Buddy McGirt Praises Anthony Yarde!
When Anthony Yarde (18-1, 17 KO’s) traveled to Russia for his first title shot, there were an army of detractors who felt he had “no hope” in returning to the UK as a champion. Yet, once in the ring, he proved to be quite the task for an aging Sergey “The Krusher” Kovalev (34-3-1, 29 KO’s).
After an exciting, back-and-forth bout, the Kusher managed to defend his WBO world light heavyweight title by way of eleventh round stoppage. However even in defeat, the young lion from the UK earned a notable amount of respect from his opponent and the greater boxing world at large.
Among those who were amply impressed was none other than Kovalev’s own trainer, James “Buddy” McGirt. The former two-division world champion made a point to express his positive outlook to Yarde directly after the fight.
Although he was obviously in a dejected state of mind following the loss, McGirt caught up with Yarde in his locker room. The veteran trainer kept his thoughts and advice brief:
“You surprised me brother! I’m going to tell you a little secret now, you was 18-0, when I lost my first fight I was 30-0 but it made me a better fighter, ok? So take it and turn it into a positive!
“Don’t take it as a negative, ok? God bless! Great job coach, great work. You going to be champ baby, trust me!”
Only time will tell how Yarde bounces back from the loss. Yet, given his performance in hostile territory, his future is bright. Let’s just wait and see how long Yarde takes to recuperate and what level of opposition he returns against.
By: Bakari Simpson
