Back in the ring this weekend against Dec Spelmen. Lets forget about the 'fight' in a Spanish pub that was somehow dressed up to be a smart move, get a win to be in contention to fight for the WBO title should it become vacant. Technically correct, but come on..

I've said before, Yarde looks the part, physically imposing, fast, powerful. He's got a lot going for him. But the fundamentals are missing, the experience, the ring IQ developed over time on a learning curve with an upward trajectory. Yarde had a handful of amateur fights, no idea what he achieved during his vested stint, but I assume it was nothing to write home about. His pro career of 19 fights consisted of a Southern Area title and a string of International gimme titles before jumping blindfold into elite class when challenging Kovalev. Yarde came out of the Kovalev loss with plenty of credit. He was game, he never gave up (not entirely convinced of that). He'd definitely come again and was a nailed on future World champion. Is he though?

Yarde is back to doing what Yarde does. Looking a million dollars in the gym fucking about with Tunde and Ade screaming lions in the camp every five fucking seconds. Lions, in a camp, have young lions come into camp and the young lions try to kill them. Anthony Yarde is the only lion in that camp and unless you count Arg from Towie, who's a hippo, no other lion is allowed in the camp. You'll see videos of Yarde all over youtube. Crazy!! sparring session!! With Anthony Yarde. They're all Yarde and Tunde or Ade. It's playfighting. I know he did some stuff with Rosario a few years back, but other than that I don't know if him sparring another active fighter? Yarde will drop Angelo Dundee's name when talking about sparring, or lack there of. Dundee, trainer of too many to mention didn't let them spar. He probably wandered around a ring slapping them with hook and jab pads.
Where this World title comes from that was some how set in stone by virtue of failing to beat a still elite, but ripe for the taking Kovalev is a mystery to me. Yarde was completely out of his depth. Technically ill equipped to compete with Kovalev, he had youth, speed and strength to fall back on but that also failed him. He had a good eighth round. Hurt Kovalev and might have got the job done on another day but he shot his bolt. He never looked like winning prior to round eight, and never looked like winning after it.

In many ways I admire the 'our way' mentality that team Yarde have. It fits them, they're going to run with it. But at some point in time you have to stop kidding yourself and say this ain't working. Yarde or someone close to him has to say enough. Anthony Yarde is a good enough athlete to beat most people. But he doesn't want to beat most people, he's fixing on beating the best people and the best people do things a certain way. There are exceptions for sure, but the best people tend to stick pretty closely to the beaten path which includes competitive sparring.

I don't see Yarde beating Buatsi. Another big strong technically correct fighter who does things the right way. Let alone beating Bivol or Beterbiev. His best hope is a soft touch for the WBO title. It's happened before. Yarde might start praying it happens again.