Anthony Yarde Keeping Focused On Fight with Stefani Koykov
Light heavyweight contender Anthony Yarde (22-2, 21 KOs) soon makes his way back to the ring, as he will face Bulgaria’s Stefani Koykov (14-1, 12 KOs) on November 19 in Telford, England. For Yarde, it’s a match he cannot afford to overlook.
Highly ranked by all four sanctioning bodies (#1 WBO, #3 IBF/WBC, #9 WBA), Yarde has signed to face unified 175-pound champion Artur Beterbiev. Yarde – Beterbiev was to occur on October 2022. But word on the street is it will now take place on January 28, 2023, in Yarde’s hometown of London, England.
ONE STEP AT A TIME
As a result, Yarde must not put the cart before the horse. During an interview with the media outlet Boxing Social, the hard-hitting Brit said there are no worries about looking ahead. The only thing on his mind is Koykov.
“Every fight, I take 100 percent seriously. So, that’s my only focus right now […] There’s a danger in every fight. So, I don’t focus on anything negative. I’m just going to go out there on Saturday and do a job, and yeah, on to the next mission.”
RESISTING TEMPTATION
During the prefight media rounds with the British press, Yarde has refused to fall into the trapping of going in-depth about what could be down the line. But the reality is this: out of the ring, since a fourth-round stoppage in a rematch with Lyndon Arthur in December 2021, he faces a Koykov who most observers do consider a sub-B-level opponent. The mission for Yarde is three-fold. Win, avoid any cuts/injuries and knockout any possible ring rust before fighting the unified champion in January 2023.
By: Michael Wilson Jr.
