Anthony Yarde (left) avenged a loss to Lyndon Arthur in 2020 with a fourth-round knockout a yr later. (Photograph courtesy of BT Sport/Queensberry)
“It’s not about him, it’s about us,” stated Tunde Ajayi.
The coach was speaking in regards to the job his fighter, Anthony Yarde, will face when he steps into the ring with unified mild heavyweight titleholder Artur Beterbiev in Wembley Area on Saturday evening.
“That’s the main target, and I’m positive Anthony will reply the identical. There’s nothing adverse or dangerous you possibly can say about someone who’s been good, as a result of that’s what [Beterbiev’s] been thus far. So the preparation has been for somebody of that degree, of the elite degree, so we’re going to be prepared. It’s so simple as that. He’s fighter. He’s 37 or 38 however he doesn’t appear to be slowing down; he’s fighter and one that you would be able to by no means overlook, so we’re ready.”
Beterbiev doesn’t have many chinks in his armor, and he and Dmitry Bivol are seen as the 2 greatest at 175 kilos on this planet. It’s Beterbiev’s ferocity that causes him to catch the attention, however Ajayi doesn’t see the champion as one-dimensional or the monster he’s typically portrayed as. He sees a talented prizefighter with a deep beginner pedigree.
“I’ve heard individuals talking about his energy, however his energy is overrated and his boxing skill is underrated, and [former Beterbiev stoppage victim Oleksandr] Gvozdyk stated it,” Ajayi continued. “And I heard that; that’s the way in which I take a look at it. Folks speak about his energy, however he’s an ideal boxer. He’s a unbelievable boxer. Energy for me has at all times been who’s standing in entrance of you, so I don’t get caught up on this energy enterprise. What’s highly effective to 1 man shouldn’t be highly effective to a different man. Let’s not neglect, Anthony had an nearly equivalent report going into the Kovalev battle [in 2019], however no person was speaking about Anthony’s energy. But he had an equivalent report. He was 18-0 on the time with 17 KOs. Quick ahead, he’s 23 wins and 22 KOs, so Anthony can hit a bit as nicely.”
No matter Yarde’s energy and the truth that he’s boxing at residence, he’s the underdog. And though he skilled that earlier than in Russia towards Kovalev, the low expectations have Ajayi buzzing as soon as extra. As soon as he’s gone past any sort of negativity and has chosen to disregard the numerous critics he faces, he’ll take it and use it as gasoline. The strain is usually off within the underdog function.
“I adore it,” he insisted. “Folks at this degree, until you’re new to it – which we have been in Russia – I don’t pay a lot focus to it. It’s odds. It’s bookmakers. It’s those who gamble and generally it’s most people, however I don’t pay an excessive amount of consideration to that, since you’ve simply obtained to arrange the way in which champions put together. So we’re not being attentive to that [negativity]. That stated, it’s a driving motivation.”
Subsequent: Beterbiev will neutralize Yarde, says Scully
