Because Brit casuals always bet on their own fighters so the bookies adjust the odds. You could have khan vs Mike Tyson and they'd beyond on khan
He also underwhelmed in his last homecoming fight that was supposed to be a build up towards a much bigger fight that was already lined up. That, and the dude just seems to have rotten luck in boxing. It just seems like itd be him to finally have a huge payday lined up and have the lead in fight blow up in his face.
Yarde is unproven but he’s young, strong and hungry and there’s a unknown mystery about him in that no one really know just how good or bad he really could be.
You're spot on about Krusher already having a "disappointing homecoming". But the scorecards would surely be in his favor.
I think the only way Yarde leaves Russia victorious is if he KNOCKS OUT Kovalev in his own home country(MOTHER RUSSIA) and what are the chances of that happening?
Bookies don't bank on drunks. Simple as that. Kovalev, at his best, is one of the most awesome offensive machines I've seen, a crusher but crafty with it. I consider him to have a win over Ward (the first fight) and that in itself is a huge achievement. Up until that fight Ward hadn't come close to losing. No-one schooled Hopkins like he did. On the flip side, every last source says he has a major problem with the booze. In this he would be no different to most of the male contingent from Chelyabinsk and surrounding areas. If he stays off it and gets a good camp, he should smash Yarde to pieces. In theory Yarde has no business being in the ring with him. However, if he's hitting the bottle and sluggish like he was in the first fight against Alvarez, then Yarde has the athleticism to overwhelm him. Fingers crossed he's on point but, like the bookmakers, I'm not banking on it.
Because Kovalev is an old boxer, and it's a 12-round fight. Yes, Yarde is unproven, but that is compensated by Kovalev's carelessness.
The architect of his own downfall. Such a shame really, with his skillset he could have ruled 175lb for years and made crazy money.
It's not that easy and straightforward... First of all, I think that those "Kovalev is a drunk" rumors are not confirmed at all. From what we know, it's only Mike Coppinger alone who reported about that airplane incident (after that all other media just started reposting it). And it wasn't even been reported that Kovalev was drunk. In fact, Kovalev has dismissed that rumors as BS, his only comment was "Don't read to the yellow press". Sergey could be lying, but who knows. If he were really a drunk, there would be numerous independent reports from different sources. Second, he does listen to Buddy, is of very high opinion of him. That's almost a fact: it's obvious from their youtube videos together, Kovalev praises McGirt in almost every his interview, etc. And now to the complicated part. The point is, even if Kovalev is sober now, trains hard and listens to Buddy, he's an old boxer anyway! His body is old. All that crazy life, starting from the poor childhood, where quality food (such as meat, for example) was a luxury, plus bad habits in the past, has taken a toll on Sergey. So now, just 12 rounds of real professional fight might be a huge problem for Kovalev. In Sergey's own words, he intends to box with Yarde, will try to not get hit at all. That plan worries me, frankly speaking. What if Yarde has a good chin, so he will try just walking through Kovalev's jabs and landing power punches on Sergey?
I really really hope you're right. And I'm not saying you aren't. That does me feel a little bit better, I hadn't followed up on it but I did notice that it hadn't turned into something bigger, so I'm inclined to think it might have been blown out of proportion. As far as his strategy for the Yarde match, trust me if The Krusher hurts him he'll finish him. And even just trying to outbox him, Sergey is heavy-handed enough to rock him with a jab. It'll be enough to keep Anthony at bay and scared to let his hands go.
