
“Just like the Beterbiev fight, I want to show that even with my limited experience, I can hang in there with these guys and beat some of them. That’s my mentality,” said Yarde.
Beterbiev impressed with Yarde
“You never know how it’s going. You can have a strategy, but you never know, but he did good fight. I did not bad too,” said Beterbiev when asked if his fight with Yarde was harder than he expected.
“I can’t say it’s the toughest fight, but it’s good. He did a good job. He’s young and he has potential. For now, he has good experience. He has punch,” said Beterbiev on whether Yarde can win a world title.
