Anthony Yarde will be returning this week on the October 19th undercard of Boxxer’s Azim vs. Davies show. The British former world title challenger stands poised to face Latvian 175 lbs contender Ralfs Vicans in a 10-round bout, marking just his second fight of the year since his February 10th fight on the Sheeraz-Williams undercard. and some insights were finally garnered into the circumstances leading to his departure from Queensberry Promotions earlier this year.
Anthony Yarde’s (25-3, 24 KO’s) status with Queensberry Promotions was unclear after the British light-heavyweight (175 lbs) neglected to fight Joshua Buatsi (19-0, 13 KO’s) after the sanctioning body ordered the two British fighters to face each other for the WBO interim 175 lbs title. At that point, it was revealed Yarde was in some sort of contract dispute with Queensberry, which eventually led to him being removed from consideration for the interim title fight, thus allowing Scottish contender Willy Hutchinson (18-2, 13 KO’s) to step in his place.
Buatsi defeated Hutchinson by split-decision on the Dubois-Joshua September 21st undercard and now holds the WBO interim title―which might see Buatsi face the current Russian-Canadian undisputed light-heavyweight champion, Artur Beterbiev (21-0, 20 KO’s) in the near future depending on whether a rematch with Dmitry Bivol (23-1, 12 KO’s) occurs following their October 12th undisputed fight.
During a recent interview, Yarde would go on to explain the circumstances leading to him missing out on an opportunity to face Buatsi and his departure from Queensberry Promotions.
“My previous promotional contract [with Queensberry Promotions] expired,” Yarde told Stamina For Sale. “I told this on my Instagram, I even Tweeted about it, and the only reason I’ve done that is because I was hearing all these things being said, and I wanted to put my voice out there.“
Queensberry founder and chairman Frank Warren had previously disputed Yarde’s claims of his contract expiring, remarking that the British fighter was still under contract in several interviews.
“Our position is very simple; we have a contract with him [Anthony Yarde] which is still in force,” Warren told BoxNation amidst the period Yarde and Buatsi had been ordered by the WBO to face each other. “Our position is very simple. He has contractual obligations to us.“
Yarde disputes the notion he was under contract then, and explained that his team had been in negotiations for a new contract with Queensberry Promotions.
“The contract was finished,” said Yarde. “And that’s why we [were] in talks about getting a new contract. [Those] negotiation[s] broke down, which is [why] I’ve just done a one-fight deal with Boxxer.
“I’m not saying I’ll never work with Frank [Warren] again. Hopefully there’s no bad taste left in anyone’s mouth, ’cause at the end of the day it’s business. Everyone’s trying to do what’s best for them and their [lives]. Me, I’m a boxer so we got a short career, especially when you’re comparing it to your lifespan. It’s about cementing a legacy, [and] making the most of your career.
“We’re prize fighters so you want to make as much money as you can, so you can live the rest of your life in a nice way, look after your family etc. We [Queensberry and Yarde] couldn’t come to an agreement. As it stands, I got a one-fight [deal] with Boxxer on Sky Sports. [I’m] excited to get back in the ring.“
Anthony Yarde’s upcoming October 19 fight with Latvian contender Ralfs Vilcans (17-1, 7 KO’s) is part of the one-fight deal struck with Boxxer, which signifies Yarde can go any number of ways following Saturday’s match.
This could potentially have Yarde end up with Queensberry’s promotional rival Matchroom, which would make for an interesting dynamic if Yarde were to sign with Matchroom in a multi-fight deal. Highly likely, however, Anthony Yarde will remain with Boxxer who still has WBO inteirm 175 lbs champion Joshua Buatsi on their roster, presenting Yarde with the option to face Buatsi for his title and get back into world title reckoning.
