“He will hit until the opponent falls”: Drozd on Beterbiev’s knockout power, Yard’s chances and biased refereeing

- Many experts believe that Anthony Yarde has almost no chance in the confrontation with Artur Beterbiev.

For example, Gennady Mashyanov, Dmitry Bivol's mentor, is sure that the probability of a Briton winning is 10%.

Why is everyone so critical of him?

“It’s hard to say why no one believes in Yard.

In any case, I would like him to become a serious test for Beterbiev and make him worthy competition.

There is always a desire to watch equal intense fights.

Of course, Arthur is the favorite.

Many indicators speak for themselves.

But let's not forget that the Briton is also a puncher.

Of the 22 victories, 21 he won ahead of schedule.

He has a really powerful punch and very high speed.

I like the way Anthony boxing, he has a curious style.

Therefore, I look forward to the confrontation with great interest, and I estimate the chances of the Russian for success as 60% to 40%.

Giving Yard only 10% is overkill.

- Do you think it is deserved that the Englishman was given a title again, and even three belts were put on the line at once?

After all, in 2019 he lost to Sergey Kovalev, who was already in decline, and in 2020 to Lyndon Arthur.

- The fight will take place in London, and there everything is created for big events.

As I understand it, it was the Yard side that initiated the confrontation with the champion and is organizing the show.

Why not?

Again, Anthony is an interesting opponent.

There is no doubt that there will be no empty seats at Wembley on Saturday.

The British, to some extent, have nothing to lose.

For him, this is the chance of a lifetime.

And since he decided to go to Beterbiev, it means that he feels self-confidence.

Besides, fighting at home is easier anyway.

Plus, I'm afraid that if it comes to scoring, the British arbitrators are able to sue the guest.

Unfortunately, this happens in professional boxing.

Yard is a famous guy, so anything can happen.

But I'm sure Arthur will not bring the fight to a decision.

- Do you think Joshua Buatsi and Callum Smith are more worthy opponents for him?

I understand they have their own plans now.

Buatsi seems to be able to meet with Bivol in the spring.

Smith, they say, just has the opportunity to enter the ring with the winner of the fight in London.

But obviously, they don’t just become a contender for three belts.

The yard is high in the ratings.

And in a rematch with Arthur, he also won the WBO Inter-Continental world title and the British Commonwealth champion.

To sum up, there are great guys in this weight class, but Anthony is at least able to provide a bright spectacle.

- Yard will fight with Beterbiev just two months after the previous one.

Can this affect him negatively, since he is not famous for his stamina?

- I am a supporter of the most frequent entry into the ring.

It all depends on how difficult the last fight was for the athlete.

And the Briton easily dealt with Stephanie Koikov in three rounds.

So I don't see any problems.

It is unlikely that he was very exhausted, tired and injured.

For a boxer who is in good shape and has a regular training process, this is in the order of things.

Two months is the optimal time.

As a rule, you rest for a week or two, and then you start full-fledged work and sparring.

This indicates that the person is on the move.

I don't think Yard didn't want to fight, but Beterbiev forced him.

I'm sure the initiative came just from the British.  

- The fact that Yard is seven years younger than his opponent will be his additional advantage?

- Yes, Arthur is 38, but this is definitely not a critical age.

In addition, looking at the boxer's passport, it is necessary to study the history of his fights: how often he suffered defeats, was knocked out, what damage he received.

What we see with Beterbiev is 18 fights, 18 victories, all ahead of schedule.

And almost none of the rivals managed to compete with him.

Therefore, it is premature to see him retire.

I will say an axiom: it is not age that ages a boxer, but the number of heavy rounds.

This really leads to aging of the body.

There is energy in Arthur.

He does not allow failures and simply does not give fans reasons to talk about the loss of speed and power over the years.

- Will Yard be able to play the role of "number two"?

Still, he won most of the victories when he owned the initiative.

- Anthony is very good at feeling the situation in the ring.

He knows how to timely and competently counterattack.

But before the fight at Wembley, another question is more important: how capable is he of taking a hit?

Obviously, in order to win against Beterbiev, it is necessary to accept the fight.

The Briton is a contender, he is obliged to show more of the champion.

And in the confrontation with Arthur, running is almost impossible.

You can only fight with a Russian.

Yes, somewhere it turns out to be interrupted at a distance, but Yard does not have such a style.

I think he will take up the middle of the ring more often and try to throw punches towards him after working on defense and on the slopes.

Let's see what he will be capable of after he starts to miss.

On the other hand, Anthony has a high speed and is well trained.

- But is he able to compete with Arthur precisely in "firepower"?

- Physically, he looks good, but it's hard to say how much he will work in close contact with Beterbiev.

So far, we have not seen a single boxer who could do it.

The champion simply crushes everyone with his insane power.

Yard has a fairly wide back and shoulders, he stands firmly on his feet.

But he will still have to “hack himself”, otherwise there is little chance of success.

- Arthur at the "battle of the eyes" noted that Yard resembles a bodybuilder.

This can play a cruel joke with the British?

- I don’t think that the Englishman deliberately swayed like that.

I remember very well his fight with Kovalev in 2019.

Then he looked the same and made an impression with his relief muscles.

The guy has that texture.

An example is Anthony Joshua or Wladimir Klitschko, who also look like exemplary athletes.

If Yard is comfortable in this form, then there will be no problems with speed.

Since the muscles are working, why not use them?

- The Englishman tried in every possible way to piss off the opponent, in particular, he promised to knock him out.

Can such statements somehow affect the Russian, further anger him?

I'm sure he won't pay any attention.

He just doesn't care.

I will say more, trash talk now generally has little effect on anyone.

When you fight at the level of world champions, such statements from opponents only cause a smile.

This is done more to promote the confrontation and attract fans.

Perhaps, only Muhammad Ali at one time really managed to "get into the head."

“Almost no one doubts that the fight will not last the full distance.

Do you assume that the case will reach the decision of the judges?

Such a scenario cannot be completely ruled out.

It happens that two strong masters meet in the ring, and the fight does not add up.

Both perfectly see each other's ideas and read them, do not take risks.

But, given the style of the athletes, the fight at Wembley is highly likely to end in a knockout.

Yard understands this too.

He is not a cowardly guy.

- Theoretically, if it comes to a decision, will the older Beterbiev have enough strength?

Still, in professional boxing, he only fought until the last segment.

- I saw Arthur fight in Moscow with Adam Daines two years ago, which ended in the tenth round.

I don't think he was in the best shape back then.

From the outside, it sometimes seemed that he really lacked the conditions.

But there was no talk of big failures.

They say that a puncher loses self-confidence in the course of a fight when he hits, but the opponent does not fall.

It happens, but Beterbiev is extremely confident and stable.

He will hit until the Briton falls, and will achieve his goal.

Now Arthur is perfectly prepared physically.

He is lean and ready to win.

You can immediately see when a boxer has internal energy.

But how he will look in a full duel can only be judged when this happens.

On the other hand, we have already seen how Yard “run out of gas” in the ninth round of the confrontation with Kovalev.

Then he gave up precisely because of this.

- If Beterbiev wins another victory, will the fight between him and Bivol take place inevitably?

“I wouldn't say so.

The Bivol team is very active, and Dima has created enough groundwork for himself to have the right to choose.

There is a lot of talk about a possible rematch with Saul Alvarez, who will further push back the hypothetical battle of the Russians for the title of absolute world champion.

But there is no doubt that everyone is looking forward to it.

And Bivol himself does not hide that he wants to add three more to his belt.

It will be a truly historic event.

"Do you think Arthur should risk it at all?"

He is a champion in three versions, but is no 

- At this level, the dispute is no longer even about belts.

Everyone understands perfectly: today these guys are the best in light heavyweight.

For them, the motivation is not just to be one of them, but to become the strongest on the planet.

I am sure that for both Arthur and Dmitry, the sports component is in the first place.

Yes, they earn enough, but the money did not catch their eyes.

- Beterbiev said he was ready to fight Alvarez if the opportunity presented itself.

Would you be interested in seeing their marriage?

- It is interesting to watch the confident victory of the Russian over Saul, since he would not have had any chances.

Canelo couldn't do anything against Bivol, and Arthur's punch is even more powerful.

I don't think the Mexican would take that risk.