Anthony Yarde vs Joshua Buatsi should happen now, says promoter Frank Warren | 'It should be a no-brainer'
Joshua Buatsi beat Dan Azeez in a thrilling world title eliminator last Saturday; with the belts expected to be tied up by an Artur Beterbiev vs Dmitry Bivol undisputed championship fight, promoter Frank Warren, who represents Anthony Yarde, believes Yarde and Buatsi should box next
Saturday 10 February 2024 07:43, UK
Now is the time to make the Joshua Buatsi vs Anthony Yarde fight, says the latter’s promoter Frank Warren.
Last weekend Buatsi defeated Dan Azeez in an exciting world title eliminator at Wembley Arena.
Buatsi is now well positioned to challenge the winner of the expected Artur Beterbiev vs Dmitry Bivol undisputed championship clash.
- Florian Marku vs Chris Kongo added to March 31 bill live on Sky
- Fabio Wardley: This fight is still too soon for Frazer Clarke
- Stream boxing on Sky Sports with NOW | Get Sky Sports
But he also has a long-running rivalry with fellow London light-heavyweight Yarde and is willing to take that bout next.
"Beterbiev and Bivol are fighting on June 1. So the winner of that probably won't fight till October, who knows maybe there'll be a rematch," explained Warren, speaking on the Toe2Toe podcast.
"So there'll be no mandatory defence for eight months' time at least. So in the meantime we've got two great British fighters, [which would be] a great domestic dust up."
Yarde is boxing at the Copper Box Arena on Saturday night against Marko Nikolic.
If he clears that hurdle then he will be on track to that potential fight with Buatsi, a showdown between two London rivals in a top-class encounter.
"Anthony Yarde, who's fought twice for the world title and been very unlucky to come up against two fighters at their best and in one of those, against [Sergey] Kovalev, he should have won it," Warren said.
"Him and Buatsi should happen.
"It should be a no-brainer for us to make that fight. We should be making that fight.
"It is a fight that is meaningful that the fans would all like to see. It would sell out a really good sized arena. It would be competitive.
"[Depending] how the loser loses he can still be back in the mix, but the winner of it will certainly the fight the unified champion. So let's make it. No excuses… we want the fight."
Richards wants revenge
Another London light-heavyweight, Craig Richards also wants to box Buatsi.
Richards' last outing was a losing effort against Buatsi in 2022. Since then illness and injury have kept him out of the ring.
But he is coming back, also on Saturday against Boris Crighton at The Indigo at the O2. Richards wants revenge and he is trying to build towards a rematch with Buatsi as well as an eventual world title shot.
"Now it's just about winning that world title and pushing on from there," Richards told Sky Sports. "I know Dan [Azeez] well but it's about what's going to progress me on.
"Where me and [Buatsi] had such a close fight I think people started discrediting his ability a little bit. Then obviously on Saturday he's gone out and shown again his level, winning nearly all the rounds, dropping him twice. It showed where he is to the other domestic fighters.
"Me and him could fight for a world title at world level, that's the sort of domestic clash I would look for because I know he's a good fighter, he'd keep me switched on and it keeps me hungry.
"I respect him, he respects me. We always knew it would be a hard fight, I can punch, he can punch, I've got a good chin, he's got a good chin and we've both got heart. We always knew we were going to match fire with fire.
"It's a fight I always would be interested in."
