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It could be an exciting 2022 in the light heavyweight division for British boxing...

Yarde avenged his defeat to Lyndon Arthur on the weekend and is now targeting another world title challenge in 2022.

Anthony Yarde gained a fourth-round knockout to avenge his defeat to British light heavyweight rival Lyndon Arthur at the Copper Box Arena in London on Saturday night.

Yarde, from Hackney, lost a close split-decision in December last year although he rebounded by knocking out the lightly-regarded Alex Theran in August, a few weeks after the unbeaten Arthur stopped Davide Faraci.
Yarde made the more impressive start in rounds one and two and stopped his Manchester opponent in round four, when Arthur was hurt by a body shot before being pinned on the ropes and eventually going down onto the canvas.
Promoter Frank Warren had earlier revealed that the winner of the return bout would earn the number one spot with the WBO and a possible world title shot against champion Joe Smith Jr in 2022.
One fighter guaranteed a world title shot in the new year is Callum Johnson who will take on Smith for the WBO crown.
Johnson - trained by Joe Gallagher - will have a second crack at the whip having previously fallen short to Artur Beterbiev in 2017 despite flooring the Russian in their four-round shootout.

Could Yarde face Canelo?

It could, however, mean the winner faces Yarde and should it happen, then expect a summer showdown.
Yarde himself also had a shot at the WBO title back in 2019 in Russia - a brave loss to the hands of Sergey Kovalev.

With the 175lb division wide open, there could be huge options for either Yarde or Johnson towards the end of 2022 with Canelo Alvarez widely expected to return to light heavyweight following his cruiserweight fight with Ilunga Makabu in May.

Canelo most recently defeated Caleb Plant to win the IBF title at super middleweight and in doing so, he became undisputed champion - the first time it has happened in the division's history.
It is no secret Canelo likes to fight for a WBC title. His cruiserweight fight against Makabu will be at the organisation's weight limit of 190lbs compared to the normal 200lbs for a fight at that weight.
It could mean the Mexican turns to Beterbiev next - the undefeated unified champion at light heavyweight and if so, it could mean the perfect opportunity for Joshua Buatsi to have a Battle of Britain clash for a world title against Yarde or Johnson.
A lot needs to happen for any of these fights to take place in 2022 but one thing for certain is Johnson has the chance to win a world title on January 15 and if he wins, it could be an exciting year for British boxing at 175.

Read more: 2021 Fighter of the Year - Usyk, Canelo, Taylor and Fury to battle it out for top prize

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