Brilliant Beterbiev pushed the whole nine Yardes in London
Plus, are we witnessing the death of Showtime and the PBC?
It was the kind of fight many hoped for. A brutal war, packed full of vicious exchanges. 50-50 in the early stages and only ever one-sided right at the very end.
Last Saturday evening was a reminder that you can go back and watch classic contests on YouTube or vintage ESPN but there’s nothing quite like a fight delivering live. The excitement. The energy. In a sport packed with disappointments, it’s why we all follow boxing.
Many expected light-heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev to stroll in, smash up his challenger and walk out again with all three belts comfortably around his waist. Refusing to comply with the narrative, challenger Anthony Yarde produced a performance that defied the critics.
Both showed courage and resilience, landing shots so heavy they shook the Wembley Arena, as spectators in the venue soaked up every give-and-take exchange and viewers on BT Sport winced at home.
Stylistically, Yarde and his much maligned trainer Tunde Ajayi (ably assisted by former European super-middleweight champion James Cook) got the gameplan spot on. Whenever Yarde bobbed and weaved in and out of range he did not present a static target. This gave Beterbiev issues landing the jab. Contending with eye damage as early as the third, the Londoner’s left hook was working well, much to the delight of his ringside contingent.
Ever since turning pro in 2013, Beterbiev has made a habit of turning the judges into unnecessary bystanders taking up valuable seats at ringside. Vociferously jeered as he entered the lion’s den, guilty of hailing from a pariah nation, Beterbiev surely knew that the challenger would benefit from overperforming.
The three judges worked hard to insert themselves into the narrative. When the stoppage arrived in round eight, one had Beterbiev ahead by a point while the other two recognised Yarde’s efforts. Korea’s Jun Bae Lim posted a head scratching 68-65 in favour of the 31-year-old.
Yarde showed a sturdy beard to soak up any flush blows dished out by a man who makes every shot count. While any power shots thrown by the Canadian resident are designed to hurt, Artur’s jab is also a mean weapon that makes opponents wary of committing and sets up his most dangerous flurries.
Even the fastest boxers see their speed wane as fights go long. Reflexes get slower, concentration dwindles and defences slacken. Beterbiev carries a thudding arsenal that appears to retain its potency from first bell to last. Not that he has ever heard the final toll; 19 wins, 19 KOs, across 91 rounds of carnage.
More than just a brutish seek-and-destroy merchant, Beterbiev carries the experience of a long, fruitful amateur career into the ring. Despite leaning in at times, his footwork and timing are underappreciated assets.
Right now it seems that only Father Time and the wear and tear of a punishing training regime will knock him off stride. Holding the WBC, IBF and WBO straps, fellow countryman Dmitry Bivol holds the WBA ‘Super’ light-heavyweight version. A unification between the pair would be a sight to behold.
“If I'm honest, I was prepared for all of those punches and that's why I could keep coming back at him,” said Beterbiev, who later told Yarde that he had given him his toughest professional fight.
Yarde, meanwhile, has shown enough in his two Russian encounters (having previously lost to Sergey Kovalev) to suggest that he can come again. After a long rest of course. Domestic rival Joshua Buatsi sat perched in the BT studio, watching on with interest. Yarde’s performance nudged him ahead of the likes of Buatsi and Callum Smith as neither have produced such an effort against a member of the 175-pound elite.
Yarde will beat a lot of good fighters, but his physique means he is an eight or nine round fighter at the very top level. Yarde’s body shots were an underrated weapon and there were times that Beterbiev backed up, inhaled a lungful of air and issued the look of someone hoping his pesky counterpart would back off and stop pressuring.
Anthony has the skills, speed and power to give anyone trouble. Right now, he just lacks the stamina and championship experience to get over the line. That might all change in his next big opportunity. Third time lucky?
PBC POWERS THROUGH WITH NEW SCHEDULE
Rumours of the PBC’s demise have been greatly exaggerated…for now. The FOX deal appears to have come to an end and Showtime’s parent company, Paramount, are being taken over, leading to speculation over boxing’s future on the network. If I had to venture a prediction, given Showtime’s current ratings and recent history, boxing will avoid the cull and live to fight another day.
Meanwhile, inconspicuous advisor Al Haymon pulled some strings and four fight dates have been confirmed. Rey Vargas defends his WBC super-featherweight title against O’Shaquie Foster on February 11 in Texas. Mark Magsayo, the man Vargas took his title from, gets another chance to shine when he tackles Brandon Figueroa on March 4 in California.
One week before that, on February 25, Subriel Matias battles Jeremias Ponce in Minneapolis for the vacant IBF super-lightweight crown, formerly held by Josh Taylor. Matias is on a solid run having snapped two unbeaten records before avenging his only loss last time out. 30-0 Ponce came to prominence in June, 2021 when he stunned Lewis Ritson.
The Argentine has kept busy with two low key wins but will need to be on top form if he is to tame the Puerto Rican beast. Part of the supporting cast sees a fascinating welterweight clash between Jamal James and Alberto Palmetta. Both men could really do with a win to kickstart their respective careers.
All of these bouts lead to the big one on March 25 when David Benavidez and Caleb Plant throw down on Showtime Pay-Per-View. This crackling contest takes place in the MGM Grand and the winner will move one step closer to a shot at Canelo Alvarez.
In Plant’s case that would be an opportunity for revenge, assuming Canelo is still in possession of the belts by that point. All in all, unlike HBO’s end time offerings, it’s not the schedule of a broadcaster on death row.
NUTHOUSE NOTES
For all the vitriol thrown over DAZN’s Misfits boxing and its increasingly daft twists on the noble art, the Jake Paul-Tommy Fury fight is only narrowly more appealing. Paul has carved out a niche as a celebrity pugilist.
To his credit, behind all of the daft antics and questionable opposition, the YouTube personality trains hard behind the scenes. Add in the fact that “real boxer” Fury is pretty terrible and Jake could be favourite to score the KO win.
About Steve: Experienced boxing writer, author of 8 books and podcaster of over 400 eps. 15+ years in the sport. Covered hundreds of shows for newspapers and Boxing News magazine. Chief script writer for Motivedia channel.
Thanks Steve. I too believe Yarde will always suffer endurance issues. He's simply too big. He looked massive compared to Beterbiev. With the current vogue of weight draining a fighter he appears to be trying to buck the trend by making himself as big as possible. This move failed him on Saturday as it did back against Kovalev. It might get him top slot in UK but no further.
Great article Steve. Completely agree that live events are incomparable to replays where you already know the result, same thought crossed my mind when watching the fight. Also interesting comment on Yarde only being an 8-9 round fighter given his build - I don’t disagree and would love to see him against Callum Smith or Joshua Buatsi to see if he could get them out of there in time!