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Beterbiev Stops Yarde After 8 Rounds In Back And Forth Thriller

Written by Kerr Ferguson on 28th January 2023.

Artur Beterbiev and Anthony Yarde Highlights

Artur Beterbiev weathered a bloody storm against an incredibly brave Anthony Yarde to retain his WBC, IBF and WBO light heavyweight titles.

Yarde kicked things off with the smart work, taking advantage of Beterbiev’s notorious slow start. The champion’s chin may be too strong for his own good, as he closed the distance without worry of being hit. Not many would do that against a powerhouse like Yarde.

Into the second and Yarde’s left hook was becoming a bit of a star of the show, but Beterbiev’s ramrod jab started to find a home and that would continue throughout the fight. Yarde was landing clean, but it wasn’t his power that looked the more dangerous.

The Brit’s approach was working – there’s no doubt about it – but it was clear how much energy he was expending, too. Beterbiev looked to be in trouble midway through a couple of the rounds but had an irritating – for Yarde at least – habit of finishing supremely.

These were brutal rounds in which both men were wobbled, cut, and tested. Both should be commended for the entertainment they gave to the fans tonight.

As they made it into the eighth, a stoppage through exhaustion was becoming more and more likely. Beterbiev caught Yarde coming in with a short right hook and followed up with another to put the challenger down.

Yarde spoke to his corner briefly after the count, and Tunde Ajayi pulled his man out quickly after the action restarted. He was up on two of the three scorecards at the time of the stoppage.

The predictions were proven right, but not before Yarde made an incredibly positive account of himself. The British fighter’s record says two world title shots with two defeats, but they tell nowhere near the full story.

Twice he’s stepped in as an underdog and hurt elite-level champions. Twice he’s impressed with his maturity in the lead-up, and twice he’s been gracious in defeat. There’s nothing to be ashamed of here.

As for the champion, he keeps his record of every fight ending with a stoppage. 19-0. A monster.

Undisputed with Dmitry Bivol is all that’s on his mind. It’s a fight that both men deserve and should be put above all other negotiations.

Elsewhere on the card, many Queensberry prospects continued their campaigns in one-sided affairs. Masood Abdullah beat Lesther Lara over the distance, and Charles Frankham did the same with Joshua Ocampo.

Sean Noakes moved to 4-0 in the welterweight division, picking up the second stoppage of his professional career, this time against Santiago Garces. Khalid Ali stopped Croatia’s Ivica Gogosevic in round one before the first competitive fight of the night – Artem Dalakian versus David Jimenez.

Dalakian, who hasn’t been out since November 2021, retained his WBA Flyweight title against Jimenez, who was fighting to become Costa Rica’s first male world champion. He may now move towards a unification bout with Britain’s Sunny Edwards.

Next up was a big shock for the home promotion – Karol Itauma stopped by Argentina’s Ezequiel Osvaldo Maderna in the fifth. It’s Itauma’s first professional defeat, and a huge disappointment considering a large part of the undercard promotion has been centred on him and his brother, Moses, fighting on the same night.

The light-heavyweight never seemed to get started, and the right hand the ended things was one of many that landed throughout the fight. Maderna takes home the division’s WBC International belt.

Cruiserweight prospect, Tommy Fletcher, handed Daryl Sharp his 97th loss via decision. A bizarre contest to come just one fight before the main event.

Moses Itauma blasted out Marcel Bode within 20 seconds – a delivery on the hype that surrounds him. The 18-year-old is expected to be a big name representing the UK on the heavyweight scene for years to come.