Eddie Hearn Wants to Make Dmitry Bivol vs Anthony Yarde This Fall
WBA light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol (21-0, 11 KOs) is planning his next title defense. According to his promoter, Eddie Hearn, it could be against England’s Anthony Yarde (23-3, 22 KOs). Speaking to the British news outlet Boxing News, the Chairman of Matchroom Promotions gave an update on the status of Bivol.
“He’s going to fight in October . . . We’re going to make an offer to Anthony Yarde and Queensberry (Promotions) for that fight. I like the fight, and we’ll see.”
LOOKING FOR A FIGHT
Bivol has been out of the ring since November 2022, when he scored a unanimous decision win over then-mandatory challenger Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez. The WBA champion thought his next fight would be a rematch with reigning super middleweight champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez. But after negotiations went nowhere, Alvarez will instead face current junior middleweight champion Jermell Charlo on September 30. The most recent outing for Yarde was an eight-round stoppage defeat to unified 175-pound champion Artur Beterbiev in January 2023.
The WBA champion favors a showdown with Beterviev for undisputed status in the division. Unfortunately, Bivol is prohibited from a fight with the unified champion because of the WBC rule that bans Russian natives from fighting for their titles.
Yarde would represent a decent title defense. Bivol has praised the 31-year-old for his strength, calling him an improving fighter. More importantly, Yarde has a decent enough fanbase in his native country of England. It would mean a good payday for Bivol, were it to occur.
When Bivol defeated Alvarez in May 2022, he appeared destined for potential stardom. But he’s failed to capitalize on that win, and his career has stalled. At this moment, Bivol will take any fight so long as it makes sense, financially. Stay tuned to 3kingsboxing.com for updates on this developing story.
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