Frank Warren has dismissed the prospect of waiting for Artur Beterbiev to fight Dmitrii Bivol before attempting to make the sought-after light heavyweight fight between Joshua Buatsi and Anthony Yarde.
Yarde’s stoppage victory over Marko Nikolic on Saturday at London’s Copper Box Arena and the unanimous decision Buatsi earned over Dan Azeez the week previous has made a contest between them one of the most appealing on the British fight scene.
Beterbiev and Bivol are on course to fight for the undisputed title on June 1 and Yarde, when confronted by Buatsi post-fight, spoke of ideally fighting his greatest rival for a world title.
His promoter regardless sees little reason to wait for them to fight – not least given the uncertainty surrounding the moves Beterbiev and Bivol and the four recognised sanctioning bodies could then make – and believes that their rivalry has sufficient appeal that they could do so in a London stadium in the summer.
“I don’t even want to complicate that,” the promoter said. “All I want is to let the fighters know that them two [Beterbiev and Bivol will] get on with their fight, June 1 – they might have a rematch, who knows? – in the mean time get the good fights on. What are you hanging around for? Let’s find out who’s the best.
“They both want it. In the summer. It’s a fight we want to do – it’s a fight everybody wants.
“It’s got to be a stadium, hasn’t it?
“[Satisfying Queensberry Promotions, BOXXER, Sky Sports and TNT Sports is] what negotiations are all about. Why would anyone want to stand in the way of that fight happening? I don’t care where it takes place.”
Warren was then asked if, as rumours in boxing circles had suggested, Yarde had been on course to fight Callum Smith in the Queensberry Promotions-Matchroom bill that has been scheduled, and he responded: “No. We haven’t even talked – us – in-house yet about who we’re going to put in.
“[Yarde] gave Beterbiev his toughest fight, easily, and he’s a better fighter for it. But I fancy Beterbiev to beat Bivol.”
