Anthony Yarde is next in line for a fight against Joe Smith Jr., according to the Briton’s trainer, Tunde Ajayi.
Smith was due to fight Callum Johnson on January 15th, but Johnson had to withdraw with COVID-19, and as a voluntary opponent he may miss his chance at a shot at the WBO light heavyweight champion.
Steve Geffrard has stepped in as a late replacement for next weekend’s fight, but Yarde is now ranked number one by the WBO so could be given a mandatory shot after defeating Lyndon Arthur in their rematch.
“We are next in line,” Ajayai said, reported BoxingScene.com.
“Johnson was a voluntary anyway. He’s not a mandatory, they picked him. I’d never be disrespectful and say he doesn’t deserve the shot because I think Callum more than anyone deserves a bit of luck. It just so happens he was a voluntary and never a mandatory, so it’s all left down to the promoters, and the WBO has said we’re next, so it is what it is.”
The trainer is sympathetic to Johnson missing out but does not think that Yarde should be made to wait.
“We are next in line. That’s how it goes. It’s us. I’m in the Anthony Yarde business. That’s just how it goes,” he said.
“Remember last year, this was the position we were supposed to be in. We want to forget about 2020 but we came back, did what we were supposed to do last year and we’re in the position now. We’ve earned our right, we’ve knocked off the No. 1, who was Lyndon [Arthur], and we gave Lyndon the opportunity first of all.
“We didn’t need to fight Lyndon but nobody expected the things which occurred to occur with Anthony and his family and all those deaths. He [Arthur] took the opportunity but there was a rematch clause and we settled the score. We’re in the position. It’s us. We’re not waiting for nobody. If that’s what the WBO calls and that’s what Frank as the promoter says we have to do then we’ll fight.
“It [Smith-Yarde] is a big fight. We were lined up to fight the winner so it isn’t like we’ve been given a golden ticket because we’ve earned this spot, that’s how it goes.”