Anthony Yarde Will Get Shot Vs. Artur Beterbiev, Not Dmitry Bivol

It looks like fans will really have to wait for Artur Beterbiev vs Dmitry Bivol to happen.

Promoter Frank Warren confirmed that WBO light heavyweight mandatory challenger Anthony Yarde will face Beterbiev on October 22 in London, England.

“Yeah, I spoke to Bob [Arum] about that fight, and we’re going to do it,” Warren told iFL TV.

“… That’s what it’s all about. Again, he’s [Yarde] the mandatory challenger for the WBO version of the title, so hopefully, those three belts will be up for him to fight for.”

Yarde was sitting ringside this past Saturday and saw Beterbiev break down Smith Jr within two rounds.

And despite Beterbiev ending the unification fight early, Yarde said he would be confident of a victory against the Russian-born Canadian.

“I think it’s going to be very very exciting, this is what I’m in the sport for. It’s a lot of money but where I come from, I see it as opportunity to try and make a legacy,” Yarde told reporters after Beterbiev’s fight.

“Money runs out but legacy lives on forever. The preparation will begin intensely as soon as I get back to London. I’ll shock a lot of people. I’m quite confident.”

Beterbiev is boxing’s only champion with a 100% knockout rate.

Immediately following his win, he called out fellow Russian boxer Dmitry Bivol for an undisputed title fight, but promoters Warren and Bob Arum have decided against it.

Arum called for Bivol to face Gilberto Ramirez instead. Bivol is coming off a shocking win over star Canelo Alvarez.

Both Bivol and Beterbiev said they’d prefer a shot at becoming undisputed.

“I prefer to unify. I want to be undisputed,” Beterbiev added on Saturday.