Arthur Beterbiev Vs Anthony Yarde prediction thread

Smith has fought

Beterbiev
Bivol
Eleider Alvarez
Maxim Vlasov
Sullivan Barrera
B-Hop (ancient, shot)
Andzrej Fonfara
Jesse Hart

Alvarez, B-Hop and Fonfara were knocked out

He dropped Barrera hard in round 1 but suffered a badly broken jaw shortly after and it clearly affected and hindered him greatly

Vlasov was hurt multiple times, dropped and arguably saved from a stoppage loss by the ref

Hart was dropped and he was also hurt a few times and this is despite him running and holding all night

Bivol was badly hurt by a big right hand over the top at the end of round 10

The only one he didn't badly hurt, drop, or stop is Beterbiev

Smith is a very hard puncher

He was a part-time fighter for much or even most of his career

Otis Griffin on Joe Smith

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Yarde has fought

Kovalev (well past prime)
Lyndon Arthur

Now go take a look at his record and see who his 3rd, 4th and 5th best opponents are?

He obviously hits very hard and is faster, slicker and has better accuracy than Smith, but he's fought trash and it's a disgrace he was gifted one title shot, let alone two

That being said, it's a dangerous fight for Beterbiev because Yarde is talented, does hit very hard, has fast hands, picks some classy shots, is a good finisher and he's much younger and fresher and Beterbiev is 38 and is fighting him in his backyard

 

I think you mean record padding. I've followed both Smith and Yarde's careers and Yarde's CV is horrific. Smith has fought and beaten the far better opposition and it's not remotely close. And he is a very hard puncher indeed.

That doesn't mean I don't think this isn't a risky fight for Beterbiev or that Yarde isn't a dangerous customer and can't win against an aged 38 year old Beterbiev. I think it is and styles make fights. But Yarde's level of opposition is some of the worst I've seen for a one time world title challenger, let alone a two time one.

 

Did I really just see a Yarde fan criticize another fighter for having a padded record or did my eyes deceive me?

I actually watch the fights and I don't need to go off Boxrec or Wiki pages. Maybe if you did the same you'd be aware of the fact that Yarde resume is as padded as it gets and with the exception of a well past prime Kovalev he has not fought anyone above domestic level

Lyndon Arthur is by far his best win and Arthur's record is very padded

Yarde is 1-2 against Kovalev and Arthur

What are his top 5 wins?

Here's a thread from the Brit forum dedicated to the stellar opposition he's fought. That's how terrible his opposition has been

https://www.boxingforum24.com/threads/anthony-yardes-bum-carousel-continues.593137/


You'd also be aware of the fact that the only reason Smith's fight against Hart was a SD was because of a corrupt judge scored it to Hart by a round even though he was dominated and it wasn't remotely close. And the only reason Hart didn't get knocked out is because he ran and held all night like a female dog even though he was trying to avenge his mentor B-Hop's loss and avenge it for Philly too

'Joe Smith Jr. beat up and knocked Jesse Hart down - winning their fight by a shocking split decision in Atlantic City, New Jersey Saturday night.

Two judges scored the fight correctly, 97-92 and 98-91 for Smith, the third needs an eye exam as he somehow saw Hart winning by a 95-94 tally.


Maxboxing scored the fight 98-91 for Smith.



'Hart, who came in as the favorite, never really looked like he came to win tonight, giving Smith Jr. so much respect that he was essentially running laps around the ring from the opening bell. With Hart hesitant to sit down on any punches because he didn’t want to trade with the bigger puncher — mostly looking to survive — Smith Jr. just took that as an invitation to get a head of steam, which he used to maul Hart along the ropes over and over again.'


'One judge shockingly had the fight 95-94 for Hart. The other two made up for the appalling single score with cards of 97-92 and 98-91 for Smith, who won by split-decision.'


'Smith knocked down Hart in the seventh round, which widened his win on the scorecards of judges Eugene Grant (97-92) and Joe Pasquale (98-91). Judge James Kinney somehow scored the fight for Hart (95-94), who spent the final three-plus rounds simply attempting to survive.'


Smith has fought

Beterbiev
Bivol
Alvarez
Vlasov
Barrera
B-Hop
Fonfara
Hart

His record is far from padded

Yarde has fought

Kovalev
Arthur
And a bunch of D, E and F level bums from the UK, Eastern Europe, South And North America, many of whom are total featherfists

I'm not talking about Smith's skills. I'm talking about his power and his vastly superior level of opposition to Yarde's.



I think Yarde, despite is abysmal level of opposition and super padded record, is talented and dangerous and I give him a better shot against this aged version of Beterbiev than most do. Because he's fast. Is a big puncher. Is a decent counter puncher. Is a very good finisher. And because he has home advantage and is a lot younger and fresher than Beterbiev with way less miles on the clock. He does certain things better than Smith and I expect him to, at least, have success against Beterbiev due to that, but Smith has a way better resume and as of now his power is proven against a much higher level of opposition than Yarde's is.

 

So if I make Yarde vs Beterbiev round 1 of a prediction tournament, you would go ahead and pick Yarde? Would you mind joining the tourny if I add it then?