Trent Reinsmith
- What: Artur Beterbiev vs. Anthony Yarde
- Date: Saturday, January 28, 2023
- Location: OVO Arena in London, England
- Time: 3:00 p.m. ET
- How to Watch: ESPN+
Artur Beterbiev, who holds the IBF, WBC and WBO light heavyweight titles, wants to face WBA champ Dmitry Bivol in a unification matchup. However, before that fight can take place, the 37-year-old meets mandatory opponent Anthony Yarde on January 28 at the OVO Arena in London, England. The light heavyweight title fight was initially scheduled to take place in October, but an undisclosed injury forced Beterbiev out of that fight against the 31-year-old Yarde in August.
Beterbiev, who is the No. 2 rated light heavyweight according to The Ring magazine, has an 18-0 professional boxing record. He has finished all of his fights via knockout. Beterbiev has been involved only in title fights since he won the vacant WBA–NABA light-heavyweight title in his sixth bout in 2014. His last win came in June 2022 when he knocked out Joe Smith Jr. in the second round of their scrap at the Hulu Theater in New York City.
Yarde brings a 23-2 record with him to this title fight. Yarde has 22 knockout wins. Of his two setbacks, one came via decision and the other was a knockout loss. That KO loss came in 2019 when then-WBO light heavyweight champion Sergey Kovalev knocked him out in the 11th round of their 12-round matchup. The Ring has Yarde rated at No. 7 in the light heavyweight division.
Before we look at the WBC, IBF and WBO light heavyweight title fight between Artur Beterbiev and Anthony Yarde, check out the best boxing betting sites, where you can find the best boxing picks.
Artur Beterbiev vs. Anthony Yarde picks
| Fighters |  |  |  |  |
| Anthony Yarde | +600 | +550 | +600 | +474 |
| Artur Beterbiev | -1000 | -1000 | -1000 | -1000 |
Artur Beterbiev vs. Anthony Yarde prediction and pick
When it comes to skills, Artur Beterbiev is a better fighter than Anthony Yarde. Beterbiev has better fundamentals, better all-around skills and more power than Yarde. However, both fighters have exploitable weaknesses.
Yarde struggles with his exits and resets, which leaves him open to the offense of his opponent. There are times when Yarde’s footwork can become sloppy or lazy. When that happens, he is either heavy on his front foot or crossing his feet. If he does this too often against a fighter like Beterbiev, who has a lot of power, he will find himself on the canvas. Another issue for Yarde is that he leaves his head on the center line too often, which makes him a target for the power punches of his foe.
Beterbiev’s problems are based around the fact that he trusts his power a great deal. With that, he sometimes puts himself off balance when he begins his attacks. When he gets too aggressive, Beterbiev finds himself open for counters.
Overall, Beterbiev has fewer issues with his boxing.
Pick: Artur Beterbiev to beat Anthony Yarde.
Who has the edge
As mentioned above, Artur Beterbiev is the better boxer of these two. With that, he has the edge in every way in this fight. However, if he takes Anthony Yarde lightly, he will find himself in deep trouble. I don’t see that being the case. If anything, I think Beterbiev might get too aggressive in this fight and open himself to counters because of that. My reasoning behind that thinking is that with a win, Beterbiev could set himself up for a huge matchup against WBA champ Dmitry Bivol later in 2023.
Best bets for Artur Beterbiev vs. Anthony Yarde
I don’t see this fight going the distance. I wouldn’t be adverse to taking a flyer on Yarde for the upset because there is some value in that bet in the odds he is getting. That value increases if the pick goes to Yarde to win via knockout. However, I wouldn’t be willing to risk a great deal on a Yarde pick because I don’t see him getting the win. I believe the best bet in this one is for Beterbiev to get the knockout win. As for when that stoppage will come, I think it will be in the second half of the fight.
Best Bet for Artur Beterbiev vs. Anthony Yarde: Beterbiev to beat Yarde via knockout.
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