Anthony Yarde is ready to take on the champion!
Undefeated WBO inter-continental light heavyweight champion Anthony Yarde (17-0, 16KO) has targeted newly crowned WBO champion Sergey Kovalev!
The British-based fighter made it clear he plans on making Kovalev’s third reign a short one stating,
“Sergey Kovalev regained the WBO title over the weekend with a strong performance. But as far I am concerned, him holding the belt is just a temporary arrangement and it will be in my hands before too long.”
Strong words from the Frank Warren promoted fighter! Before long, he will have the opportunity to make his assertions a reality.
In the summer of 2018, he turned down a shot at the very same title against Kovalev. Not too long before he turned down another opportunity to become the mandatory for Artur Beterbiev’s IBF title. Both incidents have since been speculated to have been the doing of Warren because Yarde may have not been ready.
The 27 year-old slugger confirmed this, citing his team believed the money and timing were off given he had very little amateur experience and was learning on the job.
However, it seems now he is ready to elevate himself from challenger to champion! Given he is the #1 contender while holding one of the WBO’s minor titles, he is likely to find himself in a mandatory position by year’s end.
Nevertheless, a potential Kovalev bout will need to be road-mapped. He will have Travis Reeves (17-3-2, 7KO) standing across from him in the ring on February 23. This bout will air on BT Sport and ESPN+ from Leicester Arena in Leicestershire, United Kingdom.
By: Tanner Gill
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