Anthony Yarde has called for an all-British showdown after getting back to winning ways.
The Ilford light-heavyweight is a two-time world title challenger and returned to the scene of his last top-level defeat last month.
Yarde, who was stopped inside eight rounds by Artur Beterbiev in a challenge for the IBF, WBC and WBO title in the 175-pound division back in January, took on Jorge Silva of Portugal at the OVO Arena in Wembley, London.
The fight, Yarde’s first since defeat to Russia’s Beterbiev earlier this year, was agreed last Thursday and lasted just over five minutes.
Yarde, who moved to 24-3 with 23 quick, was awarded the victory, exclusively live on TNT Sports, as part of the supporting cast to Zhilei Zhang’s brutal third-round knockout win over Joe Joyce in their rematch for the WBO interim world heavyweight title.
And after referee Marcus McDonnell called a halt to proceedings after just two minutes and seven seconds of the second round, deeming 40-year-old Silva –– who dropped to 22-9 with 12 stoppages in defeat –– to be in no position to continue, ‘The Beast’ got on the microphone to demand a clash with Joshua Buatsi.
“If we’re talking domestically, I want the [Joshua] Buatsi fight,” Yarde said. “That’s what everyone wants, that’s what everyone asks for, and when someone calls upon something so much, it has to happen.”
Buatsi, 30, has a ring record of 17-0 with 13 quick and is an Olympic bronze medallist. He was last in the ring back in May, in his first appearance after signing with promotional outfit Boxxer, and is scheduled to return on October 21, exclusively live on Sky Sports, against Dan Azeez at the O2 Arena in Greenwich, London.
Azeez is the current British, Commonwealth and European champion in Yarde’s division, one that Liverpool’s former WBA Super world super-middleweight champion Callum Smith appears to be the top contender domestically in at present, but it’s ‘JB’ that whets the whistle of the Tunde Ajayi-trained Yarde.
“Buatsi has to get through Dan Azeez and Azeez ain’t no easy customer, but we’ve sat down and we’ve spoken and we said that in 2024, we have to fight.
“We shook on it and hopefully, it can come to fruition.
“Ultimately, what AY wants to achieve is world honours. I want to be a world champion. I want to go down in the history as the kid from East London who had 12 amateur fights.”