Anthony Yarde returns to action this weekend and he’ll be hoping his performance is the platform to set up bigger fights at 175lbs.
Yarde will have his second fight of 2024 when he steps into the ring against Ralfs Vilcans, and victory will ensure Yarde turns his focus to the big names of the division in 2025.
The Londoner is fully aware of what it takes to compete at the highest level following unsuccessful world title attempts against Sergey Kovalev and Artur Beterbiev.
Yarde was stopped by Kovalev in 2019 and suffered the same fate against Beterbiev four years later.
Despite the setbacks against two of boxing’s most dominant champions in recent years, Yarde is refusing to let past failures dictate his future.
Last weekend, Beterbiev became undisputed champion at light-heavyweight after defeating Dmitry Bivol in Saudi Arabia, and those two names, as well as Joshua Buatsi, are who Yarde is targeting moving forward.
"My career is not based on an individual, but I've said it, I want the biggest fights. That's Joshua Buatsi, that's Beterbiev II, that's Bivol, that's anyone at light-heavyweight that's a big fight,” said Yarde when speaking to Sky Sports.
“Those are the fights I want to be involved in. I made it to the top of the mountain twice, you know they say three is a charm, so next time I get to that world-title stage, I'll be taking it."
More Boxing
- Boxing full schedule and calendar
- DAZN's upcoming Boxing shows
- Boxing rankings
- Boxing champions list in every division
- Fighter profiles and highlights
- How do weight classes work?
- What are the major boxing titles?
- How is boxing scored?