Boxing Social catches up with James Cook, the new addition to Anthony Yarde’s training setup, and reflects the curator’s spectacular performance last weekend against Lyndon Arthur…
There’s a new lion in the Anthony Yarde camp: and his name is James Cook.
“I’ve been boxing for a long time, so they call me the old lion of the camp,” says Cook, chuckling, his voice low to the soaring tunes of Jamaica, where he was born in 1959.
The former British and European super-middleweight champion was invited to Hackney’s lightweight training program following a points loss to Lyndon Arthur last December – and his impact was immediate.
Last weekend Yarde put on the best performance of his career to completely turn the tide for Arthur in their Commonwealth title rematch, stopping Mancunian for four rounds.
After the battle, Yarde coach Tunde Ajayi praised Cook’s contribution, declaring: “We are a ship without a rudder and James Cook is truly the cement that strengthens our team.”
Talking to Social boxing A few days after the war, Cook was eager to respond to Ajayi’s warm words. “[When I joined] people are speculating on how things will work between me and Tunde. They asked if he respected me. But it works very well.
“Tunde said to me, ‘yes, this is what we missed’. I give him the highest respect and praise. He was very pleased with what I said and set out.
“And don’t forget Tunde had this guy in the first place and did a great job with him! They just need this old lion to put a few more things in place. Sometimes when you’re so close to the boxer that you can’t see things that other people can see, so it’s working, it’s working really well.”
Turning his attention to Yarde’s performance, it was clear that Cook was more than pleased with his performance. “It was a great fight,” was his assessment. “If Anthony loses, the boxing world will crucify him. Not many people thought he would win it but he went out on the field and made a statement – a big one! It’s not even close. He dismantled him. Here’s another Anthony Yarde.
“I’ll be honest with you – there’s a little bit of work he needs to do, but this boy has a lot of strength, he can hit, he can fight and he’s smart. He stimulates me. I tell people: not many boxers excite me but this kid excites me because he has it all.
“He followed our instructions to kick the ball and the whole team was happy. Arthur is tall, lanky and can pack and we took that away from him. We said [Anthony]: ‘You can’t go out there and box Lyndon Arthur, you can’t be pretty. You have to get to this man within one to six. Start fast! ‘
“Having to say, to be honest he shocked us because we didn’t think he would start that fast! The fact is: he worked hard. He got the job done. We got him running. I make sure he knows that if he’s late for a run, he’ll have to run extra laps! ”
Cook is an outspoken speaker with an enviable reputation for transforming youth lives and inspiring London youth, work recognized in 2007 with an MBE award. Much of his work is centered on and around the Pedro Youth Club in Hackney, an organization founded in 1928 and saved by him from closing in 2003.
It was through a long relationship with Hackney that Cook first got to know Yarde, who he saw as a shining role model for the youth of east London.
“I’ve known him since he was an amateur and he’s always been a pleasant young man,” Cook said. “He is very smart, very good at what he does. People admire this guy because he carries himself and holds himself together so well. At the press conference when Lyndon Arthur said things he didn’t react to – I was thinking if it were me as a boxer maybe I would. He’s such a humble guy and someone people can really admire.”
The dream – of course – is for Yarde to bring a world championship to Hackney, and Cook believes his power is available to anyone in the extremely hot light-heavyweight division.
“I love [Joshua] Buatsi, he’s a good boxer, but good Anthony Yarde? All the people out there will have problems with him. They will not last. He is an all-rounder. He’s quick, he’s sharp, and he punches like hell. They will all struggle with him.
“One hundred percent he is ready for a fight for the world title. [Callum] Johnson vs [Joe] blacksmith [Jr] will happen so Anthony will probably get a warm-up before fighting the winner six months or so. Whoever wins that person will be ready to receive them. He’s a great danger to any light-heavyweight class. “
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