The trainer of unified light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev 18-0 (18) insists the knockout is not the goal when his boxer defends his WBC, WBO and IBF titles against Anthony Yarde 23-2 (22) at Wembley Arena in London, England on Saturday night.
“We’ve known [about] Anthony Yarde for a long time,” Marc Ramsay said. “I look at all the light heavyweights from their beginning until they reach the level of my fighter. I know he’s a good fighter, a complete fighter. He’s fast, he’s powerful, he can box, he can counterpunch. But we get ready for all of those elements in the training camp.
“We have a very productive training camp. We reached every single objective that we faced before the training camp. No excuse, no injury, no nothing. We’re just ready to perform and give the fans what they want to see.
“I know everyone wants to talk about [Beterbiev’s perfect knockout rate] and has questions about this, but this is really not the focus we have as a team. We work with Artur to get ready to fight the best way we can. Power is power. Power is there, but that is not the main objective for us. We don’t put the focus on that.”
Despite recently turning 38, the Canadian-based Russian has shown no signs of slowing down. Beterbiev’s assistant trainer John Scully says he is a marvel.
“Honestly, and I mean it – I’m not just saying it,” Scully said. “And I’ve said this. You could see online, I’ve said this. I think he’s the only guy I’ve ever seen who’s gotten better in his mid-30s. I think his fights with Marcus Browne and Joe Smith, he did things and he performed in a way better than when he was 30.”
Scully sees Beterbiev’s faith as a contributing factor to his longevity.
“I think his devotion to his religion,” Scully said. “He doesn’t drink, he doesn’t smoke, he doesn’t hang out, and I just think it’s kept him preserved. You know, his whole mentality, he’s like a 28, 29-year-old guy, not 38.”
Beterbiev has had relatively few fights for someone who turned professional almost a decade ago. But Scully says his lack of activity in the ring is balanced out by his dedication to his training regime.
“He alleviates that because he trains,” Scully said. “He’s always in shape. You’ll never see him not be able to do things physically. He’s always in good shape. His mentality is always within range of being ready for a fight, so I don’t see it as a problem.”
Brit Yarde, 31, will be having his second crack at a world title after losing his bid for the WBO strap by 11th round knockout to Sergiy Kovalev in August 2019.
He sees little similarities between the two Russians.
“They’re different fighters, I believe,” Yarde said to BT Sport. “Kovalev was a lot more cautious. I don’t feel like Beterbiev, he’s as cautious. I feel like he’s very confident in his wrecking ability. And I feel like that’s why he’s been tagged a few times and been hurt.
“But I don’t think he has been hurt by me yet. So, when I do hurt him, I’m the kinda person who’s gonna finish the job.
“There has been respect between me and Beterbiev, because I feel like we both know what each other’s capable of.
“That’s what makes this fight so exciting, the explosion.”