Championship boxing is live from O2 Arena in London England when Russian Light Heavyweight Artur Beterbiev (18-0, 18KO) will defend his IBF, WBC, and WBO titles against English challenger Anthony Yarde (23-2, 22KO). Will Beterbiev defend his titles en route to a unification bout, or will we see a new champion? Check out our Boxing odds series for our prediction and pick.
Artur Beterbiev has been one of the longer-reigning champions we've seen in recent memory. He's on a destructive path, having won all of his 18 fights by way of KO/TKO. He's been on a tear in his last four fights where he's fought to unify the IBF, WBC, and WBO belts. All that's left for him, given a win against Yarde, is to face Dmitry Bivol for the WBA Light Heavyweight belt and become the undisputed Light Heavyweight Champion of the World. In the meantime, the WBC has called Beterbiev to defend his titles against Anthony Yarde, with the winner of this fight facing challenger Callum Smith. Beterbiev has looked as an absolute world beater as of late, notching a devastating TKO against Joe Smith Jr. in which he scored three knockdowns in the round. He'll look to continue his title reign against what looks to be a very game challenger in Anthony Yarde.
Anthony Yarde is an explosive fighter who has quickly made his way back up the ranks. His last loss in 2020 came at the hands of Lydon Arthur where he dropped a split decision. During his recent four-fight win streak, he was able to avenge his loss and defeat Arthur in their rematch by 4th Round KO. In that run, Anthony Yarde has put opponents away at a feverish pitch and is back in the discussions of challenging for the light heavyweight titles. His last WBO title challenge came at a loss to champion Sergey Kovalev. He has grown immensely since then and seems to add new facets to his game each time he's out. He'll hope to dethrone Artur Beterbiev in a fight that was originally scheduled for October 2022 when the two face off in his home country of England on Saturday.
Here are the Boxing Odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
Boxing Odds: Artur Beterbiev-Anthony Yarde Odds
Artur Beterbiev: -1100
Anthony Yarde: +590
Fight to go Distance: YES (+610)
Fight to go Distance: NO (-1100)
How to Watch Artur Beterbiev vs. Anthony Yarde
TV: ESPN+
Stream: ESPN+
Time: 2:30 p.m. ET/ 11:30 a.m. PT
*Watch sports LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why Artur Beterbiev Will Win
Artur Beterbiev is a textbook champion with a fan-friendly fight style. For starters, the undefeated fighter from Dagestan is constantly walking forward in all of his fights. He's extremely defensive and covers his head very well. Beterbiev has a tendency to start slow, only averaging around 2 punches per minute in the first round. He establishes his jab early and throws the majority of strikes with his left hand. Meanwhile, Beterbiev loads up his right and looks to land big body shots. He's an active fighter in the clinch and will land from all angles. He has a very good chin and will become more aggressive when his opponent is backed onto the ropes.
With his style of constantly walking opponents down, Beterbiev's strongest advantage is the pace he puts on fighters, especially heading into later rounds. His power does not waver as the fight goes on and while he's willing to exchange in firefights, he usually walks away the less damaged fighter. The difference for Artur Beterbiev will be the consistent pace and power he shows as this fight goes on. He has a great chin and high fight IQ that will prevent him from taking too many heavy shots from Anthony Yarde. Fans will be looking forward to another Beterbiev masterclass.
Why Anthony Yarde Will Win
Anthony Yarde is a scary puncher that leaves his opponents down after just one of his thunderous right hands. Yarde has a great feel for distance and will often snap his opponents with shots from range. He likes to lead with the jab and load up his power right, hitting opponents with an array of hooks to the head. He does damage to opponents when in the clinch and likes to open up for hooks when given the chance. With the power he possesses, Anthony Yarde is most dangerous in the early rounds of the fight.
In deeper rounds, his punches have a tendency to slow as he fatigues, while still retaining most of his power. He can tire out at points against fighters with good movement, but he stays dangerous at any point with his one-punch knockout ability. Yarde tends to keep his hands low. He'll have to raise his guard to avoid the constant left jab of Beterbiev. If he can defend himself and keep up with Beterbiev's pace, the massive underdog may have a chance to land the one punch he needs to end the fight.
Final Artur Beterbiev-Anthony Yarde Prediction & Pick
Anthony Yarde will be most dangerous in the first four rounds of this fight. He'll threaten with power shots and will have to break Beterbiev's stiff defense if he wants to land. Artur Beterbiev will put a pace on Yarde that he saw against Kovalev as the two countrymen fight a similar style. I predict Beterbiev will land clean too many times on Yarde and his cardio will be too much. Beterbiev is the pick here. For round betting, look for him around the seventh round.
Final Artur Beterbiev-Anthony Yarde Prediction & Pick: Artur Beterbiev (-1100); TKO RD 7
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