Anthony Yarde Says Dmitry Bivol Fight Is a Career Goal

Anthony Yarde says a fight with Dmitry Bivol is a career goal, but the British light heavyweight has no date or route confirmed for that matchup. Yarde, 35, has been out for 11 months since David Benavidez stopped him in the seventh round in November 2025. To make a case for Bivol, he will need to return to action and beat credible contenders.

Yarde's case for fighting Bivol

Yarde has faced Sergey Kovalev, Artur Beterbiev and Benavidez, and says Bivol is the name he still wants to add to his record. He has described his ambition as a personal challenge: he wants to test himself against the leading fighters of his generation.

His willingness to take on elite opposition is clear from those bouts. Yarde traveled to Russia to face Kovalev and gave Beterbiev a difficult fight before being stopped. But those performances did not produce a world title, and his loss to Benavidez left him needing to rebuild his standing.

That makes a voluntary defense against Yarde hard to justify for Bivol. Yarde has no recent victory to use as leverage, and the report says he does not currently offer the kind of major payday that might attract the champion. Without earning a mandatory position, he has no clear way to compel Bivol to accept the fight.

Buatsi and Hutchinson could offer a route

Yarde is watching the vacant WBC light heavyweight title rematch between Joshua Buatsi and Willy Hutchinson. He expects Buatsi to win and sees a potential all-British matchup as a fight that could draw strong interest at home. A victory that put Yarde in possession of the WBC title would also give him a stronger negotiating position for a Bivol bout.

Time is another factor for the 35-year-old. Rather than wait for an opportunity, Yarde needs to stay active and collect meaningful wins against top light heavyweight contenders. His past challenges against leading names show ambition, but they have not replaced the need for a recent result that can move him toward another title opportunity.

Bivol is scheduled to fight Callum Smith in Russia on December 12. Yarde believes Smith, a former champion at 168 pounds, has a strong chance to upset him. If Bivol wins, Yarde would still need to rebuild his own position before making a convincing case for the matchup.