Via Sean Jones: Top Rank boss Bob Arum has confirmed that IBF/WBC/WBO light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev will face Anthony Yarde next fall in London, England.
Thus, Arum said that he had “expect” The undisputed 175 lb championship could happen as early as 2023.
Beterbiev inherited Yarde as his must-have opponent when he defeated 175-lb WBO champion Joe Smith Jr last weekend at Madison Square Garden in New York. If Beterbiev loses that skirmish, Smith will defend against Yarde (22-2, 21 KOs) next.
American boxing fans have little interest in seeing Beterbiev defend against Yarde, as they’d rather see the undisputed light heavyweight championship between Dmitry Bivol than the little-known British boxer, who once defeated by Sergey Kovalev in 2019.
We look forward to sensational Artur Beterbiev crossing the pond to take on Anthony Yarde in London this fall. We hope that the winner can fight for the undisputed light heavyweight title early next year.
– Bob Arum (@BobArum) June 22, 2022
Despite what Arum said about an undisputed war happening early next year, that is unlikely because Canelo Alvarez there is a rematch clause with Bivol, and it has been talked about he intends to take on him early next year in May.
The earliest we could see a fight between Beterbiev and Bivol is in the summer or fall of 2023. That’s if Arum is willing to do it as it doesn’t seem like he’s eager to do it.
One thing boxing fans have in their favor is that Beterbiev (18-0, 18 KOs) wants the Bivol clash, and it would be a bad idea if Arum doesn’t give him what he wants.
If Beterbiev defeats Bivol, his popularity will skyrocket and possibly lead to a clash with Canelo.
Arum needs to look at it from that perspective rather than focusing on the network headache or other reasons he might have for not wanting to do the Beterbiev vs. Bivol.
Working with Eddie Hearn, the promoter of Bivol, might have been something Arum didn’t expect to do.
“If you [Beterbiev] wanted to fight Bivol, he has to leave the WBO title blank,” promoter Frank Warren told iFL TV, reacting when it was announced that Artur Beterbiev wanted to take on the next WBA lightweight champion Dmitry Bivol, not Yarde.
“Yes, I talked to Bob [Arum] about that fight, and we’re going to make it,” Warren said of the Beterbiev vs. Yarde. “It was also an uphill battle for Beterbiev because I think Anthony Yarde Will Do The Same With Joe Smith. ”
If Yarde wins the required spot by beating quality boxers, it’s no big deal, but the best win of his career was against Lyndon Arthur, and he looks horrible when lost to Sergey Kovalev in 2019.
