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

[Bard of Boxrec]

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.

I thought his stamina was pretty fukin amazing for someone getting jabbed to death all night. The amount of effort he put into that 8th round was justified and would have gassed anyone, there wasn't much abnormal about how gassed he was after that given what he threw at Kov.

Yarde shipped a hell of a lot of punishment in there, but it would be odd not to praise Kovalev's offensive genius as playing a part in that, some sourpusses are already saying Yarde is a disgrace etc (see Keith above) but Kovalev has always been brilliant at setting up and landing that crushing jab and following it up with hurtful power shots. Seriosuly, who the hell wouldn't have got hit against him in LHW history?

[smiling assassin]

I can see why Canelos camp are in a rush to get the Kov fight, he can't take it to the body.

[Bard of Boxrec]

I can see why Canelos camp are in a rush to get the Kov fight, he can't take it to the body.

I can't wait for Sergey to krush that ginger idiot.

[lillywhite14]

Showed world class heart and a top chin. Great effort. Come very close to doing it too, I was out the chair shouting at the tv when he had Kovalev going!

Hats off to the man.

Not happy he finished the way he did though. Corner should have pulled him out at the end of the previous round. I understand it’s a world title fight but he had nothing left to give and was a sitting duck. Didn’t deserve to finish the fight on his back

[ewenhay]

Rounds 7 thru 11 were exciting.

He probably should have worked Kovalev a bit harder in the first half of the fight though. But maybe he knew he didn't have the stamina himself.

Some tougher fights prior to this one would have stood him in good stead. It would have made it less of a jump.

[KiwiRider]

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.

All those jabs he shipped early on must have had an effect as well.
Kov has a nasty piston jab that has broken better boxers than Yarde. I agree re; stamina. But some head movement to avoid or block the jab would have helped, and it's not a new thing from Kov, it's expected.

[Grilling Machine]

Yarde struck me as indecisive in terms of looking for Kov's head on the counter and sustaining momentum to work the body. There were times when he forced a good distance to work the body and looked pretty great doing it, but then allowed Kov to reset and escape corners too much.

Why stay at range two-thirds of the time if you're getting outboxed there? Because you might take more punishment if you walk Kov down and throw, sure, but that started to look like a gamble worth taking as the middle rounds came and Yarde was way behind. He was outmuscling Kov in the first half, but not banking shots — even half-landed ones — to make that wasted energy worth it.

I was massively impressed with Yarde's heart, and he really was channelling Benn at times, but he needs a trainer to ensure his work's productive towards a focused goal, not just hopeful crabbing like a kid on a cold beach.

[edit]

Oh, and I thought that BT's commentary was a little biased in favour of Kov. I gave Yarde three rounds. Jones has a habit of only seeing what his favourite does once he's chosen one. We all have that weakness to an extent, but I find it more pronounced in his case.

[Datsue]

Some good points being made by keith & the lep above me—I admit I was swayed beforehand by thinking "Ooh, he's young & can punch & Kov's vulnerable, he might just do it...", but the eighth round aside he took a frightful shellacking there. Kiddie upthread who said about the Joe Gallagher-esque gameplan was spot on, too.

Astonishing naivety to go in there without a real plan ("Just go out there & get your head jabbed off for eight rounds, Ant, he'll get tired then") & then after he'd shot his bolt, to let him keep getting pasted until he was drilled into the floor was fvcking execrable.

Nothing wrong with Yarde's heart or his chin, but Tunde is a pudendum & sold him short.

PS: I have never been quite sold on Kovalev. However, he came through a tough, tough fight versus a much younger bloke & came right back from the brink to do it. I've often thought you can't call a fella great until he goes right to the brink & comes back. & there you go.

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

[Ricky]

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.

True, but is Yarde really a world class fighter? I'm not convinced. It think his physical attributes gave him a great chance tonight but Kovalev is nearly 40, can Yarde really hang with the current crop.of LHW champions like the Nail, Bivol, etc? He got jabbed to bits tonight and his left hook was too obvious. Who knows, but he was worth his purse tonight and I'll certainly watch his next outing

[smiling assassin]

I can see why Canelos camp are in a rush to get the Kov fight, he can't take it to the body.

I can't wait for Sergey to krush that ginger idiot.

I want Kov to win that fight if it gets made but think this version of Kov gets stopped

[Grilling Machine]

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

[margaret thatcher]

Yarde showed me enough to say that he's got evidence of himself being at minimum fringe world class or at least strong strong Euro. Go watch Kovalev vs 3x and then EBU champ Igor Milkhalkin, and it's just a totally different thing from what Kov had tonight

A guy like Beterbiev I'm not convinced is much better than Yarde

[watsupdoc87]

Doubled my wages there. It was tight needing that ko but happy days. Couldn't believe evens for a kov ko. Free money

[Wa1nuts]

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

True, but is Yarde really a world class fighter? I'm not convinced. It think his physical attributes gave him a great chance tonight but Kovalev is nearly 40, can Yarde really hang with the current crop.of LHW champions like the Nail, Bivol, etc? He got jabbed to bits tonight and his left hook was too obvious. Who knows, but he was worth his purse tonight and I'll certainly watch his next outing

He's 36 not nearly 40. Youl give me a mid life crisis

[Datsue]

I can't wait for Sergey to krush that ginger idiot.

I want Kov to win that fight if it gets made but think this version of Kov gets stopped

I would love for someone—anyone!—to smack the Ginger drug cheat around like he stole something, but I can see this version of Kovalev crumbling late on vs Alvarez. Ginger smashes them in downstairs & he's a tank, against some of the younger light-heavies I can see him getting smashed up but I think Kov's just too vulnerable these days.

[Datsue]

Yarde showed me enough to say that he's got evidence of himself being at minimum fringe world class or at least strong strong Euro. Go watch Kovalev vs 3x and then EBU champ Igor Milkhalkin, and it's just a totally different thing from what Kov had tonight

Physically, yes. He's a beast.

A guy like Beterbiev I'm not convinced is much better than Yarde

Dunno with Beterbiev. I thought he looked dreadful versus that Bosnian-Yank kiddie last time out, he has less than zero defence (I swear if you miss him, it pisses him off), but he's got all that amateur pedigree & he does really smash people up when he catches them. I think it'd come down to if Yarde could outlast AB. Dunno about that.

Yarde isn't exactly a defensive whizz & I think a fight versus AB would be savagely, horrifically gruelling. Like, Prince Charles Williams vs Merqui Sosa, the referee stops the fight to save them both from punishment gruelling.

[Ricky]

I can't wait for Sergey to krush that ginger idiot.

I want Kov to win that fight if it gets made but think this version of Kov gets stopped

Probably

[Nondescript]

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

True, but is Yarde really a world class fighter? I'm not convinced. It think his physical attributes gave him a great chance tonight but Kovalev is nearly 40, can Yarde really hang with the current crop.of LHW champions like the Nail, Bivol, etc? He got jabbed to bits tonight and his left hook was too obvious. Who knows, but he was worth his purse tonight and I'll certainly watch his next outing

I think Yarde can hang at world level, but I agree in that I'm not sure I'd fancy him to beat any of the current belt holders,

Beterbiev would probably be his best chance, but even though hes crude, hes still physically very strong and hits very hard.

[KiwiRider]

True, but is Yarde really a world class fighter? I'm not convinced. It think his physical attributes gave him a great chance tonight but Kovalev is nearly 40, can Yarde really hang with the current crop.of LHW champions like the Nail, Bivol, etc? He got jabbed to bits tonight and his left hook was too obvious. Who knows, but he was worth his purse tonight and I'll certainly watch his next outing

I think Yarde can hang at world level, but I agree in that I'm not sure I'd fancy him to beat any of the current belt holders,

Beterbiev would probably be his best chance, but even though hes crude, hes still physically very strong and hits very hard.

He would learn a lot from watching this fight back. Work on a few things and come back better. Given his poor preparation and opponent selection, he did very well.
I agree the other belt holders would be tougher than Kov, but he could work his way up to them.

[polecateddy]

It’s probably a mistake to think this experience has done Yarde much good. Usually a beating like this spells a short career. For every Nigel Benn, there’s a long list of fighters like Richard Evatt and Wayne Elcock who were more or less through.

[Datsue]

While the topic's current, can I just say "Fvck yeah, Buddy McGirt"?

I loved him as a fighter (proper ring mechanic, lovely left hook counter) & I'm made up for his resurgence as a trainer.

[tobyh5]

True, but is Yarde really a world class fighter? I'm not convinced. It think his physical attributes gave him a great chance tonight but Kovalev is nearly 40, can Yarde really hang with the current crop.of LHW champions like the Nail, Bivol, etc? He got jabbed to bits tonight and his left hook was too obvious. Who knows, but he was worth his purse tonight and I'll certainly watch his next outing

I think Yarde can hang at world level, but I agree in that I'm not sure I'd fancy him to beat any of the current belt holders,

Beterbiev would probably be his best chance, but even though hes crude, hes still physically very strong and hits very hard.

Beating like that changes a man. Yarde showed some world class balls and guts and overall fringe world level, but I doubt he’ll shake off that hiding to ever be the fighter he could have been.

Tunde is a disgrace.

[Grilling Machine]

Also, despite the similarities in heart between Yarde and Benn, the latter was only limited in comparison to a host of superb boxers. Maybe it's even a thought for Benn to train Yarde? I've heard dafter ideas.

[KiwiRider]

It’s probably a mistake to think this experience has done Yarde much good. Usually a beating like this spells a short career. For every Nigel Benn, there’s a long list of fighters like Richard Evatt and Wayne Elcock who were more or less through.

Yarde is very low milage.
Watching it back will show him how he needs to avoid the jab, bank more to the body, improve his stamina and ditch his trainer

[Coco]

It’s probably a mistake to think this experience has done Yarde much good. Usually a beating like this spells a short career. For every Nigel Benn, there’s a long list of fighters like Richard Evatt and Wayne Elcock who were more or less through.

Yarde is very low milage.
Watching it back will show him how he needs to avoid the jab, bank more to the body, improve his stamina and ditch his trainer

The fight has made him a millionaire, the fight has done him a lot of good!
Getting knocked out won't do much for his health! But he'll get over it