Via Jim Calfa: Paulie Malignaggi says Anthony Yarde can win mentally after his defeat to IBF, WBC & WBO lightweight champion Artur Beterbiev last Saturday night because he put up a great fight in a loss at the OVO Arena in London, England.
Yarde’s performance was good enough for him to feel comfortable making it difficult for Beterbiev (19-0, 19 KOs) before being halted in the eighth round.
The umpires certainly thought Yarde did a good job, as two of them had a lead over him at the time of the knockout stage with scores of 68-65 and 67-66, while the third led Beterbiev 67 -66.
Malignaggi says Yarde’s undo action was too reliant on hitting upper right shots after an early success with this punch.
Yarde became predictable using the above shots, and in the end, Beterbiev took advantage of that by hitting him with a right hook at the very moment he was throwing a ball in the third round. eight.
Yarde (23-3, 22 KOs) didn’t raise his left hand to guard against the counter attack while delivering the top-down, and as a result, Beterbiev had a perfect right hook that stunned him.
Beterbiev then followed with another right arm dropping Yarde on the canvas. Yarde’s corner right after the game was stopped because he was fouled by Beterbiev, and he was too hurt to defend himself.
Yarde has succeeded with the cuts above
“The boogeyman of boxing is back, Artur Beterbiev with Anthony Yarde’s KO in a better match than I expected. I don’t know what you guys think,” said Paulie Malignaggi above TV Paulie. “I know that Yarde is capable. He fought some decent people against Serge Kovalev, a falling Serge Kovalev.
Malignaggi said of Yarde: “I didn’t expect much from him in this fight and I don’t think many people did. “I think he gave a good account of himself. Could it be that boogeyman Beterbiev is aging a bit? Do we credit Yarde? Is it a bit of both?
“I think Beterbiev came out with his usual aggression. He stepped into some test hooks from Yarde. They didn’t really stop him. We found that Betterbiev was an attackable target. He failed twice in his career.
“If you choose to sit idly on your shots, you can let Beterbiev down, as it has happened twice in his career, but at the same time, if you sit on your shots a lot. , you will put yourself in a difficult position. in a very harmful way.
“I remember the old game of Oleksandr Gvozdyk, where Gvozdyk played very well against the younger Beterbiev. Finally, Betterbiev got you. He breaks you, and he ends up taking you out. He has a 100% knockout rate of his career, but this fight looks a little different.
“He looks a bit easier to hit. Not that Yarde is more crafty, but he’s always had a bit of an eccentric style. I actually think Yarde is a little less startled than usual. I think he did a great job of keeping position sometimes and launching shots from his position,” Malignaggi said.
Beterbiev takes the corners well
Malignaggi said: “He made some movements, but had some great moments. “The subtle things that Betterbiev does. I think it was in the second half when Yarde was in his corner, and he had Beterbiev in the corner. Beterbiev spun him out of the corner, and Yarde was trying to move against the rope, trying to slide out.
“You notice that Betterbiev tries to cut off the ring rather than chase him with a rope. A lot of guys will chase him. It’s about the midpoint of the second round. Lots of guys would have chased Yarde right up the line, and Yarde could have gone around.
“Beterbiev did not think he would attack immediately. He thought to find his position first and stand in front of Yarde. I think Yarde spotted him with a right header and created some space there, and that’s one of those things where Yarde has had some success, but that’s what he does. undoing.
“Top right lane from mid to long range always a dangerous punch to use. Strange. From medium to long range, it is very dangerous because you can get hit while throwing.
“It’s also a shot that can be very successful, and sometimes you’re in a fight where you need to take some risks with it. I feel like the Yarde has had some pretty good success with the cut on it.
“He started throwing it at a time when he was already having some minor success there when he cut him off and trapped Yarde. He started headbutting. Soon after, Yarde started using top lane sporadically throughout his fight.
“I think he landed pretty well on different occasions. I remember thinking, ‘He has to be careful.’ I think he’s going to get a left hook in the end. Beterbiev will probably start timing him with a left hook.
“His undo was Beterbiev throwing a right-hand chop over his head while Yarde was delivering his own top-down right. If you are going to do that, then at least put your hands in a favorable position. Yarde’s left hand was coming down, and while he was delivering that right jab, he had his right hand chopped off by Beterbiev.
“He didn’t come down right away. He took a second right hand to go down, but that was the end. Referee, is it a bit early? Does the angle stop it a little early? Maybe, but I think Yarde is on the way there,” Paulie said.
Yarde’s Moral Victory
Malignaggi said: “The moral victory was achieved in that he appreciated himself more than what people thought and what people expected. “I think if he was allowed to continue in that moment, I don’t think he would have survived. I think he’s going to be pummeled a little bit more.
“So in the end, although it’s a bit early to stop, I think he’s on his way to being stopped anyway and he’s 31 years old. He is still growing. Maybe in order for him to survive some of the extra punches he’ll have to take.
“Let him be in the next fight, where I think Yarde in the post-Beterbiev boxing world has a real chance to fight for the world title. Honestly, what do you think the possible battles with Yarde might be.
“Beterbiev won’t last much longer, he’s 37 and I think he’s starting to look a bit beatable. Yes, the power of punches is there, but you start to think about all-British skirmishes that could turn into big fights in the post-Beterbiev boxing world.
“You think of Joshua Buatsi, who is commenting on BT Sport about the match against Anthony Yarde. That would be a really good fight. It gets really interesting. You start to see which direction these fighters can go. Like I said, I don’t think Betterbiev has much time left.
“He is slowing down; he’s getting a little hittable. Eventually, as you get older, the pictures he’s taking will start to have an effect on him and they’ll start to feel them a little more. And while his strength is there, to be honest, it’s a young man’s sport,” Paulie said.
Getting rid of Betterbiev won’t be easy
“I don’t think getting rid of Beterbiev is going to be that easy, but I also think he’s a little lackluster here, and that’s normal at his age,” Malignaggi said. “He’s had a great career, a really scary person. I call him the boggart of boxing, and I think he is.
“In this situation, I have no problem with the corner for Yarde. I think Yarde will have to take some more punishment. I’ve seen some headlines that it’s a bit of an early stop in his corner.
“Again, I don’t think he will survive. I think he’s going to be blocked at that point, and I think he’s going to do harder, heavier shots.
“Remember, Beterbiev is one of the toughest fighters in boxing, so I think stopping is good, and Yarde has accomplished what he always achieves after you watch a few rounds of his. this match, it’s a performance that most people don’t respect him for, and that will earn him respect and a performance that will make him the guy everyone wants to meet again.
“I don’t mind seeing a Buatsi-Yarde match, preferably a world championship after Beterbiev leaves. However, Buatsi-Yarde will always be an interesting fight. Is Beterbiev slowing down? Is Yarde real?
“He lost the two biggest games of his career, but he performed very well in both. Do you think he can win at this level, or is he one of those types of gatekeepers? Who can and will defeat Beterbiev? There is a certain point where everyone goes.
“Could it be the person I just mentioned, Joshua Buatsi? I’ve always been impressed with Joshua Buatsi, but I feel like he’s been held back by his team because of the danger looming in the light heavyweight division between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol.
“Do you still want to meet Dmitry Bivol and Betterbiev? Personally, for now, I would pick Beterbiev to beat Bivol, but I think watching this matchup he looks a bit slow in the first step, and a bit too flat and a bit easier to hit than usual. , a little slower.
“Bivol is very, very explosive. I think at this point after watching this match, I think I will pick Bivol to beat Beterbiev, but up until this point, I haven’t thought of that. Again, I think aging is an important factor,” Malignaggi said.
