Anthony Yarde will face Lyndon Arthur in an intriguing British lightweight battle on April 11 at the O2 Arena.
National rivals meet under the map of another exciting piece of the UK – Daniel Dubois vs Joe Joyce.
Yarde tested Kovalev in their fight last August
In their most notable fights late last year, Yarde and Arthur were put to the test by tough opponents.
Yarde jumped in class and suffered a knockout loss in the eleventh round at the hands of WBO world champion Sergey Kovalev, while Arthur survived a fear but beat Emmanuel Anim in points to win the Commonwealth title.
In the eighth round of Yarde’s loss to Kovalev, the Briton seriously injured the Russian and almost stopped him, before running out of energy and being arrested himself.
In the eighth round of Arthur’s victory over Anim, the Briton was stunned by his unwary Ghanaian enemy, but recovered to win the decision.
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Anim put Arthur on the back foot
Asked about Anim’s fight, Arthur admitted to talkSPORT.com: “It was not my best performance, sub-normal. So I’m looking to perform better than that.
“Emmanuel was tough, however. It was better than I expected. I have never been in a situation where you hit someone and he gets up and is ready to stay and fight again.
“It was new to me, another box checked for me. We got that, watched the fight, saw what we did, and moved on.
“Before this fight, I had never done more than six laps before. In my head, I checked the box to do the 12 rounds and finish strong in the 12 rounds.
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Arthur came and won on points
“Enter with an opponent who repels much more than most other opponents.
“And I just guess being in the ring, being in a big situation. I did it now, I know what to expect. I’m ready. It will be a fun fight and I am delighted. There is nothing that can confuse me. “
Although he did not see the fight in October, Yarde had his own opinion of Arthur against Anim.
He told talkSPORT.com: “I didn’t watch this fight, I only heard about it after this fight.
“My trainer / manager Tunde [Ajayi] is the one who told me he had fought a Ghanaian.
“I didn’t know. Since the fight was announced between him and me, I saw some highlights. I saw the highlights of him and the Ghanaian guy.
“It looked like the Ghanaian had given him work for some heats. But he grabbed the guy and dropped him. It was a good fight.
“But my fight was completely different from the opponent. I feel like it will help me in this fight. “
Kovalev stopped Yarde in the eleventh round
When asked if he thought he would gain much experience from his loss to Kovalev, Yarde added, “Certainly. I feel like every fight I’ve had so far has played an important role in my current position in my career.
“I always watch all the other fights because that’s what brought me to the world stage.
“For each fight I have experienced, I have gained experience. I did seven laps twice and eleven laps once.
“I have been there with arguably the best light-heavyweight there has been in recent years.”
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Yarde is back and once again continues his world champion move
Meanwhile, Arthur said of the Kovalev vs Yarde clash: “I was a fan of him that day. The eighth round was tight. I’m sure everyone in the UK was yelling, “Get the knockout, get the knockout.”
“But these things happen and people bounce back.”
Arthur concluded by talking about the April 11 fight with Yarde, which is a long-awaited milestone for him in his career.
“It’s exciting. He’s a great British rival. I don’t think it would have happened if he hadn’t been beaten against Kovalev.
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Arthur intends to ruin Yarde’s party
“He would have been a world champion and probably pursued more important things, but we’re here now and yes, it’s exciting.
“I can’t wait, it’s a big event. It would probably be a fight for the main event if it weren’t for Dubois and Joyce.
“I guess it’s a sense of relief because it’s my chance to propel myself onto the stage properly.”
