BN Preview: It’s risky business for Anthony Yarde as he takes on the fearsome Artur Beterbiev
The mountain with the image of Artur Beterbiev that Anthony Yarde stands underneath is huge. On rare occasions we have seen similarly sized peaks scaled but the sheer altitude of the climb, especially for the uninitiated, often proves overwhelming. That will happen this weekend when Yarde, 23-2 (22), challenges the fearsome world light-heavyweight champion inside Wembley Arena in North London.
One need only look at their respective CVs and the unpleasant case is fanciful, even before studying their respective form and style. Beterbiev has been boxing since he was a youngster and without Oleksandr Usyk, the Russian-Canadian could have added to an already impressive streak of medals including winning the Championship gold. World Championships in 2009, a silver medal in 2007 and two European medals. Gold medalists in 2006 and 2010. In his last two major amateur championships, he lost narrowly to Usyk at the 2011 Worlds and Olympics a year later.
As a professional, Betterbiev took that pedigree and ran with it. None of his 18 opponents heard the final bell. In fact, only Oleksandr Gvozdyk 17-0, had more than fleeting moments of success ahead of him when in October 2018 Beterbiev won the 10th round while narrowly trailing in two of the matches. three scoreboards. It was still Beterbiev’s most intense match and, in the context here, Gvodzdyk competed professionally at a high level and beat the likes of Dmitry Bivol in an empowered match.
Beterbiev has consistently performed world-class in the professional ranks, unlike Yarde. In his sixth pro contest, he knocked out former belt holder Tavoris Cloud before going on to knock out the likes of Gabriel Campillo, Enrico Koelling, Callum Johnson, Marcus Browne and, in his most recent bout him last June, Joe Smith Jnr. Okay, that’s not quite what makes the legend – Beterbiev still has a lot to do before reaching that status – but it’s nonetheless far ahead of Saturday night’s challenger’s achievement.
Yarde fought only one opponent, Sergey Kovalev, whose right to assert himself was proven at the highest level. And although Anthony performed better than many expected, especially in the 8th round when Kovalev was in real trouble, he comfortably lost on cards when he was stopped in the 11th round. Furthermore, Kovalev of the year. 2019 is past his best and not a formidable player like Beterbiev remains to this day. The next best opponent on the weaker team’s ledger was Lyndon Arthur, who overcame the lackluster Yarde in December 2020 only to be stopped in four rounds a year later. And if it weren’t for the intercontinental titles that lifted his ranking among the sanctioning bodies, Yarde might not be in this position; although he is undoubtedly one of Britain’s top lightweight athletes, the likes of Callum Smith and Joshua Buatsi would oppose declaring him the best in their country. Furthermore, Yarde’s amateur credentials are virtually non-existent. He had several matches before returning. Therefore, it is easy to see why Beterbiev is a 1/10 favorite.
But to end the investigation would not be fair. Yarde has things in his favor. First, he will fight at home. Or to be more precise, he is considerably closer to it than Betterbiev. Although Wembley is located at the opposite end of Jubilee Street to Stratford, the town where Yarde and his old friends caused chaos in the streets before he tried boxing, there is no doubt he will receive the greatest support. It’s a long way from Canada, the US and Russia, the three countries in which Beterbiev has competed as a professional athlete, and this marks his first outing in London since he was released. lost to Usyk at the Olympics 10 and a half years ago. So for those looking for a sign (or straw to grip), they might conclude that England is not a happy stomping ground for champions.
The 31-year-old Yarde, over half an inch tall with 6 ft, is a 7 year younger man (Beterbiev turned 38 last weekend) and seems to be progressing and maturing in a way his opponents haven’t. . Relative freshness can play an important role in boxing matches and, given Beterbiev’s age and long history of punch exchanges, it is possible to envision a scenario in which the tables Yarde’s nimble hands and wounding turn the aging champion into a faltering fighter. Workable, but still a chunk.
His critics say that for Yarde to win, he not only needs Beterbiev to become dull, tired and homesick, but he also needs a “Monster” that is barely recognizable compared to the boxer. which he proved himself only six months ago. Then, while winning his third penalty body title at 175, he often threatened to stalk Joe Smith before knocking out a proven light-heavyweight force in two innings. . Beterbiev, although the victory came quickly, was never in a hurry. Patient and calculating, Beterbiev made mistakes – and a growing sense of panic – from opponents with a trick-taking approach to play. He’ll move from side to side, then move forward with dexterous feet, purposefully raiding behind a ramrod stab and looking for openings for his powerful loops. Smith, who was never freed, was rescued within six minutes of making four counts. By the time Smith realized his somewhat suicidal approach—meeting the smaller Beterbiev face-to-face—was not working, he was so stunned and desperate that there was nothing he could do to change it.
Yarde, along with coaches Tunde Ajayi and James Cook, will no doubt realize that swinging his arms straight at Beterbiev is the wrong approach. Marcus Browne was more successful in December 2021, running around the perimeter of the ring and stabbing whenever Artur got close but his game plan, winning the odd innings, inevitably led to exhaustion in terms of physical and psychological. Although Beterbiev was forced to take a deep cut after his forehead bumped into Brown’s, he remained calm and steadily screwed up. Ranked in game seven, Browne was defeated in game nine.
Crucial for anyone facing Beterbiev, what they need to be prepared for is the overwhelming sense of dread when the sure puncher closes in and makes what begins as a 20 ft long boxing ring feel like a more phone box. And it is that diabolical approach by Beterbiev, never taken with any urgency or undue anxiety, that is arguably his greatest strength.
Yarde, himself a great boxer, would imagine that he hit harder than Browne and could punch smarter than Smith. He will also get encouragement from the fact that Beterbiev has fallen twice in previous matches. In 2014, Beterbiev bumped into Jeff Page Jnr handcuffing his right hand in the opening round before ending the match in the second round. Even more remarkable than that lightning strike was the fall he experienced against Callum Johnson four years later. At the time, Beterbiev was clearly shaking and momentarily losing his balance as he tried to rise to third place. The fact that he knocked Johnson out in the fourth round further demonstrated Beterbiev’s ability to stay calm, even in the face of difficulty. But crucial to Yarde’s chances, in both times Beterbiev flirted with the canvas, he was placed there with short, hard-to-see shots – and Yarde was dangerous when he came close and bet core.
But Yarde’s defense will need to be tighter than before. He likes to reach with his left arm just above his waist and his right, always ready to fire, under his chin. It made him vulnerable to tagging as he advanced throughout his career. Beterbiev’s straight right hand, which he throws through the middle of a second where he can sense a home to it, looks sure to test Yarde’s resilience. The loser then needs to show off his newfound clever skills to win and make sure his jab – often just a pedometer – is flexible and precise so that the shots The best hit in his arsenal, curved hooks and upper hooks, has the best chance of a clean landing.
Yarde, thanks to his natural strength, impressive physical strength and quick hands, should not be completely eliminated. He’s smart, has learned many lessons from the aforementioned Kovalev loss, and his team has studied Artur carefully. Beterbiev, with his jagged lines that could have been carved from stone, was slashed more than once in his career and Yarde’s slashes were able to reopen old wounds. But, in practice, when trying to explain the reason for the discomfort, it’s hard to do so without retaining any sense of realism. So, Betterbiev maybe get old bro maybe cut me maybe injured and he maybe was dropped by a sharp counter on the way in. But what we i know that is, so far, not only has he always won the group very well, but he has always done so in the distance. What we also know is that he has proven world-class in a way that Yarde simply cannot claim.
The choice was therefore for Betterbiev to pause Yarde. We don’t expect it to be an explosive night nor a particularly easy one for the favorites. Yarde, whose strength will be respected, may start off confident but he will also make enough mistakes for the champion to silently plot to take down his opponent. We foresee Yarde’s body being raided whenever it’s close enough to be attacked and that energy and ambition will slowly but surely be drained from within. If he still comes in at eighth or ninth, he will exceed most reasonable expectations. In short, there is no substitute for an elite boxing education and Yarde, although talented, is certainly too late to catch up at this level.
Beterbiev and Yarde ready for battle (Warren Little/Getty Images)
There’s an engaging fly-class battle in the main support role. Third place Artem Dalakian, 21-0 (15), of Ukraine vs number four, David Jiminez of Costa Rica, 12-0 (9). Jiminez proved his worth when he beat Ricardo Sandoval in Los Angeles in July, winning a close but deserved majority decision after 12 rounds. Meanwhile, Dalakian has been shut down since November 2021.
This one fits very well and is difficult to call. Dalakian, the WBA belt holder, has been performing at a better level for longer, he delivers decent power and smart defense. But Jiminez, the same height as his opponent at 1.5m, is motivated and can surpass this opponent in points.
Carstairs’ Willy Hutchinson, 15-1 (11), has a solid test on paper against Croatian, Emil Markic, 33-3 (25). The talented Scot seems to be back on track after a nasty loss to Lennox Clarke in 2021 but Markic, despite being 39, is the best opponent Hutchinson has faced since.
Markic, stopped by Callum Johnson in two wild innings in 2021, hit hard but wasn’t really elusive. Hutchinson, as long as he can avoid a shootout, can find his way to a decisive wide victory or a late stop.
Light-heavyweight star Karol Itauma, 9-0 (7), stepped up to the 10-round threshold for the first time against the Argentinian general, Ezequiel Osvaldo Maderna, October 28 (18). Maderna, 36, has lost five of her last seven games and could have a hard time keeping her younger opponent in check. We hope Itauma becomes the fifth man to stop Maderna.
Keep an eye out for Karol’s brother, Moses Itauma, who will make his debut in a four-round match. Great things are expected in Itauma, for good reason.
VERDICT – Yarde is more than capable of her moments but Beterbiev looks on another level.
