The battle, which took place in Chelyabinsk, ended with Yard defeat by technical knockout in the 11th round.
Thus, now the asset of the 36-year-old Russian is 34 wins, three losses and one draw. For the Briton, this was the first loss in his career with 18 victories.
Earlier it was reported that Alexey Papin lost to Ilunge Makaba and was unable to win the WBC silver belt.