WHILE the prospect of sharing a ring with fearsome Russian light-heavyweight Artur Beterbiev would drive most men to an entirely different country, Londonโs Anthony Yarde is not most men.
In fact, having shown his ambition in a 2019 challenge against Sergey Kovalev in Russia, Yarde stands out โ not only as someone different from most men but someone different from most other light-heavyweight boxers, too. He is also someone who, on October 22 at Londonโs O2 Arena, will try to do to Beterbiev what no other light-heavyweight has so far been able to do: stop him.
โThis is not a pursuit of a world title,โ said Yardeโs trainer, Tunde Ajayi, โthis is the pursuit of greatness. Thereโs a difference.
โThe fightโs good to go, October 22 at the O2, and we both want this so much.
โEven in the embryonic stage of his career, we went to Russia and reached the top of the mountain. Three years later, weโre going back again. The motivation is crazy. We relish the challenge. Itโs really a Cinderella story. Neither of us come from any kind of boxing background. Weโre literally just two guys who had a dream. This doesnโt happen every day.โ
To prepare for what is a monumental challenge, Yarde and Ajayi recently visited New York to witness Beterbievโs two-round demolition of Joe Smith Jnr at Madison Square Garden. There, from ringside, they got to see both what all the fuss is about and what Yarde, 22-2 (21), will be up against later this year.
โHis record speaks for itself, and there are some good names on there, but I was expecting more speed,โ said Ajayi. โI knew he wasnโt quick, and that he was more power and precision, but he wasnโt even as quick as I thought.
โAfter the fight, I went back to the hotel and really studied him. Heโs a good boxer as well as a puncher and it was the foot movement that unsettled Smith. He just didnโt know what to do when Beterbiev moved.
โWe know Beterbievโs a noted puncher but Anthony Yarde is three times faster than him. Speed is a big variable in this fight, and so is power. Letโs not forget that Anthony has got 21 knockouts from 22 wins. Theyโre not at the same level as Beterbiev, but donโt forget, either, that Anthony had 12 amateur fights whereas Beterbiev had over 300.
โBecause heโs got that amateur pedigree, weโre always going to be up against it. But, at 37, the wheels can come off at any time. Heโs going to be dealing with a young and hungry opponent who has the speed of a welterweight. I just feel the time is right.โ
In truth, the idea of fighting Beterbiev, 18-0 (18), has been bubbling away in the back of Yardeโs mind for more than just a month. Indeed, his coach has had the heavy-handed Russian on his radar for as long as four years.
โOn August 19, 2018, at three oโclock in the morning, I got a message from the trainer of Artur Beterbiev asking if we wanted to go spar Beterbiev,โ Ajayi explained. โBut I was like, โWhy would we spar you when one day weโre going to fight you?โ
โAgain, it all goes back to this sparring thing. Itโs not that we donโt spar. I just look at everything as competition. I was confident that Anthony would reach this level, even back then. Iโd never have him spar guys he could potentially fight.โ
Now, as planned, Yarde will challenge Beterbiev with the mystery surrounding him one of his biggest weapons. All potential, even at 31, still nobody quite knows what Yarde is capable of, both against Beterbiev and in more general terms. Nobody except for Ajayi, that is.
โI donโt mind humbling myself and giving Beterbiev all the credit he deserves, but he hasnโt been in the ring with someone as skilled as Anthony Yarde,โ said Ajayi. โCallum Johnson is a solid puncher, but he canโt punch like Anthony Yarde.
โCheck Beterbievโs record and there isnโt a known puncher on it. Joe Smith can hit a bit, but he isnโt a known puncher like that. Anthony hits harder.โ
Over the years Ajayiโs belief in his man has been described as anything from sycophantic and arrogant to delusional and damaging. Yet, to Ajayiโs credit, there has been a clear shift in attitude and approach of late, one detected by those who still listen to him.
โFirst time round (against Kovalev) there was a bit of cockiness and arrogance,โ he conceded. โI felt I had created a system of boxing and didnโt need to really study these boxers.
โBut the Lyndon Arthur fight, the second one (in 2021), made me sit up and pay much more attention to the opponents. Actually, it was before that. It was the Dec Spelman fight (in 2020). He was the first opponent I ever studied.
โGoing into this fight, Iโve noticed Beterbiev throws clubbing hammer shots. He seems like he targets the back of the head and knocks fighters off their equilibrium. Iโll be highlighting that beforehand, as well as his protector being too high. We have to get everything right. We have to make sure drug-testing is in place and I have to do all I can to protect my fighter and make sure itโs a level playing field.โ
After studying Beterbiev, and then seeing him up close, there will, Ajayi claims, be no fear of him on the night of October 22. In fact, given how their paths have crisscrossed, their meeting seems a natural part of the Anthony Yarde journey.
โBeterbiev came over to the UK when Ant was an amateur and they sparred, apparently,โ said Ajayi. โTony Cesay, his old amateur coach, has got the picture, which I remember Ant showing me on his phone. Thereโs a lot of history there. Itโs almost like serendipity; like it was meant to happen at this time.โ