Joshua Buatsi-Anthony Yarde Talks Back In Play Via Ordered Interim WBO Title Fight
Joshua Buatsi and Anthony Yarde are back at the negotiating table.
The Ring has confirmed that the WBO has ordered an interim title fight between the pair of top light heavyweights. It came as previous talks fell apart over a discrepancy on the Yarde side.
However, the stakes are now raised with the winner guaranteed to land a shot at what could be the undisputed championship by that point.
The winner will be guaranteed a shot at the full title, currently held by unified champ Artur Beterbiev (20-0, 20 knockouts). The call for an interim title came when Beterbiev suffered a knee injury which postponed his undisputed championship clash versus Dmitry Bivol (22-0, 11 KOs). Beterbiev holds the WBC, IBF and WBO titles, while Bivol has the WBA chip. They are The Ring’s No. 1 and No. 2 light heavyweights, respectively.
Beterbiev’s injury was verified by the WBO through a Medical Certification notice. Top Rank provided the necessary documentation to show that Beterbiev will be out until at least October.
“because of Beterbiev’s unavailability due to injury and required recovery time, this Committee hereby determines… that an interim championship1 is justified,” WBO Championship Committee chairman Luis Batista-Salas noted in an official letter obtained by The Ring.
The two sides will have until May 18 to reach a deal and avoid a purse bid hearing.
Buatsi (18-0, 13 KOs), No. 3 at 175, is represented by BOXXER. Queensberry Promotions is listed as the contact for Yarde (25-3, 24 KOs), The Ring’s No. 4-rated light heavyweight.
There was a previous disagreement between Yarde and Warren on the Brit’s current promotional status. It was the direct cause in the delay in getting this fight over the line.
That matter will have to get resolved through this current round of negotiations.
Buatsi-Yarde was previously eyed for a June 15 show that BOXXER planned to stack as a blockbuster event. The show has moved on without this bout, which was thought to have been left for dead.
Talks began almost immediately after Buatsi outboxed countryman Dan Azeez on Feb. 3 in London. The bout was a sanctioned WBA title eliminator, which left Buatsi as the mandatory to Bivol’s title.
Buatsi was willing to risk his ranking for the sake of activity. A fight with Yarde was on his radar even before he entered the ring versus Azeez.
There was hope for the fight when Buatsi’s side was in agreement to the proposed terms. Hall of Fame promoter and Queensberry founder Frank Warren, Yarde’s promoter, was pleased with the progress in negotiations as well.
However, Yarde threw a wrench into everyone’s plans after he claimed to be a promotional free agent. It created a standoff with Warren, who insists the two-time title challenger is still under contract.
Any promotional dispute presented to the sanctioning body could trigger an order for an immediate purse bid. Sanctioning bodies tend to avoid such legal issues.
Such an approach was taken when then-unbeaten WBO cruiserweight titlist Lawrence Okolie was at odds with Matchroom Boxing. Their internal rift was made known as the WBO ordered a mandatory title defense versus David Light. The negotiation period was scratched and a purse bid hearing was called, though canceled when a deal was reached directly between Okolie and Light.
A similar approach can be taken here, if there is proof of a legal issue Yarde and Queensberry.
Yarde has come up short in his two title bids, though his stock raised in defeat each time. He was stopped in the eleventh round of an Aug. 2019 challenge of then WBO light heavyweight titlist Sergey Kovalev.
Five wins came in his next six fights, including a Dec. 2021 fourth-round knockout of Lyndon Arthur to avenge a prior defeat.
Yarde worked his way back to the title picture as WBO mandatory. His challenge of Beterbiev was delayed by three months when the unbeaten, unified champ suffered an injury. Their clash last January 28 in London saw Yarde ahead on two scorecards through seven rounds. Beterbiev eventually dropped and stopped Yarde in the eighth round of a highly competitive affair.
Two wins have followed for Yarde, including a third-round knockout of Marko Nikolic on Feb. 10 at Copper Box Arena.
Buatsi has emerged as a top contender, though activity has been an issue. He fought just once each in 2022 and 2023, the latter which saw Buatsi sign with BOXXER after he split from Matchroom. His WBA-sanctioned showdown versus Azeez was previously scheduled for last October. The fight was postponed when Azeez suffered a back injury and withdrew during fight week.
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for The Ring and vice president of the Boxing Writers Association of America.
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