Artur Beterbiev Vs. Anthony Yarde: Odds, Records, Prediction

Even though Artur Beterbiev is coming off one of his most impressive wins – a second-round destruction of Joe Smith Jr., last June – he’s got some even scarier news for Anthony Yarde, his opponent on Saturday. Beterbiev, at the age of 38, says he’s gotten even better, as he seeks to defend his unified light heavyweight championship against a solid underdog in Yarde. Here’s everything you need to know about Artur Beterbiev vs. Anthony Yarde, including the odds, their records and a prediction on who will win.

Though he was a betting favorite vs. Smith, there was some danger involved because of Smith’s punching power and his strong chin. But Beterbiev’s performance was dazzling as he destroyed Smith and took his 175-pound belt in the process.

Did it impress Yarde? Sure. But did it mean that he believes Beterbiev is unbeatable? No. In fact, Yarde has said Beterbiev has slower hand speed than it appears.

“From what everyone saw, it was a destruction,” said the 31-year-old Yarde, who was in attendance at the Beterbiev-Smith fight. “In the light heavyweight division, he’s been nothing but a wrecking ball. He’s knocked out every opponent thus far. I’ve seen it in the flesh. On TV, it appears quickly. He’s a little bit slower than I thought, but he’s very powerful. I feel like I’m the faster fighter. By age, I’m the fresher fighter. By experience, I’m behind a lot.”

And now? Beterbiev was asked about his hand speed during that press conference.

“Prepare for [me] to be my best,” Beterbiev said with a smile while looking at Yarde. “I do my best. Believe me.”

While much of the boxing world would rather see Beterbiev fight Dmitry Bivol for the undisputed championship at 175 pounds, Yarde could make for an interesting opponent.

But remember, the only other time Yarde has faced an elite fighter, he was flattened by Sergey Kovalev in the 11^th round. Simply put, Beterbiev is better than Kovalev ever was.

Here’s more info on the Artur Beterbiev vs. Anthony Yarde showdown that U.S. viewers can watch on ESPN+ beginning at 3 p.m. ET on Saturday.

Artur Beterbiev vs. Anthony Yarde odds

Beterbiev is the solid betting favorite at -700 (bet $700 to win $100), as of Friday, but the money lines have narrowed in recent weeks. Earlier this month, Beterbiev was -1000, and slowly, it’s come down to -900, -800 and now -700. Meanwhile, Yarde is +450 (win $450 on a $100 bet) after he was originally placed at +550. In essence, now seems to be the best time to wager on Beterbiev’s money line. If the line somehow narrowed to -500, I would certainly consider betting on that.

Beterbiev to win by stoppage is, as of Friday, at -350, but if you were going to take a prop bet, I’d probably go with Beterbiev to win by stoppage in rounds 1-6 at +130. If you like Yarde to win, I’d rather go with the longshot of him winning a decision at +2000 instead of him winning by stoppage at +600.

As for who Errol Spence, the second-best fighter in the world, is going with?

Artur Beterbiev vs. Anthony Yarde records

At 18-0 with 18 KOs, Beterbiev has stopped every opponent he’s ever faced. And he’s faced some talented fighters, including Smith, Oleksandr Gvozdyk, Callum Johnson and Tavoris Cloud. Only one of his opponents has made it past the 10^th round. In that case, Beterbiev ended up TKOing Ernrico Koelling in the 12^th.

Although his KO percentage isn’t 100% like Beterbiev’s, Yarde has an impressive number of KOs at 23-3 (22 KOs). He has an understandable loss to Kovalev in 2019, but his unanimous decision defeat to Lydon Johnson 14 months later is a little more head-scratching. Yarde got his revenge when he knocked out Johnson a year later, but it just gives another reminder that Yarde has never beaten anybody remotely on the level of Beterbiev.

Artur Beterbiev vs. Anthony Yarde prediction

Some in the boxing community are actually predicting Yarde to upset Beterbiev, perhaps because they feel Beterbiev is going to get old in the ring overnight. Even if he does show some depreciation, Beterbiev is levels above Yarde in talent and power. And I think he’s going to be merciless in his domination of Yarde. Say, Beterbiev by stoppage in the fifth round.