Unified world light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev and his challenger Anthony Yarde met the media for the final time Thursday ahead of their highly-anticipated showdown at the OVO Arena, Wembley on Saturday.
Anthony Yarde: “For my first world title fight I was very green, I was 18 fights in and a big novice in the sport. I just had something and it was heart. I went out to Russia, it was a very different experience and a lot of things happened leading up to the fight, but I’ve got the mentality of once you get in the ring, you will see….it doesn’t matter now, my preparation is different now and I have learned since then as well. I am a different type of fighter with different life experiences. I am ready for Saturday.”
Artur Beterbiev: “I feel good. I hope on January 28 I will change a little bit (to turn into a monster). I said he looks like a bodybuilder because of his muscles. I don’t have this muscle and I didn’t say it to mean anything bad. I said it because he looks strong! In our camp we always try to be ready for different scenarios. If it is a tough fight we are going to be ready, we will be ready for whatever. I just try to do my best.”
Also on hand were WBA flyweight champion Artem Dalakian and David Jimenez, who will clash for the title in the co-feature.
Can’t hardly wait for this one! Let’s see Bivol in with the winner!
Beterbiev you better win decisively or KO because if it is close you will not get the decision in London-they are notorious for home decisions against ‘foreign’ opposition!!
Rubicon
Really!!
That’s funny, Usyk won against AJ in his home town of North London and so have many other visitors.
You must be confused with all the visitors ( Khan, Eastman, Fury, Lewis, Schultz) who were all robbed over there in the USA.
Yarde is a good solid boxer will movement, speed, and ring intelligence. Beterbiev’s power will be the deciding factor in this fight. Yarde, I feel, is the better boxer between the two. However, Beterbiev’s horsepower coupled with his counters will upset the apple cart for Yarde. Beterbiev will simply cut the ring off after a few rounds to feel Yarde out and then slowly submit him into a TKO. Beterbiev TKO.
Beterbiev has made a career out of making superior boxers crumble. He just seems to have a level of demolition you don’t see below the heavyweight class. He just breaks people down. Yarde will be game, and it won’t be easy, but I expect Beterbiev to win.
You say Yarde is a better boxer, but then said Beterbiev will cut the ring off and catch up with him. That tells me that Beterbiev is the better ”boxer”. Yarde will be dangerous early but he isn’t anything that Beterbiev hasn’t seen before.
Beterbiev will cut the ring off by stalking and walking Yarde down. Not real hard to do when you possess power to land on the button.
AB: “Wow dis man has beeg muscle”
Lol. Could be a nice mental edge for AB if he can somehow fight like the beast he appears to be.
Peace.
Adv. AY not AB
What?
He was being sarcastic ..think beterbiev gets intimidated by muscles ? This guy is a machine ..only shot is if he’s washed up ..2 fights ago he struggled a bit ..then again a washed up kovalev knocked him out so it might not matter if beterbiev is past his best
Beterbiev envious of Yarde’s physique, could give a mental edge to Yarde, he would be wise to use it; come in extra greased up or something. Hate to be a Debbie Downer, respect to Beterbiev’s abilities, but he’s in a weak lightheavyweight division, currently, similar to when Wlad held the heavyweight title for 10 years, wasn’t a good division.
In his 2nd fight , he made tavoris cloud look like Apollo creed ..he destroyed the Ukrainian that put Superman Stevensonto sleep
Like I said…this is a weak era for Light heavyweight…it is what it is. Stevenson was 46 when he got KO’ed.