Joshua Buatsi set for mouth-watering showdown with British rival Anthony Yarde after WBO officially orders fight  for interim light heavyweight title

The WBO has officially ordered an all-British clash between Joshua Buatsi and Anthony Yarde for the interim light heavyweight belt 

The move follows the postponement of the proposed clash between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol for the undisputed championship.

WBC, IBF and WBO champion Beterbiev recently withdrew from his June 1 showdown with WBA belt holder Bivol after suffering a knee injury in training.

The WBO said in a statement: 'Because of Beterbiev's unavailability due to injury and required recovery time, this committee hereby determines that [it] is in the best interests of boxing and the contenders in the WBO Light Heavyweight Division, that an interim championship is justified subject to specific provisions by this committee in order to terminate the interim champion status within a required time in accordance with our policy of only one world champion in each weight class.'

'Therefore, by virtue of today's ruling, the activity in the referenced weight category is not interrupted and consequently, safeguards and protects the rights and interests of the remaining contenders.'

They will be granted 10 days to reach an agreement otherwise the committee will order purse bids, with the minimum bid set at $300,000 (£239,600). 

The winner will also secure a shot at the full WBO light heavyweight crown

Buatsi is a perfect 18-0 in his professional career after defeating Dan Azeez via unanimous decision to clinch the British and Commonwealth light-heavyweight titles in February.

Yarde is 25-3 after a third-round knockout win over Marko Nikolic in February. He previously suffered an eighth-round stoppage defeat in a thriller against Beterbiev in January 2023.

In its statement the WBO said that Beterbiev is expected to return around September or October 2024, with his proposed contest against Bivol still expected to take place before the end of the year.