insisted afterward. "I did myself justice.
"Coming out here, 99 per cent of people wouldn't have done what I did. I'm very ambitious, I'll be back."
And Kovalev agreed, insisting Yarde would "100 per cent" become a world champion someday, though he
was likely not of that opinion in the infancy of the fight, with Yarde happy to circle and Kovalev gleefully
warming up his mesmeric jab, the action caught fire in the fourth, with the champion landing a sweetly-
timed one-two. And the Brit began to walk on to his opponent’s left in the fifth, disguised initially as a set-
up shot, but often having a bludgeoning effect.
Yarde rejected an offer of $1 million to step aside and allow Kovalev to fight pound-for-pound
superstar Canelo Alvarez with the guarantee of a future fight against the winner.
Yarde and his team, including promoter Frank Warren, gambled, despite the enormous gulf in experience,
having fought just 12 amateur fights and only 18 professional bouts, compared to the Russian’s 15 world title
fights alone.
To Yarde’s credit, he remained unperturbed, and he summoned strength in the eighth round to suddenly
move to the brink of stopping the champion, walking him down and laying on hurtful shots.
But after trainer Buddy McGirt threatened to pull Kovalev out before the ninth, his fighter rallied in
a miraculous response: from almost out on his feet, the champion dominated the challenger to reverse the
tide.
And a now staggered Yarde, fighting on instinct, was put away with a clean swipe to the delight of
the Chelyabinsk crowd.
Kovalev could now resume talks for a super fight with Canelo, while Yarde will be forced to regroup and
drop back down a level.