Anthony Yarde Reflects On Corner Stoppage, ‘I Really Thought I Could Win’
Yarde is now 0-2 since 2019.
Anthony Yarde said he isn’t giving up yet.
Despite losing to WBC, IBF and WBO light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev by stoppage on Saturday, Yarde had done enough to at least have an edge on the Russian-Canadian in two rounds where he was leading the scorecards.
“We both ended up with stitches,” Yarde said after the fight, wearing sunglasses. “We were sat in the same medical room getting them done together.
“I have sunglasses on now because sometimes the vanity kicks in and you don’t want anyone to see these cuts and bruises.”
In the beginning of the bout, it looked like what many fans predicted, which was Beterbiev controlling the fight. But, as it went on, Yarde began to turn the tides and cause some problems for Beterbiev – something that no other fighter had done in Beterbiev’s previous 18 fights.
But that was cut short as it all came to an end at 2:01 into the eighth round.
“I have a winner’s mentality so I wanted to bring home those unified three world titles but this is boxing, the hardest sport in the world. I thought I was going to do it, I thought ‘I’ve got him’,” he added.
“He had me in a corner and was hitting me with a lot of hard shots but I thought, if I just keep moving, I can do it.
“I was pacing myself, having learned from past experiences. But then I hit him and he hit me back!
Yarde was dropped for the first and only time in the fight midway through the eighth round. He tried throwing a right uppercut, but Beterbiev quickly countered with an overhand right. Beterbiev followed up with a hook that sent Yarde stumbling.
Yarde beat the count, but his trainer, Tundy Ajayi asked for a stoppage.
“We are better off than we were before and I will be back. I am so ambitious and don’t lie to or bullsh!t myself, I am a real character. I really thought I could win…
“I heard the count start, I took my time, I beat the count, but my trainer and my team love me and said they were seeing something they didn’t like,” Yarde said.
“All I was thinking was ‘get up, go at him again, hit him with anything’. But it was called off and I am able to speak and laugh about it now so we live to fight another day.”