By: Sean Crose
For many years now, he has been considered one of the fiercest and most skilled boxers in all of boxing. And this weekend in the UK, 38-year-old Artur Beterbiev will once again have the chance to show the world how good he is when he takes on renowned vet Anthony Yarde in a 12th round bout scheduled at Wembley Arena. The match will be for Beterbiev’s IBF, WBC and WBO world light heavyweight titles and will be televised live in the United States on ESPN+. For the record, this person has the opportunity to become a barn burner.
Why? Because Beterbiev has won every of his 18 games at long distance. Furthermore, Yarde 23-2 has won all but 1 of his 23 wins at long distance. Of course, anything can happen in the ring, but it is doubtful that this will go far. And after that? Well, if Yarde gets over his sadness, he’ll be the absolute toast to boxing. On the other hand, if Betterbiev does his job – as he is widely expected – all eyes will be on the undisputed fight between him and fellow Russian Dmitry Bivol. It’s not that Beterviev is looking too far ahead. According to co-trainer John Scully, the boxer’s focus lies exactly where it needs to be.
“He trains really hard and stays focused on the task at hand,” Scully said. “We’re not just training to get in shape, but we’re also training to fight specifically against each opponent.” According to Scully, training is an exercise in precision. He said, Beterbiev “always studies tactics to counter opponents.” Suffice it to say, the famous trainer, veteran and popular broadcaster, confidently entered Saturday’s battle. “Everything is ready for a successful Saturday for us,” he said.
Beterbiev’s last game was a two-round destruction against the famous Joe Smith last June. In a world title reign that has spanned more than five years, the man has beaten other celebrities like Marcus Browne and Oleksandr Gvozdyk. As for Yarde, apart from a decisive loss to Lyndon Arthur in 2020, his only defeat was at the gloved hands of the ferocious Sergey Kovalev. The British tennis player’s final match was a knockout in the fourth round against Arthur himself, who beat him in 2020. Again, this weekend’s match was a barn burning… as long as it lasts.
