WBO WORLD LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE CLASH: Sergey Kovalev, Anthony Yarde – Face To Face in Russia

ANTHONY YARDE will take on WBO World Light Heavyweight Champion Sergey Kovalev on Saturday night in Chelyabinsk, Russia live on BT Sport 2 and ESPN+ will stream LIVE from Russia beginning at 12:30 p.m. ET/9:30 a.m. PT

Yarde (18-0, 17KOs) met Kovalev (33-3-1, 28KOs) for the first time today at their fight week press conference.

Here are a selection of quotes from the Kovalev vs. Yarde media event ahead of Saturday night’s show.

Anthony Yarde
“I’m just here to do a job… and enjoy myself.”

“I haven’t done no trash talking. And, I don’t do trash talking. I posted pictures, to me they are good pictures. I am a fighter, that’s what I’m meant to visualize. I’m meant to see these things in my mind, the same way Kovalev probably sees things in his mind. As fighters we want to do the best we can so we visualize what we want to happen. I posted a picture that a fan made, when I saw this picture I re-posted it as that’s what’s going to happen.” (In reference to a journalist’s question on an Anthony Yarde social media post)

“I believe that right now I’m mentally very strong and I believe what happens on the night is what matters.”

“I’m just going to literally go in the ring and be myself. I’m going to focus on myself, be the best that I can be and get the knockout victory because that’s what I feel like I need to do to win the fight.”

“I don’t know which round. I’m not a psychic… but that’s my plan. In boxing you can’t predict rounds. I’ve just got to go in there with a goal in my head and produce.”

Yarde says he’s hungry
“This is my first time in Russia. I’m enjoying myself, I’ve been treated well and I’m enjoying the country but I’m not nervous. This is why I’m smiling so much. Because where I’ve come from, I’ve rose very quickly to be here, so I’m happy to be at this level and I’m going to make the most of it.”

“No disrespect to Kovalev, he’s been a champ for a long time, he’s unified, he’s been there and done it. I’m very ambitious and I’m literally just hungry and I want to get to that stage and change my life. I’m sure he wanted to change his life when he started so I’m at that stage now and I’m just aggressive with my approach and how hungry I am.”

“Life is about challenges and you don’t know if you can do something until you try. I’m here to do a job. It don’t matter who the crowd is rooting for, Kovalev would probably say the same… once you get in the ring, it’s you and your opponent and that’s all that matters.”

Sergey Kovalev
“I am indeed very pleased to be home. We have a big fight ahead of us. We’ll try to do our best to come out happy and very pleased after the fight.”

“My career and my schedule doesn’t really let me live here. I try to be as far as possible from home so I can work harder and not lose energy.”

“We did have an offer (from Canelo Alvarez) but we can talk about that after Saturday night. Official agreements were already made with Antony Yarde. My primary task is to defend the title. If the fight is still interesting for Canelo afterwards then OK.”

“I understand Anthony Yarde’s ambitions. He calls himself a lion but to me he is a cub. He is so young. I will have to get rid of all that baby fur off his skin so he will run away back home. It is clear he comes here and he wants to be like that. I have this experience. Now is my time.”

“The plans are to have all the belts and become an absolute champion. I think there should be only one champion. We have four in our weight division, it’s not quite clear who is strongest. It would be great to decide amongst us who is strongest.”

“He thinks that he will knock me out but Saturday will show everybody what will be exactly. He has had a lot of fights and he’s won them by KO but Saturday will show.”