Anthony Yarde EXCLUSIVE Q&A: Gate crashing the light-heavyweight party!

Boxingnews24.com

By Ian Aldous: This Saturday night, one of Britain’s new generation of potential world beaters returns to the ring. Anthony Yarde (16-0) will expect to extend his unbeaten record and add Walter Gabriel Sequeira (21-4) to his list of victims, fifteen of those who’ve not seen the final bell. The WBO’s No.2 ranked light-heavyweight and, according to boxrec, Britain’s No.1, will hope to earn himself a shot at the WBO 175lbs title next year. Last week, Anthony took some time to talk with me over the phone about his career and very bright future in the sport.

IA: On Saturday night, you’re back in the ring, live on BT Sport. How much do you know about your opponent, Walter Gabriel Sequeira?

AY: I have zero idea (laughs), that’s how much I know about him. I’ve said this repeatedly, I’m a person that just focuses on myself. I focus on what I’m going to do, I try to be ready for everything. If I think logically and realistically, in boxing terms and experience terms, how long I’ve been boxing etc. – I’m behind. But, in terms of my performances, I’m getting better. I’m just trying to stick to the basics, one fight at a time and literally just try and work out my opponent as quick as I can in the ring. That’s my challenge every time I fight.

IA: How happy are you with your career progression and how you’ve been matched so far?

AY: Fantastic, I just think it’s been fantastic. I know recently there’s been a lot of talk, because I have been looking good in my fights, there’s been a lot of people being impatient with my opponents, but the way I see it is, they wouldn’t be being impatient if I was looking bad in my fights. The way I’m seeing it is – I’m doing everything right.

IA: Some fans/experts have been a little critical of your standard of opposition so far, but has it been difficult to find willing opponents?

AY: Most definitely. A lot of my opponents, for whatever reason, pull out. It does makes me look bad, but I don’t really care as long as I get my fights and I’m performing and gaining more experience – I’m happy. We were meant to fight a guy, the only person he lost to was Marcus Browne who’s ranked No.1 with the WBO, he was a good opponent and he’s got a decent following in America – he pulled out. We had six other people, other than him, pull out as well. I try not to focus on them kind of things because it takes my focus off my job.

IA: boxrec ranks you as Britain’s top light-heavyweight, are you bothered that you’re No.1, but don’t hold the Lonsdale belt?

AY: Not really, because I felt that could’ve happened. It would have been fantastic when (Frank) Buglioni had the belt. That was a fight that was building up a lot of hype and it would have been killing two birds with one stone, but it didn’t work out that way. I continued to fight within that time, I fought my first southpaw who was tall and rangy, I fought a tall southpaw who’d never been on the floor, I ticked all them boxes. Even before that, I fought a guy that was on the back foot – a survivor, tall and rangy guy who hadn’t lost a lot of fights. All these boxes that I’m ticking, people need to understand that in a professional boxing ring, people have good and bad nights. It’s about absorbing the atmosphere and gaining experience and getting better each fight. Dealing with each obstacle as it comes.

IA: Seven months ago, former British champion, Frank Buglioni, told me you wouldn’t make it to round twelve with him. He also said he’d have had to vacate the title to face you. It’s a shame the fight didn’t get made at the time. Could it still happen or are you looking beyond Frank now?

AY: Right now, if you think logically, the way my career is going, I’ll probably be looking beyond him. It wouldn’t make, in my opinion, any sense to fight him. He don’t hold the belt anymore. I don’t know why boxing’s like this, but his profile’s gone down quite a bit. I wanted to fight him more than he wanted to fight me (previously) – that was evident. In terms of facts, the offers that were made, I agreed to fight him. Everything was there, the reason we did not fight was because of him and his team. He turned down the money. Frank Warren said this live at a press conference, ‘we’ll have it on their show if they want it on their show’ and that’s something that Frank hardly ever says. They offered me to fight him in my ninth professional fight – he turned it down. He became British champion and started mentioning my name because my name was being mentioned a lot at the time. Eddie Hearn’s a fantastic promoter and I think it is a strategy to associate his fighters’ names with anyone that’s doing well. Recently Joshua Buatsi called my name out and in another interview he said the fight ain’t gonna happen yet but he’d love to fight me. Same thing with me, I would love to fight Joshua Buatsi, but we’re both on mutual terms that it’s inevitable the fight should happen if we both keep doing what we’re doing. Right now would be stupid for both of us, but then Eddie Hearn is doing his job by promoting the fight and (to) keep mentioning the fight.

IA: You’re currently ranked at No.2 with the WBO and only Marcus Browne sits ahead of you, whilst Eleider Alvarez holds the world title. We know Alvarez and Sergey Kovalev will battle again in a rematch, but how close do you believe you are to getting a shot at the belt?

AY: People think I’m hiding this fact, we got offered to fight Kovalev and we got offered to fight (Artur) Beterbiev two fights ago. Frank Warren and Tunde (Ajayi) turned it down because they believe, I might look as if I’m ready, I might actually be ready, but they don’t want me to be fighting at world level yet. If you think of it logically, I’ve still got boxes to tick and I’ve still got a lot of experience to gain. I’ve still got a long career ahead of me. I just turned twenty-seven in August, I’m still yet to get hit in a fight and I’m hoping to keep it that way (laughs). People don’t study the history of boxing, they only live in the moment. I want a good, long career. Each challenge I get, I need to perform and live up to my expectations of what I want to do within myself. When I do start fighting at world level, it’s gonna be entertaining, it’s gonna be a fantastic journey.

IA: You mentioned your birthday in August, do you feel like you’re getting near to your prime?

AY: I feel like it’s coming with time, but I do feel like I’m getting better. They say your prime only lasts about three-four years, between the ages of twenty-nine and thirty-three. But, I feel like I’m very physically strong right now. I feel like I’m very fast, I’m adapting to things to keep my mind sharp and I’m just trying to keep it that way.

IA: You’ve just become a global brand ambassador for Adidas, tell me a little about what that involves.

AY: It’s another accomplishment that I’m very happy with. I’m the first ever boxer to be an ambassador for Adidas on a global scale. It’s never been done before. Naseem Hamed was sponsored by Adidas, but it was boxing based and the same thing with Amir Khan. The deal that I’ve signed is not only to do with boxing, it’s a global deal. I’m in my own little bubble, I only feed on positivity. If I think back to where I came from and how quickly I’ve achieved things – it’s only a blessing.

IA: I think a lot of young Brits look up to you, do you see yourself as a role model?

AY: Most definitely, and the reason I can class myself as a role model is because I’m real. When people talk to me, I don’t act fake, I don’t tell them what they wanna hear. I’m not the kind of person that’s not experienced anything or has a silver spoon in their mouth. I condone people that have a silver spoon in their mouth that still make a success of themselves because there’s a lot of people who get used to having things given to them and they don’t make anything of their life. There’s some people who have all the reasons to be motivated and want to achieve something, but they don’t. In every situation in life, there’s always a reason to do something and there’s always an excuse. I don’t believe in where you’re born or how you’re raised. I just believe in doing the work and making a decision and making something of it.

IA: There are a lot of quality fighters in the 175lbs division at the moment, should the top dogs at 175lbs fear Anthony Yarde?

AY: Most definitely (laughs). The future’s very exciting, that’s the way I see it.

Anthony Yarde vs. Walter Gabriel Sequeira will be live on BT Sport 1 and BT Sport 4KUHD from 8:30pm on Saturday night.