Light Heavyweight Champion Artur Beterbiev and Anthony Yarde ready to fight after both of them completed the light heavyweight weight at a weigh-in in London, England. The two fighters didn’t say a word on stage as they squared off in front of the cameras, the day before their lightweight title fight at the OVO Arena in Wembley, London.

Beterbiev, of Russian origin, was slightly heavier than Yarde when he entered the scales of the British boxing regulator. Beterbiev officially weighs 79.1 kg, while Yarde weighs 79 kg.

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Beterbiev, 38, is seven years older than Yarde, 31. The Quebec champion also eliminated 18 of his professional opponents. Yarde, while also a heavy hitter, has two losses to his name (23-2, 22 KOs).

Russian boxer Sergey Kovalev (35-4-1, 29 KOs) defeated Yarde by 11th round knockout in August 2019 at Traktor Ice Arena, Chelyabinsk, Russia, which is Kovalev’s hometown. His British rival, Lyndon Arthur, went on to defeat Yarde by split decision in a 12 round match which took place in December 2020 at Church House, London.

Yarde emphatically avenged his narrow loss to Manchester native Arthur (21-1, 15 KOs) by scoring a fourth-round knockout in their rematch nearly a year later at London’s Copper Box Arena. Yarde, of Ilford, England, is the mandatory challenger for Beterbiev’s 175-pound WBO featherweight world title. Beterbiev will also defend his IBF and WBC belts in this 12-round main event.

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Anthony Yarde is optimistic about his ability to beat Russia’s knockout king who currently lives in Canada. Yarde promised to hurt the lord of the three championship belts. “When I hurt Beterbiev, I’m the one who will do the job,” Yarde said.

“They’re different fighters, I’m sure,” Yarde told BT Sport’s Jo Ankier in an interview that aired on UK cable TV and YouTube.

“Kovalev is much more cautious. I don’t feel like Beterbiev, he’s just as cautious. I feel like he’s very confident in his destructive abilities. And I think that’s why he got tagged and hurt a few times. I don’t think he’s ever been hurt by me. So when I hurt him, I’ll finish him.

(aww)