Sergey Kovalev vs. Anthony Yarde - 24 August 2019

[Fightnight Scores]

It's a good fight, why do people need to want some clarity in a fighter before they are "allowed" to step up in class.

You'd all moan if he fought another 5 obscure "euro level" cans in his efforts to not be so "green".

Fighters "step up" all the time and win to become the man! Not many gave Ward a chance of winning the Super Six, Spence "stepped up" and battered Brook. Joshua upped his game and took on Wlad.

Kovalev can be stopped as we saw a year ago, Yarde has coasted so far. It's his big chance to prove he's got the tools to do so. We should be happy if they face up to the challenge and take it on.

[jamamb]

yardes chin will play a big part, i wonder what its like, kov is the type who can hurt with jabs even though he didnt stop alvarez hes a very dangerous puncher and pretty sharp so will probably land

[kbackup408]

I'll believe it when the two fighters have weighed in - Tunde doesn't want anything to do with Kov!

[Deserter]

It's a good fight, why do people need to want some clarity in a fighter before they are "allowed" to step up in class.

You'd all moan if he fought another 5 obscure "euro level" cans in his efforts to not be so "green".

Fighters "step up" all the time and win to become the man! Not many gave Ward a chance of winning the Super Six, Spence "stepped up" and battered Brook. Joshua upped his game and took on Wlad.

Kovalev can be stopped as we saw a year ago, Yarde has coasted so far. It's his big chance to prove he's got the tools to do so. We should be happy if they face up to the challenge and take it on.

You're completely missing the point.
Before Spence 'stepped up' he'd faced a succession of solid fringe world-class fighters like Bundu and Algieri.
Before Ward 'stepped up' he'd faced Edison Miranda...and so on...

There's a big difference between fighting 'Euro level cans' and being gradually tested at a higher level to prepare you for the step up to true world class.

What the vast majority on here are saying is that Yarde has been woefully prepared in terms of getting ready for the step up and if the past year had been characterized by fighting successively better performers he'd be far better placed to succeed.

[oogiebe]

90% of us agree that the issue here is that Kov represents an opponent levels above anyone that Yarde has faced. No one is absolutely saying Yarde has no chance, but it's a poor matchup for him. No one knows how Yarde will deal with the power and experience of a fighter (granted aged) of Kov's level. He should have had at least two step up fights prior to this.

[Coco]

I'm imagining Kovalev by death.

I can't see it being that close!

[coneye]

For me , stepping up to fight Kovalev , is'nt a problem , what i don't like is the fact i don't believe he will step up now or in the near future , .

[skanksta]

yardes chin will play a big part, i wonder what its like, kov is the type who can hurt with jabs even though he didnt stop alvarez hes a very dangerous puncher and pretty sharp so will probably land

Suspect I reckon

IF it is then he’s toast, but what’s your evidence ?
He was slightly rattled by Travis IIRC ?

I’m surprised Kov points isn’t more popular - Kov boxed Alvarez ears off last time, while refusing to get involved. Same again, avoid Yarde’s power (which is surely decent even at this level) and it should be an easy nights work for The Krusher.

[jamamb]

ive seen it going around for a while that hes got glass but it seems like a vague gym rumor. he may well not hold a shot though, hard to say when based on his fights so far

[jamesmcdonnell]

Id be surprised if yarde has a poor chin, no sign as yet, plus, he has a huge neck and girdle of muscles around the tops of his shoulders, plus a thick jawline. Its possible he could have the type of neurological makeup that makes him susceptible , but the odds are, he will be solid chinned at the least.

[jamamb]

didnt seth mitchel have that too

[oogiebe]

didnt seth mitchel have that too

Nice obscure reference! LOL! And yeah he did and as you allude to, it didn't help.

[Ezzard]

Yarde does seem to take a lot of right hands. Is that because he knows his opponents can't do much damage? Or is it a flaw?

This fight is much more interesting to me than Crawford-Khan.

[Fightnight Scores]

You're completely missing the point.
Before Spence 'stepped up' he'd faced a succession of solid fringe world-class fighters like Bundu and Algieri.
Before Ward 'stepped up' he'd faced Edison Miranda...and so on...

There's a big difference between fighting 'Euro level cans' and being gradually tested at a higher level to prepare you for the step up to true world class.

What the vast majority on here are saying is that Yarde has been woefully prepared in terms of getting ready for the step up and if the past year had been characterized by fighting successively better performers he'd be far better placed to succeed.

I agree with you in that Yarde is woefully prepared for such a step up in class. Absolutely no question.

But re-read the thread and the common themes seems to be firstly; This fight never happens.
Then it's this will never happen because Yarde has no chance.
Then the fight gets ordered and people simply write off Yarde because of his lack of quality opposition, and that's fair enough.

There's no concrete evidence to support an arguement for Yarde winning this bout if it gets made. People just seem to interpret his lack of credible opponents as him being unable to hang with the better guys in the division.

For me, I see Yarde easily coasting through these overmatched guys. He's not needed to show anything special in the ring to get them out of there. He clearly has power, he clearly puts the work in in the gym and seems to have a great attitude and lives the life.

As his level of opposition rises we will no doubt see more aspects of his game come to fruition. Be it some defensive movement, speed, taking a good dig etc.

We have seen Kov is vulnerable and is aging, so it's natural to assume his best days will be behind him. So Yarde might just have anough about him, and catching Kov at the right time, to have this one in the bag, and it propels him up the ladder.

90% of us agree that the issue here is that Kov represents an opponent levels above anyone that Yarde has faced. No one is absolutely saying Yarde has no chance, but it's a poor matchup for him. No one knows how Yarde will deal with the power and experience of a fighter (granted aged) of Kov's level. He should have had at least two step up fights prior to this.

Yarde can't fight the flat-footed stalker he seems to covet. At this stage of his development, dare I say this is a mismatch.

Me too. Yarde and Kov's career timing is off. If Yarde fought him at his prime, Kov would be too old. Right now...Yarde too inexperienced at this level. Too much of a leap in levels.

Your own quotes seem to suggest, maybe cageily, that Yarde has no chance

[oogiebe]

Yarde has a chance, I just think the step up to Kov is quite large and Yarde is ill prepared for it.

[Oiky]

Very ill prepared,if it happens FairPlay to yarde and his team but I can't see it going through

[Deserter]

You're completely missing the point.
Before Spence 'stepped up' he'd faced a succession of solid fringe world-class fighters like Bundu and Algieri.
Before Ward 'stepped up' he'd faced Edison Miranda...and so on...

There's a big difference between fighting 'Euro level cans' and being gradually tested at a higher level to prepare you for the step up to true world class.

What the vast majority on here are saying is that Yarde has been woefully prepared in terms of getting ready for the step up and if the past year had been characterized by fighting successively better performers he'd be far better placed to succeed.

I agree with you in that Yarde is woefully prepared for such a step up in class. Absolutely no question.

But re-read the thread and the common themes seems to be firstly; This fight never happens.
Then it's this will never happen because Yarde has no chance.
Then the fight gets ordered and people simply write off Yarde because of his lack of quality opposition, and that's fair enough.

There's no concrete evidence to support an arguement for Yarde winning this bout if it gets made. People just seem to interpret his lack of credible opponents as him being unable to hang with the better guys in the division.

For me, I see Yarde easily coasting through these overmatched guys. He's not needed to show anything special in the ring to get them out of there. He clearly has power, he clearly puts the work in in the gym and seems to have a great attitude and lives the life.

As his level of opposition rises we will no doubt see more aspects of his game come to fruition. Be it some defensive movement, speed, taking a good dig etc.

We have seen Kov is vulnerable and is aging, so it's natural to assume his best days will be behind him. So Yarde might just have anough about him, and catching Kov at the right time, to have this one in the bag, and it propels him up the ladder.

90% of us agree that the issue here is that Kov represents an opponent levels above anyone that Yarde has faced. No one is absolutely saying Yarde has no chance, but it's a poor matchup for him. No one knows how Yarde will deal with the power and experience of a fighter (granted aged) of Kov's level. He should have had at least two step up fights prior to this.

Yarde can't fight the flat-footed stalker he seems to covet. At this stage of his development, dare I say this is a mismatch.

Me too. Yarde and Kov's career timing is off. If Yarde fought him at his prime, Kov would be too old. Right now...Yarde too inexperienced at this level. Too much of a leap in levels.

Your own quotes seem to suggest, maybe cageily, that Yarde has no chance

I hear you fella, I've just seen so many fighters who seem to be 'easily coasting' but then can't manage that step up. Not a like-for-like comparison, but I always remember Howard Eastman seeming like he had an extra gear, but the reality was he didn't he was just one-paced at world level. Martin Murray is another one who for a while gave the impression that he'd find another gear when the opposition demanded it.
The point I'm trying to make is that it's a false correlation to assume that because Yarde looks like he's coasting at this level, he will definitely be able to find something else at a higher level, as there's plenty of precedent to demonstrate that assumption frequently is flawed.
Equally to talk about Kov being vulnerable is a stretch - KO'ed by a world-class opponent and avenged it immediately. Perhaps vulnerable at the very highest level, but he's no Bradley Skeete... and as per my previous point, no suggestion yet that Yarde belongs in that bracket.

[Fightnight Scores]

I hear you fella, I've just seen so many fighters who seem to be 'easily coasting' but then can't manage that step up. Not a like-for-like comparison, but I always remember Howard Eastman seeming like he had an extra gear, but the reality was he didn't he was just one-paced at world level. Martin Murray is another one who for a while gave the impression that he'd find another gear when the opposition demanded it.
The point I'm trying to make is that it's a false correlation to assume that because Yarde looks like he's coasting at this level, he will definitely be able to find something else at a higher level, as there's plenty of precedent to demonstrate that assumption frequently is flawed.
Equally to talk about Kov being vulnerable is a stretch - KO'ed by a world-class opponent and avenged it immediately. Perhaps vulnerable at the very highest level, but he's no Bradley Skeete... and as per my previous point, no suggestion yet that Yarde belongs in that bracket.

Yeah I know what you're getting at!! David Price was the same, and I thought he'd become a big, big threat to the division

I think Uncle Frank is a massive proponent of this over protection of fighters and many times it simple doesn't pay off when they step up gears.

[Coco]

And also Eastman and Murray looked to be coasting at a much higher level than Yarde has fought at.

[NoScoutingReports]

[jamamb]

lol what a bitch, yarde has been undercarding at leisure centres ffs, if they talked all this time about being world level and getting a title shot and then do this type of crap then wtf has it all been for? will look a total bitch ass move and like there scared of something

[skanksta]

You're completely missing the point.
Before Spence 'stepped up' he'd faced a succession of solid fringe world-class fighters like Bundu and Algieri.
Before Ward 'stepped up' he'd faced Edison Miranda...and so on...

There's a big difference between fighting 'Euro level cans' and being gradually tested at a higher level to prepare you for the step up to true world class.

What the vast majority on here are saying is that Yarde has been woefully prepared in terms of getting ready for the step up and if the past year had been characterized by fighting successively better performers he'd be far better placed to succeed.

I agree with you in that Yarde is woefully prepared for such a step up in class. Absolutely no question.

But re-read the thread and the common themes seems to be firstly; This fight never happens.
Then it's this will never happen because Yarde has no chance.
Then the fight gets ordered and people simply write off Yarde because of his lack of quality opposition, and that's fair enough.

There's no concrete evidence to support an arguement for Yarde winning this bout if it gets made. People just seem to interpret his lack of credible opponents as him being unable to hang with the better guys in the division.

For me, I see Yarde easily coasting through these overmatched guys. He's not needed to show anything special in the ring to get them out of there. He clearly has power, he clearly puts the work in in the gym and seems to have a great attitude and lives the life.

As his level of opposition rises we will no doubt see more aspects of his game come to fruition. Be it some defensive movement, speed, taking a good dig etc.

We have seen Kov is vulnerable and is aging, so it's natural to assume his best days will be behind him. So Yarde might just have anough about him, and catching Kov at the right time, to have this one in the bag, and it propels him up the ladder.

90% of us agree that the issue here is that Kov represents an opponent levels above anyone that Yarde has faced. No one is absolutely saying Yarde has no chance, but it's a poor matchup for him. No one knows how Yarde will deal with the power and experience of a fighter (granted aged) of Kov's level. He should have had at least two step up fights prior to this.

Yarde can't fight the flat-footed stalker he seems to covet. At this stage of his development, dare I say this is a mismatch.

Me too. Yarde and Kov's career timing is off. If Yarde fought him at his prime, Kov would be too old. Right now...Yarde too inexperienced at this level. Too much of a leap in levels.

Your own quotes seem to suggest, maybe cageily, that Yarde has no chance

I hear you fella, I've just seen so many fighters who seem to be 'easily coasting' but then can't manage that step up. Not a like-for-like comparison, but I always remember Howard Eastman seeming like he had an extra gear, but the reality was he didn't he was just one-paced at world level. Martin Murray is another one who for a while gave the impression that he'd find another gear when the opposition demanded it.
The point I'm trying to make is that it's a false correlation to assume that because Yarde looks like he's coasting at this level, he will definitely be able to find something else at a higher level, as there's plenty of precedent to demonstrate that assumption frequently is flawed.
Equally to talk about Kov being vulnerable is a stretch - KO'ed by a world-class opponent and avenged it immediately. Perhaps vulnerable at the very highest level, but he's no Bradley Skeete... and as per my previous point, no suggestion yet that Yarde belongs in that bracket.

Eastman and Murray both excellent shouts.
I always thought they had gears, but they just didn't. Doesnae' mean Yarde won't of course.

Again - sorry to bang on about it - but this is why he shoulda been fighting for the Brit title. Not that Burton, Johnson, Buglioni, Ajisafe, whoever are loads better than the "Euro-level-cans" - they're not - it's that they would be real, meaningful fights. A prestigious title, an "away" atmosphere, the other guy having decent notice, not being hand-picked and coming to win.

I hope it happens - Kov vs Yarde in the UK would be an awesome night

[Fightnight Scores]

A prestigious title, an "away" atmosphere, the other guy having decent notice, not being hand-picked and coming to win.

I hope it happens - Kov vs Yarde in the UK would be an awesome night

I really like it when a UK fighter does it "the right way", by going the British / Lonsdale belt, EU route as you say. We don't see it all that much these days though.

[joshj909]

The Capacity of the Emirates is 60k, are they insane. That place would be so empty that we could see the worst atmosphere for a boxing event ever. The delusion here is unreal. However, if they want to win the purse bid then obviously they can dictate the location, but I have a feeling they'll lose by some margin and drop out.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Unreal.