Ricky Hatton has had his say on Anthony Yarde’s lightweight title fight with elite boxer Artur Beterbiev.
However, Beterbiev is 38 years old and Yarde has certainly improved since his first world championship win against Sergey Kovalev.
Hatton, a former two-weight world champion, broke the fight for Voices from the Corner, first praised the growth of Yarde.
“As a fan of the British boxer, I am very proud of the work Anthony has done. He lost to Lyndon Arthur, turned around, got his revenge, showed he was world class ahead of Kovalev. He’s come back stronger and he’s improved in every department.”
Hatton also has praise for other corners.
“18 fights, 18 knockouts. The fist is very explosive. Are we talking sterling? Truly elite.”
“He really is a powerful boxing machine – and although Anthony looks burly, there isn’t much there in terms of size?”
‘The Hitman’ admits he picked Beterbiev to win, despite being keen to throw it back against Kostya Tszyu in 2005.
The Russian-Australian was unable to hit back from his corner in the final round, and Hatton had a nasty win that will go down in history. He knew there was a chance Yarde would follow suit.
“Dear Anthony, if you hear this we are all behind you, you have our full support. I just thought it might be a bit of a bridge.
I think maybe stop seven or eight [for Beterbiev.] But, you know… I was up against a gentleman named Kostya Tszyu and no one thought I could do it. He’s a powerhouse, and look what happened to him.
The fight is available on Sports BT for UK viewers and ESPN+ for the US.
