Anthony Yarde has posted a video to social video showing himself and Artur Beterbiev receiving treatment after their epic war at the OVO Arena last night.
The clip was shared by Yarde on his official Twitter account and has been well received by fans, many of whom described the pair as “warriors.”
“It’s part of the game. Just had my stitches, now the champ is getting his stitches!”
— Anthony Yarde (@mranthonyyarde) January 29, 2023
Beterbiev was the eventual winner and retained his three world titles in a back and forth affair that saw both men rocked and badly cut.
The Russian landed a clean right hand in the eighth round that sent Yarde to the canvas. Although he made it back to his seat, he had visibly not recovered and trainer Tunde Ajayi pulled his man out as Beterbiev began to unleash again.
Yarde came into the contest as a sizeable betting underdog and, despite failing to get his hand raised, his stock seems to have risen amongst those in the boxing world.
Fellow domestic light heavyweight contender Joshua Buatsi was working as a pundit for BT Sport and fans have called for the pair to lock horns next, although Buatsi is thought to be angling for a shot at WBA world champion Dimitri Bivol
As for ‘King Artur,’ he may find himself back on British shores sooner rather than later, with Liverpool’s Callum Smith now mandatory challenger for the 38 year old’s WBC world title.
The governing body confirmed no allowances would be made for a unification bout with Bivol – which seems unlikely regardless – and that Beterbiev must defend his title against Smith next or vacate.