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Anthony Yarde Stops Koykov In Three To Set Up Beterbiev Clash

Written by Jared Parry on 19th November 2022.

Anthony Yarde is set to fight for world honours after shaking off any ring rust by blasting Stefani Koykov out in three rounds.

Koykov was game but no match for the Beast from the East, who broke him down before finishing the fight in round three, and what followed was confirmation that Yarde will challenge unified world champion Artur Beterbiev in January.

Yarde took his time in the first round as he marched down his Bulgarian opponent, who was throwing shots off the back foot. The Ilford man was patient and showed no signs that he had been out of the ring for 11 months.

Yarde turned the screw in the second round and was evidently putting more weight into his shots, Koykov would attempt to fight fire with fire, but the end was approaching.

The third round saw the ending as the Ilford man walked his man down and unloaded heavy artillery. A combination which culminated in a right uppercut from the Beast saw Koykov hit the canvas and sit out the ten count.

Following the bout, all the rumours were confirmed, as George Warren revealed in the post-fight interview that the Beast from the East will next be fighting Beterbiev at the OVO Arena, Wembley in a co-promotion with Top Rank on January 28th.

This will Yarde’s second crack at world honours, as he came up short against Sergey Kovalev in 2019, but he now faces the only current world champion with a 100% knockout record.