Lyndon Arthur – BOXINGWRITER.CO.UK

Article first published at BigFightWeekend.com

If English Light-Heavyweight Anthony Yarde can find a way to defeat Russian born and unified World Champion Artur Beterbiev at Wembley Arena this weekend, the victory will sit snugly alongside a small cohort of similarly astonishing wins by British fighters.

Traditionalists will argue Beterbiev isn’t Donald Curry, the famous Welterweight of the 80s demolished by Lloyd Honeyghan, which is true, he’s better. There is an argument that Jose Napoles’ longevity and home advantage made John H. Stacey’s 1975 knockout of the veteran great all the more remarkable.

Perhaps so.

However, neither Honeyghan nor Stacey lacked the experience or acumen in anything like the same way the 31-year-old Anthony Yarde does. To win, Yarde will need to perform a leap of Bob Beamon dimension in order to transcend the chasm that exists between him and the fearsome IBF, WBC and WBO champion.

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Article first appeared at Bookmakers.com

Artur Beterbiev is a name not known to all sports fans. Those who dip in and out of boxing, as the pay-per-views come and go, may not appreciate his value or be aware of his brilliance. For regulars who live and breathe in the mad, mad world of boxing, the Russian-born Canadian national, is renowned for his thudding punching power and the measured brutality of his 18 victories, all achieved inside the distance. The competitiveness of his fight with Anthony Yarde hinges on an assessment of whether Beterbiev, who turned 38 last week, remains within that punishing prime, or has age and modest activity eroded his fearsome tools?

There are large rewards for Yarde if he can do it, and lengthy odds at many of the leading betting sites for those who indulge the apparent fantasy.

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