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Anthony Yarde will challenge WBO light heavyweight champion Sergey Kovalev at Traktor Sport Palace in Chelyabinsk, Russia on Saturday.
The fight starts around 12:30 PM ET, with coverage from ESPN+ and BT Sport. Can Yarde stop Kovalev? The reigning, defending champion will be in his hometown and judging decisions in Russia have been controversial on different occasions, so Yarde has to get a knockout in order to beat Kovalev. Only Andre Ward and Eleider Alvarez have stopped Kovalev but Yarde’s power can’t be underestimated. Let’s break down both fighters and list the odds for this boxing event!
Sergey Kovalev Has More Experience
Three-time world champion Sergey Kovalev (33-3-1, 28 KOs) has way more experience than Anthony Yarde. The Russian has fought Andre Ward and Bernard Hopkins, among other respected boxers and while it was said that he was not as good as he once was after his two losses against Andre Ward and his loss to Eleider Alvarez, the outcome of the first fight with Ward was controversial and he beat Alvarez by unanimous decision in their rematch on February 2.
“I will show who is the boss here,” Kovalev told BT Sport. “He can say everything he wants, but say and do is two different things. I’m already mad with guys like him. He will pay for everything he posted and said. He’s just a kid, not a lion. A little kitten. Small kitten.”
Anthony Yarde Will Be Tested
Anthony Yarde (18-0, 17 KOs) will have his first world title challenge and while he has dominated the domestic and European pro ranks, he was a latecomer to boxing. Still, he brings an impressive 94 percent knockout ratio and he stared down two gun barrels in his life, so is hard to believe that the hostile environment at Chelyabinsk will bother him.
“I was born in Hackney and one of the most dangerous moments of my life happened right there,” he said in an interview to Metro.co.uk.
“Guns were pulled out on us by elder guys. The same thing happened to me in South London, I shouldn’t have been there but the car came out of nowhere.”
He insisted that what he might face in Russia is nothing compared to what he has already experienced growing up in Hackney.
Yarde has youth on his side and he is confident but there are levels to boxing and Kovalev will be a big first test for him.
Sergey Kovalev vs. Anthony Yarde Odds
*All odds and betting info courtesy of OddsShark and originally posted by 5Dimes
Anthony Yarde +175
Sergey Kovalev -210
Over 8.5 (+115)
Under 8.5 (-135)
Pick: Over 8.5 (+115)
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