Anthony Yarde says he is at his best when he fights fire with fire, which gives some indication of what to expect at Wembley.
Though Yarde loves a knockout himself, he is up against the biggest puncher in the light heavyweight division in Artur Beterbiev, holder the WBC, IBF and WBO belts. A fight with WBA champ Dimitry Bivol is arguably the most anticipated in the game but Beterbiev cares nothing for that this weekend. His focus is solely on Yarde. Beterbiev has stopped all 18 opponents as a pro. But at 38 he has inverted commas around his age.
Vigour, ability to take a shot, to get through a crisis is compromised by getting older. Callum Johnson had him down and hurt in 2019, yet he got up and finished it like the wrecking machine he is. His strength is extraordinary, twirling a 25kg Olympic bar like a baton in a marching band. And the standard of opposition he has fought is much better than Yarde’s.
