Tag: Anthony Yarde

Weekend Review: Artur Beterbiev rolls on but biggest challenge lies ahead

Weekend Review: Artur Beterbiev kept his knockout streak alive but his biggest challenge lies ahead.

A critical look at the past week in boxing

BIGGEST WINNER

Artur Beterbiev – Nineteen knockouts in as many professional fights. The last eight in title fights, including an eighth-round stoppage of Anthony Yarde on Saturday in London. That means even elite opponents can’t survive against the 175-pound titleholder. And he’s still doing it at 38 years old. All that is impressive any way you look at it. Beterbiev isn’t a one-punch knockout artist, a la Deontay Wilder. He’s an excellent, experienced boxer adept at landing heavy, precise punches that break down both the bodies and will of his foes. Yarde gave a brave performance but simply couldn’t take anymore in the end, further evidence of Beterbiev’s destructive ability. Is he in the class of Terence Crawford or Naoya Inoue? Probably not. They’re far more dynamic than he is. Then again, if Beterbiev gets the fight he wants – against Dmitry Bivol – and wins, we might have to reevaluate his place among the best fighters in the world.

 

BIGGEST LOSER

The end is near for Anthony Yarde. James Chance / Getty Images

Anthony Yarde – The Londoner gave a solid performance, which is why he was leading on two of the three scorecards after seven rounds. He gave a stalking Beterbiev problems with his quickness and movement while also connecting on enough punches to impress the judges, which made the fight competitive. Yarde’s problem was his limited defensive ability. He simply took too many damaging blows, which led to his demise over time. In other words, Yarde (23-3, 22 KOs) wasn’t good enough to beat a fighter with Beterbiev’s ability. Where does he go from here? He probably performed well enough to get more opportunities going forward if he can get a few victories under his belt. One thing he might want to consider: Work with a fitness expert to reduce his bulk. That could enhance both his speed and stamina. Who knows? He might end up at 168 pounds.

 

BIGGEST CHALLENGE

Dmitry Bivol – Beterbiev and Bivol appear to be on a collision course for the undisputed championship, assuming competing promotional loyalties can be overcome. Who wins? Bivol. Of course, you can’t dismiss Beterbiev’s chances for the reasons listed above. He hasn’t stopped all of his opponents by accident. The problem for Beterbiev is that he hasn’t faced anyone near Bivol’s ability. Oleksandr Gvozdyk, Marcus Browne, Joe Smith Jr. and Yarde are good; Bivol is special, as he demonstrated in his convincing victory over Canelo Alvarez last May. Alvarez is naturally smaller than Beterbiev but he has a similar style; he patiently, but inevitably breaks down his opponents to win fights. The Mexican star couldn’t do that against Bivol because of Bivol’s size advantage and superior boxing ability, particularly his defensive skills. Of course, Bivol wouldn’t have a size advantage over Beterbiev but he’s a much better boxer. That would be the difference in the fight.

 

RABBIT PUNCHES

News item: Jake Paul and Tommy Fury have agreed to meet on pay-per-view Feb. 26. I want to say I don’t care one iota because it’s a gimmicky matchup between hucksters who are more adept at marketing themselves than actually fighting. The fact is I’m curious. Fury (8-0, 4 KOs) might be the best fighter Paul (6-0, 4 KOs) will have faced. Can Paul land his big right hand against the half brother of Tyson Fury? Or will he meet his match against a good athlete with some boxing ability? I’ll be watching to find out. What can I say? They got me. … Welterweight contender Alexis Rocha (22-1, 14 KOs) delivered a dramatic knockout on Saturday in Inglewood, California, stopping late replacement and naturally smaller George Ashie (33-6-1, 25 KOs) with a right hook in the seventh round. The victory doesn’t mean much because of Ashie’s limitations but Rocha did what he set out to do, which was to make a statement. He’s ranked No. 3 by the WBO, behind only champion Terence Crawford, Vergil Ortiz and Keith Thurman. Is Rocha in the class of such fighters? I’ll just say that he hasn’t demonstrated that yet. He called out Crawford after his victory over Ashie. Nothing I saw on Saturday leads me to believe Rocha can compete with the pound-for-pound king.

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Weekend Review: Artur Beterbiev rolls on but biggest challenge lies ahead

Weekend Review: Artur Beterbiev kept his knockout streak alive but his biggest challenge lies ahead.

A critical look at the past week in boxing

BIGGEST WINNER

Artur Beterbiev – Nineteen knockouts in as many professional fights. The last eight in title fights, including an eighth-round stoppage of Anthony Yarde on Saturday in London. That means even elite opponents can’t survive against the 175-pound titleholder. And he’s still doing it at 38 years old. All that is impressive any way you look at it. Beterbiev isn’t a one-punch knockout artist, a la Deontay Wilder. He’s an excellent, experienced boxer adept at landing heavy, precise punches that break down both the bodies and will of his foes. Yarde gave a brave performance but simply couldn’t take anymore in the end, further evidence of Beterbiev’s destructive ability. Is he in the class of Terence Crawford or Naoya Inoue? Probably not. They’re far more dynamic than he is. Then again, if Beterbiev gets the fight he wants – against Dmitry Bivol – and wins, we might have to reevaluate his place among the best fighters in the world.

 

BIGGEST LOSER

The end is near for Anthony Yarde. James Chance / Getty Images

Anthony Yarde – The Londoner gave a solid performance, which is why he was leading on two of the three scorecards after seven rounds. He gave a stalking Beterbiev problems with his quickness and movement while also connecting on enough punches to impress the judges, which made the fight competitive. Yarde’s problem was his limited defensive ability. He simply took too many damaging blows, which led to his demise over time. In other words, Yarde (23-3, 22 KOs) wasn’t good enough to beat a fighter with Beterbiev’s ability. Where does he go from here? He probably performed well enough to get more opportunities going forward if he can get a few victories under his belt. One thing he might want to consider: Work with a fitness expert to reduce his bulk. That could enhance both his speed and stamina. Who knows? He might end up at 168 pounds.

 

BIGGEST CHALLENGE

Dmitry Bivol – Beterbiev and Bivol appear to be on a collision course for the undisputed championship, assuming competing promotional loyalties can be overcome. Who wins? Bivol. Of course, you can’t dismiss Beterbiev’s chances for the reasons listed above. He hasn’t stopped all of his opponents by accident. The problem for Beterbiev is that he hasn’t faced anyone near Bivol’s ability. Oleksandr Gvozdyk, Marcus Browne, Joe Smith Jr. and Yarde are good; Bivol is special, as he demonstrated in his convincing victory over Canelo Alvarez last May. Alvarez is naturally smaller than Beterbiev but he has a similar style; he patiently, but inevitably breaks down his opponents to win fights. The Mexican star couldn’t do that against Bivol because of Bivol’s size advantage and superior boxing ability, particularly his defensive skills. Of course, Bivol wouldn’t have a size advantage over Beterbiev but he’s a much better boxer. That would be the difference in the fight.

 

RABBIT PUNCHES

News item: Jake Paul and Tommy Fury have agreed to meet on pay-per-view Feb. 26. I want to say I don’t care one iota because it’s a gimmicky matchup between hucksters who are more adept at marketing themselves than actually fighting. The fact is I’m curious. Fury (8-0, 4 KOs) might be the best fighter Paul (6-0, 4 KOs) will have faced. Can Paul land his big right hand against the half brother of Tyson Fury? Or will he meet his match against a good athlete with some boxing ability? I’ll be watching to find out. What can I say? They got me. … Welterweight contender Alexis Rocha (22-1, 14 KOs) delivered a dramatic knockout on Saturday in Inglewood, California, stopping late replacement and naturally smaller George Ashie (33-6-1, 25 KOs) with a right hook in the seventh round. The victory doesn’t mean much because of Ashie’s limitations but Rocha did what he set out to do, which was to make a statement. He’s ranked No. 3 by the WBO, behind only champion Terence Crawford, Vergil Ortiz and Keith Thurman. Is Rocha in the class of such fighters? I’ll just say that he hasn’t demonstrated that yet. He called out Crawford after his victory over Ashie. Nothing I saw on Saturday leads me to believe Rocha can compete with the pound-for-pound king.

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Photos: Artur Beterbiev’s eighth-round knockout of Anthony Yarde

Photos: Artur Beterbiev’s eighth-round knockout of Anthony Yarde on Saturday in London.

Artur Beterbiev made it 19 knockouts in as many fights by stopping Anthony Yarde in the eighth round Saturday night at OVO Arena Wembley in London.

The Russian-Canadian also retained his three light heavyweight titles.

Here are images from the fight. All photos by James Chance of Getty Images.

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Artur Beterbiev overcomes spirited effort from Anthony Yarde, keeps KO streak alive

Artur Beterbiev overcame a spirited effort from Anthony Yarde to keep his knockout streak alive Saturday in London.

Make that 19.

Light heavyweight titleholder Artur Beterbiev stopped a competitive Anthony Yarde in the eighth round Saturday at OVO Arena Wembley in London, the Russian-Canadian’s 19th knockout in as many fights.

The official time of the stoppage was 2:01.

Beterbiev didn’t have an easy night. Yarde, making his second attempt to win a major belt, used his quick feet to be an elusive target and position himself to land hard, eye-catching shots throughout the fight.

A stalking Beterbiev connected on many of his own heavy shots, particularly when he was able to trap Yarde against the ropes or in a corner. That might’ve worn down the Englishman and contributed to the stoppage.

However, Beterbiev was unable to take full control over what was a competitive fight until the final moments.

Yarde was winning on the cards after seven rounds. One judge gave Beterbiev a 67-66 edge, but the other two had Yarde leading, 68-65 (five rounds to two) and 67-66. Boxing Junkie had Beterbiev leading 67-66.

Of course, the scoring has never mattered in a Beterbiev fight. And it didn’t on this night.

Midway through Round 8 Beterbiev hurt Yarde (23-3, 22 KOs) badly with a straight right, forcing him to stumble backward into the ropes. He then landed an overhand right above Yarde’s ear, which put him onto the canvas on all fours.

Yarde was able to get up but he clearly was still hurt and, just as important, he didn’t seem to be interested in continuing. He glanced at his cornermen after he got to his feet, perhaps to say, “HELP!”

The fight resumed for a moment but Yarde’s trainer Tunde Ajayi let referee Steve Gray know that he wanted to save their man from further punishment and the official complied.

Just like that Beterbiev kept his knockout streak intact and retained his three titles.

The humble winner was asked to assess his performance afterward but served up a tongue-in-cheek response: “I hope to one day be a good boxer,” he said with a smile.

Beterbiev is now a step closer to meeting talented countryman Dmitry Bivol – the conqueror of Canelo Alvarez – for all four major titles and recognition as the best light heavyweight in the world.

Beterbiev didn’t want to talk too much about the future after his victory over Yarde but it’s clear what he wants.

“I want Bivol,” he said. “Right now it’s everything. In this fight we have four titles. It’s a really good fight.”

It’s the ultimate fight at 175 pounds.

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Artur Beterbiev overcomes spirited effort from Anthony Yarde, keeps KO streak alive

Artur Beterbiev overcame a spirited effort from Anthony Yarde to keep his knockout streak alive Saturday in London.

Make that 19.

Light heavyweight titleholder Artur Beterbiev stopped a competitive Anthony Yarde in the eighth round Saturday at OVO Arena Wembley in London, the Russian-Canadian’s 19th knockout in as many fights.

The official time of the stoppage was 2:01.

Beterbiev didn’t have an easy night. Yarde, making his second attempt to win a major belt, used his quick feet to be an elusive target and position himself to land hard, eye-catching shots throughout the fight.

A stalking Beterbiev connected on many of his own heavy shots, particularly when he was able to trap Yarde against the ropes or in a corner. That might’ve worn down the Englishman and contributed to the stoppage.

However, Beterbiev was unable to take full control over what was a competitive fight until the final moments.

Yarde was winning on the cards after seven rounds. One judge gave Beterbiev a 67-66 edge, but the other two had Yarde leading, 68-65 (five rounds to two) and 67-66. Boxing Junkie had Beterbiev leading 67-66.

Of course, the scoring has never mattered in a Beterbiev fight. And it didn’t on this night.

Midway through Round 8 Beterbiev hurt Yarde (23-3, 22 KOs) badly with a straight right, forcing him to stumble backward into the ropes. He then landed an overhand right above Yarde’s ear, which put him onto the canvas on all fours.

Yarde was able to get up but he clearly was still hurt and, just as important, he didn’t seem to be interested in continuing. He glanced at his cornermen after he got to his feet, perhaps to say, “HELP!”

The fight resumed for a moment but Yarde’s trainer Tunde Ajayi let referee Steve Gray know that he wanted to save their man from further punishment and the official complied.

Just like that Beterbiev kept his knockout streak intact and retained his three titles.

The humble winner was asked to assess his performance afterward but served up a tongue-in-cheek response: “I hope to one day be a good boxer,” he said with a smile.

Beterbiev is now a step closer to meeting talented countryman Dmitry Bivol – the conqueror of Canelo Alvarez – for all four major titles and recognition as the best light heavyweight in the world.

Beterbiev didn’t want to talk too much about the future after his victory over Yarde but it’s clear what he wants.

“I want Bivol,” he said. “Right now it’s everything. In this fight we have four titles. It’s a really good fight.”

It’s the ultimate fight at 175 pounds.

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Artur Beterbiev vs. Anthony Yarde: LIVE updates, results, full coverage

Artur Beterbiev vs. Anthony Yarde: LIVE updates, results, full coverage.

Artur Beterbiev made it 19 knockouts in as many fights by stopping Anthony Yarde in the eighth round Saturday at OVO Arena Wembley in London.

The back-and-forth fight seemed to be close when Beterbiev hurt Yarde with a straight right and then put him down with another right hand midway through Round 8.

Yarde was allowed by the referee to continue for a moment but the fight was stopped by Yarde’s corner.

You can read a full report here.

***

Light heavyweight titleholder Artur Beterbiev will defend his three belts against Anthony Yarde today (Saturday) at OVO Arena Wembley in London (ESPN+).

Beterbiev (18-0, 18 KOs) will be seeking his 19th knockout in as many professional fights. Yarde (23-2, 22 KOs) is fighting for a major title for a second time.

The main portion of the show is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. ET / 11 a.m. PT. The main event will take place later in the broadcast.

Boxing Junkie will post the result of the main event immediately afterward. Simply return to this post and refresh when the time comes. We’ll also post the results of other featured bouts.

Full coverage – a fight story, photo gallery and analysis – will follow on separate posts the night of the fight and the following day.

Enjoy the fights!

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Artur Beterbiev vs. Anthony Yarde: LIVE updates, results, full coverage

Artur Beterbiev vs. Anthony Yarde: LIVE updates, results, full coverage.

Artur Beterbiev made it 19 knockouts in as many fights by stopping Anthony Yarde in the eighth round Saturday at OVO Arena Wembley in London.

The back-and-forth fight seemed to be close when Beterbiev hurt Yarde with a straight right and then put him down with another right hand midway through Round 8.

Yarde was allowed by the referee to continue for a moment but the fight was stopped by Yarde’s corner.

You can read a full report here.

***

Light heavyweight titleholder Artur Beterbiev will defend his three belts against Anthony Yarde today (Saturday) at OVO Arena Wembley in London (ESPN+).

Beterbiev (18-0, 18 KOs) will be seeking his 19th knockout in as many professional fights. Yarde (23-2, 22 KOs) is fighting for a major title for a second time.

The main portion of the show is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. ET / 11 a.m. PT. The main event will take place later in the broadcast.

Boxing Junkie will post the result of the main event immediately afterward. Simply return to this post and refresh when the time comes. We’ll also post the results of other featured bouts.

Full coverage – a fight story, photo gallery and analysis – will follow on separate posts the night of the fight and the following day.

Enjoy the fights!

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Artur Beterbiev, Anthony Yarde make weight for title fight in London

Artur Beterbiev and Anthony Yarde on Friday made weight for their title fight Saturday in London.

Light heavyweight titleholder Artur Beterbiev and challenger Anthony Yarde on Friday made weight for their fight Saturday at OVO Arena Wembley in London (ESPN+).

Beterbiev weighed 174.5, a half pound below the division limit. Yarde came in at 174.25.

The Russian-Canadian Beterbiev will be defending three belts and attempting to extend his streak of knockouts to 19 in as many fights in his professional career.

Yarde (23-2, 22 KOs) will be fighting for a major championship for a second time. He was stopped by then beltholder Sergey Kovalev in 11 rounds in August 2019.

The Londoner is 5-1 since that setback, including victories in his three most-recent fights.

Also featured on the card: Artem Dalakian (111.6) vs. David Jimenez (111.1), flyweights (for Dalakian’s WBA title); Karol Itauma (174.1) vs. Ezequiel Osvaldo Maderna (174.7), light heavyweights

The main portion of the card is scheduled to beging at 2 p.m. ET / 11 a.m. PT.

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Artur Beterbiev, Anthony Yarde make weight for title fight in London

Artur Beterbiev and Anthony Yarde on Friday made weight for their title fight Saturday in London.

Light heavyweight titleholder Artur Beterbiev and challenger Anthony Yarde on Friday made weight for their fight Saturday at OVO Arena Wembley in London (ESPN+).

Beterbiev weighed 174.5, a half pound below the division limit. Yarde came in at 174.25.

The Russian-Canadian Beterbiev will be defending three belts and attempting to extend his streak of knockouts to 19 in as many fights in his professional career.

Yarde (23-2, 22 KOs) will be fighting for a major championship for a second time. He was stopped by then beltholder Sergey Kovalev in 11 rounds in August 2019.

The Londoner is 5-1 since that setback, including victories in his three most-recent fights.

Also featured on the card: Artem Dalakian (111.6) vs. David Jimenez (111.1), flyweights (for Dalakian’s WBA title); Karol Itauma (174.1) vs. Ezequiel Osvaldo Maderna (174.7), light heavyweights

The main portion of the card is scheduled to beging at 2 p.m. ET / 11 a.m. PT.

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Video and photos: Artur Beterbiev, Anthony Yarde open workouts

Artur Beterbiev will defend his light heavyweight titles against Anthony Yarde on Saturday at OVO Arena Wembley in London (ESPN+).

Beterbiev (18-0, 18 KOs) and Yarde (23-2, 22 KOs) conducted open workouts on Wednesday. Here are images from that event. All photos by Richard Heathcote of Getty Images.

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