Round-by-Round: Sergey Kovalev vs. Anthony Yarde - 24 August 2019

[DrDuke]

A great performance by Kovalev. Yarde appeared to be tough. Kovalev bravely survived the onslaught to come back and KO Yarde.

[margaret thatcher]

Anyone notice Yarde do that weird thing where he'd turn his head and look the other way

[KiwiRider]

What an effort from the boy, part of the mystique with his trainer guru was the reason he came out that last round, but they should’ve saved him there.

What a fighter is the Russian, what balls from both of them, he should’ve won it in the eighth....that was an incredible turnaround TWICE

Stunning balls. Kovalev has still got it. What a fighter. I was absolutely sick when he didn't get the rightful decision against Andre Bored, and the same when he got destroyed to the balls in the rematch.

I really really thought Yarde would do it in that 8th. gutted for him. I was hoping Yarde would throw the jab more.

Not sure how much more ring experience would have helped yarde there, he was beaten by the better guy.

So close though.

Just doing a couple of 12 rounders would have helped. He did blow out after the 8th and had very little to offer after that.

[MightyWarrior]

Great interview

[Black Sam Bellamy]

History repeats itself. Frank took Piper and Prince east for inevitable losses twenty odd years back. Still doing it.

Life changing money, he wouldn't sell out the copper box here. No brainer.

[jameswilson]

Yarde was seconds away from winning this. Why lie.

Definitely had there been another 20-30 seconds in that round I think he would have put him over,

[handsofstone]

Pretty ironic it was the jab which finished off Yarde in the end, Kovalev used it brilliantly all night, one of the best jabbing displays in a while, Yarde just couldn't get out of the way of it from the opening bell, I tipped Yarde to KO Kovalev and in that 8th round he very nearly did, he hit Kovalev with everything and it every shot that landed Kovalev was on the brink but he showed some beard to stay upright, truth be told Yarde was outclassed, although i fancied Yarde for the upset, like most who thought that, I'm not surprised about what happened, it was always a real possibility and the likely outcome

Yarde showed a good beard of his own and proved he's got heart, he tried harder when tired and hurt, no head movement though, was eating jabs all night and his feet were too slow to close the gap, it wasn't until the 7th he targeted the body which i thought should've been a crucial tactic from early on, he never took enough chances with the right hand either, Kovalev on the other hand was first class, jab exceptional and the straight left, good accuracy, up/down 1/2s, the way he came out and dominated the 9th after being out on his feet in the 8th was class, Yarde i feel let him off the hook and allowed Kovalev to recover and after that Yarde seemed to fall apart eventually and by the end you knew Kovalev was gonna finish him

Brave again but there was def some things Yarde could've maybe done better but with that hopeless egomaniac in the corner,, Yarde was never gonna get the right advice and help when he needed it, great fight though, very impressed with Kovalev

[ewenhay]

Yarde was seconds away from winning this. Why lie.

Yeah that's true but it's not really the story of the fight though is it?

[overhand_right]

Yarde will be sick when he watches the fight back, and sees how beaten Kovalev was at the end of the eighth, mentally and physically. His corner were one sustained attack away from throwing the towel in the ninth, but it never came.

[JC]

Yarde was seconds away from winning this. Why lie.

I think that’s over stating it a bit.

[TheLeprechaun]

Before he hurt Kovalev, I got the feeling that he could have won if he was willing to empty the tank and he put everything into that 8th round. Yarde could have done a Chilemba and went the distance in a loss pretty easily but he went for it and it didn't work out. Talentwise, Yarde isn't going to beat the Kovalevs, Bivols, Gvosdyks etc. He's going to get outboxed most of the time and maybe turn it around due to his heart like he almost did tonight but you can't base a career on that.

I really think Tunde should have pulled him out because I could see that Yarde had nothing left and was shipping punches from a very big puncher in Kovalev. The fight was over for me and many a trainer would have stopped it.

[Bard of Boxrec]

Before he hurt Kovalev, I got the feeling that he could have won if he was willing to empty the tank and he put everything into that 8th round. Yarde could have done a Chilemba and went the distance in a loss pretty easily but he went for it and it didn't work out. Talentwise, Yarde isn't going to beat the Kovalevs, Bivols, Gvosdyks etc. He's going to get outboxed most of the time and maybe turn it around due to his heart like he almost did tonight but you can't base a career on that.

I really think Tunde should have pulled him out because I could see that Yarde had nothing left and was shipping punches from a very big puncher in Kovalev. The fight was over for me and many a trainer would have stopped it.

I honestly thought he did the right thing. The guy was ready to go, that was his chance and he couldn't quite land that finishing shot. Unfortunate but that's what happens.

[JxhDel.]

The moment Yarde gassed out during his hefty assault, it was the beginning of the end. Got vastly out-jabbed for the first half of the match, and pretty much rag dolled from the 9th towards the end.

He looked like he could have won it in the 8th, but he was in trouble too.

[margaret thatcher]

Thought Yarde fought the ninth a bit bizarre by not going for much, but thinking about it , think it was a combo of being gassed from the onslaught in the 8th, and then I think Kov also stunned him a few times and got him tentative. Kov is not a guy I'd think would come back from trouble like that but fair play by the ninth he was even taunting Yarde

[Bard of Boxrec]

Thought Yarde fought the ninth a bit bizarre by not going for much, but thinking about it , think it was a combo of being gassed from the onslaught in the 8th, and then I think Kov also stunned him a few times and got him tentative. Kov is not a guy I'd think would come back from trouble like that but fair play by the ninth he was even taunting Yarde

As soon as I realised Yarde couldn't get it done in the 8th I got the feeling it was all over for him. But yeah I didn't expect Kov to get through that round.

[handsofstone]

Shades of Watson/Benn with the KO

[keithmoonhangover]

Nevermind all this lions bullsh1t. Yarde barely slipped a jab all night. He just took a beating in there tonight. Where were the basics? I didn't see them. Yarde was exposed for what he is. The sheer volume of punches he took was disgusting, What was Tunde saying in the corner to change the course of the fight? What was plan B? There wasn't one. The long term effects of the punches are unknown, but Yarde's defensive strategy is clear, there isn't one. System nine is bullsh1t. Even if Tunde was a good trainer, he's a terrible cornerman., Yarde deserves a hell of a lot better.

[Grilling Machine]

Anyone notice Yarde do that weird thing where he'd turn his head and look the other way

I think he was just riding them as much as possible in his knackered state, turning fully to then crouch without leaving himself square. Very dangerous tactic.

[Nondescript]

Brilliant fight. Yarde left all the ring but there was a gulf in boxing class. Yarde's youth and physicallity made it a fight

Kovalev is an brilliant fighter - a rolls royce.

I think the fight showed the difference between a world class fighter and an elite fighter.

[gerryd77]

Nevermind all this lions bullsh1t. Yarde barely slipped a jab all night. He just took a beating in there tonight. Where were the basics? I didn't see them. Yarde was exposed for what he is. The sheer volume of punches he took was disgusting, What was Tunde saying in the corner to change the course of the fight? What was plan B? There wasn't one. The long term effects of the punches are unknown, but Yarde's defensive strategy is clear, there isn't one. System nine is bullsh1t. Even if Tunde was a good trainer, he's a terrible cornerman., Yarde deserves a hell of a lot better.

Agree with this. He was comprehensively outboxed for the majority of the fight. Got one chance and couldn’t take it before gassing and getting ko by a 36 year old who loves a drink.

[TheLeprechaun]

Before he hurt Kovalev, I got the feeling that he could have won if he was willing to empty the tank and he put everything into that 8th round. Yarde could have done a Chilemba and went the distance in a loss pretty easily but he went for it and it didn't work out. Talentwise, Yarde isn't going to beat the Kovalevs, Bivols, Gvosdyks etc. He's going to get outboxed most of the time and maybe turn it around due to his heart like he almost did tonight but you can't base a career on that.

I really think Tunde should have pulled him out because I could see that Yarde had nothing left and was shipping punches from a very big puncher in Kovalev. The fight was over for me and many a trainer would have stopped it.

I honestly thought he did the right thing. The guy was ready to go, that was his chance and he couldn't quite land that finishing shot. Unfortunate but that's what happens.

I think his stamina is limited due to his physique. Maybe if he'd fought a really tough gatekeeper to the top level like a Chilemba or Sullivan Barrera and had a situation where he really went for it when he had them hurt and didn't get them out of there, he'd have made efforts to correct the stamina issue. It's a combination of pacing himself and adjusting his training to increase stamina. It's a shame he had to learn these things the hard way. I would have thought he'd have come out in the 9th and put it on Kovalev. His stamina shouldn't have been so compromised since he was utilizing the Joe Gallagher gameplan of doing fkall for the first half.

[margaret thatcher]

Kov may be a 36 year old vodka fan, but he is a very good fighter

[Bard of Boxrec]

Absolutely amazing, with hardly any experience, no sparring, padded record, protected ...to turn up with a performance like that, against a champion like that, in such an intimidating place.... amazing

And it was his lack of experience lost him the fight, because If he had paced himself in the eighth, he could well have knocked him out in the next round

Hmmm, not sure I agree MW, that was his chance right there, Kov was ready to go. I think he did the right thing. Good judgment, just didn't work out.

[forcefraser]

Kovalev is an excellent boxer. Although he didnt get the decision he beat Andre Ward in the first fight.

For a guy if Yarde's limited experience and low level opposition he put up a great effort and showed huge balls

Bottom line though he was totally outboxed and he was beaten up. Just as expected.

That sustained beating is far worse than a 2 round blowout. He had no answer to the jab and took a shellacking

[Nondescript]

Whilst Yarde showed great heart and chin, do you think he could beat any of the other belt holders?