The WBO has officially ordered Joshua Buatsi against Anthony Yarde for its interim light heavyweight belt following the postponement of Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol’s clash for the undisputed championship.
WBC, IBF and WBO champion Beterbiev recently withdrew from his June 1 fight with WBA ruler Bivol after suffering a ruptured meniscus in training.
“Because of Beterbiev’s unavailability due to injury and required recovery time, this committee hereby determines that [it] is in the best interests of boxing and the contenders in the WBO Light Heavyweight Division, that an interim championship is justified subject to specific provisions by this committee in order to terminate the interim champion status within a required time in accordance with our policy of only one world champion in each weight class,” said the WBO in a statement.
“Therefore, by virtue of today’s ruling, the activity in the referenced weight category is not interrupted and consequently, safeguards and protects the rights and interests of the remaining contenders.”
Both parties will be granted 10 days to reach an agreement otherwise the committee will order purse bids, with the minimum bid set at $300,000. The winner of the bout would secure a shot at the full WBO light heavyweight crown.
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Joshua Buatsi says everything is in place for that huge showdown with Anthony Yarde and he wants an answer!
Buatsi is a perfect 18-0 in his professional career after defeating Dan Azeez via unanimous decision to clinch the British and Commonwealth light-heavyweight titles in February.
Yarde meanwhile is 25-3 and coming off a third-round knockout win over Marko Nikolic in February having suffered an eighth-round stoppage defeat in a thriller against Beterbiev back in January 2023.
In its statement the WBO noted that Beterbiev’s expected return date will be around September or October 2024, with his proposed contest against Bivol still expected to take place before the end of the year.
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Tags: Joshua Buatsi Anthony Yarde ordered WBO Artur Beterbievs withdrawal Dmitry Bivol fight due injury Boxing News
