Easy checklist. Is fight decent? If yes go to step 2, if not go to step one. 1. The fight is on. 2. The fight is in doubt.
So Anthony Yarde’s professional record against non-bums W- 0 D- 0 L- 2(1) Perhaps if he is still refusing to change trainer, he should stick to Hungarian taxi drivers and Latvian security guards?
Will be WBO mandatory by end of next year having just beat 3 taxi drivers all in under 2 rounds and will be in the exact same position again getting beat against someone that punches back
The opponents Yarde has beaten have a 251 - 221 - 21 record. Not a single good win on his resume. Some of the boxers have padded records such as the Hungarian bloke he beat who had an 18-1 record - he got KO'd by a guy with a 3 wins 4 losses record.
Completely skipped British domestic level while hunting a world title shot and the lack of experience showed. I think Yarde has the talent to succeed but had been handled all wrong. Same thing will happen to Conor Benn if they try and drop him back to domestic, will get exposed badly. Let's face it, Tunde has brainwashed him with his garbage and it's probably to late for him now, the guy does not even bring in sparring partners for camp (probably to save money).
I've never been convinced with Yarde but I will say Yarde has some natural talent that a good trainer could work with. How far could/can he go? I have no idea but with this team I believe this is about as good as it gets, he has hit his ceiling. Woke up today and was thinking about what i saw last night and I'm still in shock just how terrible Tunde Ajayi really is. I mean genuinely open mouthed type shock, I knew he was not good but FFS that corner work was dreadful... that's not even mentioning forgetting the gumshield two round in a row at a crucial part of the fight. Also Tunde saying after a long pause.. "He is scared Ant" isn't advice, it's an opinion, then watch Pat Barrett in the other corner.. calming, talking, giving tactical and technical advice, he knew what to say and when to say it.. because he has been there himself and knows boxing, a genuine old school type trainer.. it was good stuff from Pat but also very basic. Tunde with even the basics, the raw basics, he doesn't see what needs to be done or doesn't seem to understand what needs to be done, so in my opinion Yarde has got to make a move, Yarde needs more help than somebody shouting "Lions In The Camp" in the corner. It's not a nice situation for Yarde to be in right now, he knows he as to make a decision, he either sticks or twists and neither decision will be easy. But if Yarde at 29 years old wants to maximise his best years and not waste them with a bunch of cheerleaders he needs to admit to himself this isn't working and have a sensible conversation with Tunde. If it's that difficult then maybe not even get rid of Tunde completely, have him there in some capacity but bring somebody else in who will tell him straight when he needs to liven up and what he needs to do. Also, where was Tunde last night? Yarde fronted up, got on IFL, Seconds Out, BT and looked heartbroken, he actually looked like he'd been crying or was about to burst in to tears. Tunde can't keep himself away from a switched on camera, it's like moth to a flame, but he was gone, vanished and Yarde was left there alone to speak. Have a look before the fight at all the cheerleaders shouting "Lions In The Camp" and go and watch Yardes post fight interviews.. he is ALONE, nobody is supporting him, it's horrible to see to be honest. Sure, I found it a little funny at the end as the result read out, I don't like hyped fighters, I dont think Yarde deserves the hype and exposure he has got and I don't like the way the Yarde camp scream and shout but by the end of night I didn't feel comfortable with what I'd seen and I really didn't like watching a man walk in to the ring with a bunch of hype men screaming, shouting and posing and by 11:30pm sitting alone looking distraught trying to explain he won when the vast majority don't think he did. I wish Yarde good luck because over the next period of his career he is going to need it.
It depends what you mean by succeed. I don’t see him ever winning a world title but can he make good money from the sport? Yes. It was clear to everyone apart from Yarde, Warren and team that Yarde hasn’t even thought domestic level opponents, let alone European. There’s honestly no point in him fighting these rank #782 boxrec #15 WBO euro bums. Go and get the confidence up by smashing Jake Ball, then move on to Summers, come through that target Azeez, Pitters, Richards, Burton then progress on to European level or aim for a “big” fight with Buatsi, Johnson or Arthur rematch.
By succeed I mean reaching potential. They took the easy route in order to get a payday whereas Yarde's potential could have been winning a world title. If you add a little bit of Lyndon Arthur into Yarde's game you would have quite a formidable fighter. You have to wonder if these are boxing people he has around him or business men/opportunists with there own agendas. Yes, they have been successful in making a quick buck but he has not been successful as a sportsman, to me that is reaching your potential as a fighter whatever that level may be and in Yarde's case had they done that it would have meant even greater financial rewards.
Yarde and Tunde might as well give Kiril Psonko a call for his next fight. That's a nice little bounceback fight for Yarde. Afterwards, Yarde and his snake oil salesman trainer can tell everyone why Yarde is the best in the world at Light Heavy.
Thing is, bud, they can’t just add a bit of Arthur into Yarde’s game. Obviously there’s been a few exceptions to the rule but ultimately I think a lack of amateur experience really holds these lads back. Starting from a young age and having the fundamentals drubbed into them, facing lots of different styles and going through attrition. They’ve devoted thousands more hours to the sport than someone who learns on the job in the pro game. We saw last night the advantage a amateur background can give you.
