British light heavyweight Anthony Yarde (23-2, 22 KOs) went to Chelyabinsk (Russia) in 2019 to meet with the local WBO age champion Sergey Kovalev (35-4-1, 29 KOs), but lost ahead of schedule.
In January, the Briton will have a second chance to acquire the title of world champion. This time, three titles are at stake – according to the WBC, IBF and WBO versions. The matter remains small – you just need to beat the Russian Artur Beterbiev, who plays for Canada (18-0, 18 KOs). And do it on your own territory – in London.
Yesterday, Yard knocked out a bag fighter from Bulgaria in an intermediate fight, after which the fight with Beterbiev was officially announced.
Challenger
clarifiedhow his first title attempt will differ from his second: “In that fight, everything was against me. Everyone said that I had no chance. I went to fight in Russia. I even shocked Kovalev in the 8th round. And in the course of the battle, I earned the main thing – respect. After all, everyone saw that I did not come for a check, but for a championship belt. Yes, I wanted to win. But I think that a real champion is known in defeats. More specifically, how he deals with them.”
Yard claims he “wanted to lose the fight that way. Giving all his strength in a duel. I did everything I could. He didn’t break down under pressure, didn’t run away, didn’t hide. What will I do differently this time? Now I’m much more prudent. And then I thought only about the knockout. Then I knew only one thing – if you shocked an opponent, then you need to finish him off immediately. Now I understand that in any case, only one thing is important – to remain yourself in the ring.
The challenger explained why he was confident in the victory over Beterbiev: “This is fate. You know, I just can’t describe the feeling. I just believe in myself and my strengths. Everyone has their own opinions. You choose a favorite. Remember what Muhammad Ali said? He said, “I know what you bet on him. But you don’t understand that this man is already in trouble.” I have my pluses. This is the battlefield. And I already have the necessary experience.”
Does Yard have a chance to knock out Beterbiev? The Briton spoke about future battles. At the beginning of the month, it became known that the champion was facing a second mandatory defense in a row – the decision of the WBC.
