Via Alex Fesl: Artur Beterbiev successfully defended his WBO, WBC and IBF lightweight titles with a dominant and exciting performance against competitor Anthony Yarde.
We saw good back-and-forth action from both fighters. Beterbiev shows a controlled but powerful stab, a thunderous right hand, as well as his usual iron chin. Yarde showed big heart and won most of his heavy right hand.
Finally, the constant pressure of Beterbiev finally caught up with Yarde and ended the match in the 8th round with a malicious right hand. Interestingly enough, the referees in the ring let Yarde lead two out of three cards with a score of 68-65, 67-66 and 67-66 to Beterbiev.
Some key takeaways from the fight below
Beterbiev continues to dominate the 175lb segment. Outstanding knockout win over talented and highly skilled Anthony
Yarde, Joe Smith and Marcus Browne show that Beterbiev is arguably the best boxer in the light heavyweight division.
Some might argue that WBA light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol is the best fighter in light heavyweight. Bivol has impressive wins against Canelo Alvarez, Zurdo Ramirez and Joe Smith.
In my opinion, Betterbiev has a more impressive resume and similarly he is equally impressive in destroying his opponents in every opening game. At the end of the day, the only way to determine the best in light heavyweight is a title unification match between Beterbiev and Bivol.
Betterbiev shows some vulnerabilities
Beterbiev had a nasty cut on his eyelid and significant facial damage by the end of the match. Earlier in the match against Marcus Browne, Beterbiev also had a dangerous cut that helped Browne have his moments and win several innings. Are we seeing Dad’s time catch up to Beterbiev? Maybe…
At the same time, Yarde and Browne are both very strong fighters who can stand up to anyone at 175 lb.
Yarde shouldn’t have taken the lead on the scoreboard. On my scoreboard, I generously scored two innings for Yarde. Even in
I gave Yarde two halves, Beterbiev pressed effectively, made powerful counter-attacks and delivered powerful stabs. I can imagine if the match were in a location other than London like Las Vegas or New York, the scoreboard would probably be in favor of Beterbiev.
What’s next for Betterbiev?
The fight fans want is a title unification fight with
Dmitry Bivol. However, that fight is unlikely to happen this year.
Bivol is rumored to fight Joshua Buatsi in early spring and/or rematch Canelo Alvarez in September, presumably in the 168 lbs.
If any of those matches become official, Beterbiev is obligated to defend his WBC belt against Callum Smith. While those potential bouts aren’t bad, match fans would love to see Bivol and Beterbiev fight for all the belts.
In addition, Betterbiev will likely be 39 years old if the fight for unification doesn’t materialize until next year. One can only imagine how long Beterbiev can stay in top form.
