Kovalev vs Yarde Fight Preview

CHELYABINSK, Russia -- At 36 years old Sergey Kovalev remains one of the best light heavyweights on the planet.  He is also the WBO light heavyweight champ and he will be traveling back to his native Russia to defend his title in a homecoming fight.  That fight will pit Kovalev against the young, undefeated Anthony Yarde, who will be getting his first shot at a world title.  The two will headline a card on ESPN+ on Aug. 24.  

Kovalev, catching Eleider Alvarez on the chin

Even at his advanced age, Kovalev (33-3-1, 28 KOs) is still one of the heaviest hitters in the sport.  While his power is what gets people talking he's actually a better boxer than he's given credit for.  He has an excellent jab that he's scored at least one knockout with and has a good idea of what he wants to do in the ring.  What he wants to do is usually punish his opponents.  Kovalev has tremendous power in both hands and can do damage upstairs and to the body with both his right hand and left hook.  Until recently Kovalev had never been dropped.  That changed when he took on Eleider Alvarez for the first time and was dropped three times in that fight.  If there is a criticism to be leveled against Kovalev it's that his conditioning hasn't always been great and that certainly showed in his first fight with Alvarez and his second fight against Andre Ward.

In 2018 Kovalev defended his title against Alvarez and took the worst loss of his career.  He was knocked out in round seven and many people wrote him off as a fighter who was now washed up.  In Kovalev's last six fights he's gone 3-3 with two knockouts but he's also been stopped twice in his three losses.  To be fair, he probably should have been given the decision in his first fight against Ward but the other losses were all without question.  The Russian native seemed to refocus in his rematch with Alvarez earlier this year and turned in a dominant performance.  Along with Alvarez, Kovalev has also beaten the likes of Jean Pascal, Bernard Hopkins, Nathan Cleverly, and others.  Now he will look to defend his title against a young, unbeaten, power-puncher in Yarde.

There is no disputing that Yarde has serious power.  There is a questions as to whether or not that power will continue up the ladder with him as he climbs the ranks of better opponents.  The U.K. native is pretty flat on his feet and he likes to sit down on his power punches.  He doesn't use his jab a ton and when he does it's more of a measuring stick for his right hand, unlike Kovalev who uses his jab to score and control distance.  At times Yarde also gets too relaxed when it comes to protecting his chin, especially when he shoots his left hook.  That left hook is a heavy punch though and can do serious damage upstairs and to the body.  Yarde's right hand is also a dangerous punch that can seemingly end a fight at any moment.  The young fighter is at his best when he's on the attack, letting his power punches go.  He's been less impressive when his opponent pressures him and forces him to fight off of his back foot, something Kovalev could certainly do.

Yarde, landing a hard right hand to the body

Yarde will be taking a massive step-up in competition when he gets in the ring with Kovalev.  Not only has his opposition level been average but he's only fought outside of the U.K. once.  Now he will have to travel to Russia and take on by far the best opponent he's ever faced.  A quick look at Yarde's resume doesn't reveal any notable names.  It does reveal that the deepest he's gone in a fight in seven rounds and it will be interesting to see how his stamina holds up if this fight gets to the championship rounds.  It should also be noted that while Yarde, who has never faced a top opponent, is ranked as the number one contender by the WBO, he is ranked outside the top 15 by the WBC, WBA, and IBF.

This fight will really come down to hos legit Yarde is.  He's looked very good against very limited opposition and there is not telling how good, or bad, he will look against a top fighter like Kovalev.  Look for him to try and land his power punches early in an effort to show Kovalev he is the real deal and a real threat to take his title.  Yarde doesn't like fighting off of his back foot so it would be smart for Kovalev to push the action and bring the fight to Yarde.  However, Kovalev also has plenty of boxing skills so he could also control the fight with his jab while picking his spots to land his power punches.  Above all else, this fight will tell fans a lot about the future of Yarde as a top fighter.

PREDICTION: Anthony Yarde's record and power numbers could all be a mirage.  He hasn't fought any top opponents and it's easy to look good against lesser fighters.  I think he's a good fighter and his power is real but I also think that Sergey Kovalev is just a better pugilist.  Kovalev's hands are just as heavy as Yarde's, if not more so.  Kovalev is also the better boxer and his combination of skills and power will help him win this fight by the way of unanimous decision.