Lyndon Arthur will catapult himself above his domestic light heavyweight rivals by winning the vacant IBO world title, declared promoter Kalle Sauerland.
The Manchester fighter tackles the heavy-handed Braian Suarez at the University of Bolton Stadium on Friday night, live and free-to-air on Channel 5 from 10pm, in association with Ladbrokes, Numan and Infinitum Entertainment.
Arthur is part of a thriving UK scene at light heavyweight and Wasserman Head of Global Boxing, Sauerland, says defeating the dangerous Suarez would put the ‘King of the North’ at the top of the pile.
The 31-year-old is refusing to look at potential mega-fights with Joshua Buatsi, Dan Azeez and Anthony Yarde just yet, but taking home the prestigious IBO belt on Friday night, will put Arthur in the driving seat to land those huge domestic clashes.
Wasserman Head of Global Boxing, Kalle Sauerland said: “The light heavyweight division is a talking point in this country and there are some massive fights out there, internationally.
“And on Friday night, the King of the North, Lyndon Arthur, can put himself above Buatsi, above Yarde, above Azeez by winning the IBO world title. Those fights can come, and they will come.
“But it is a tough mission in front of Lyndon on Friday night. Suarez has close to a 90% knockout ratio and I don’t think the judges will be needed. I am confident in our man. He has been overlooked but on Friday night, Lyndon will have more viewers than Yarde, Buatsi and Azeez did in their last two fights, put together.
“And no-one else in the UK light heavyweight division will have one of these world titles, if we are successful. A win puts us ahead in the race. Yarde put in a strong performance against Beterbiev but, at the end of the day, he was still well short.”
Manchester hero Lyndon Arthur said: “Suarez is a good fighter who has good power and I’m excited to see what he brings.
“My focus is only on Suarez and winning the IBO title. After Friday night, I will speak about those other fights that have been mentioned.”
The dangerous Braian Suarez said: “I am so thankful for this opportunity, and I will do everything in my hands to bring the victory home to Argentina.
“I hope to win by KO, but the priority is just to win. Like every boxer, Arthur has weaknesses. I am not going to tell you what they are, but I am going to take advantage of them.”
Arthur and Suarez headline a stunning first show of 2023 for Wasserman Boxing, with the 12 fight card delivering 50-50 contests, a title eliminator and a host of local, national and international stars.
The future of female boxing in the flyweight division, the formidable Chloe Watson, has her fifth pro contest, while Kane Garnder and Conah Walker clash in a tasty looking super lightweight meeting.
Lyndon Arthur vs Braian Suarez, for the IBO World Light Heavyweight Title is live and free-to-air on Channel 5 at 10pm on Friday.
Tickets are available from Wassermanboxing.com
