Anthony Yarde (United Kingdom) vs Sergey Kovalev (Russia) - KNOCKOUT, BOXING HD

Champion of the WBO Raw, Sir P. Crusher! He's 80 wins by 17 KO, number one of the WBO. Champion of the WBO Intercontinental, please welcome Anthony Yard! Anthony Yard entered undefeated and brimming with confidence as he challenged for his first world title. Known for his explosive power and athleticism, Yard believed his aggression could trouble the experienced champion on foreign soil. For Yard, the bout represented a defining opportunity to prove he belonged among the top light heavyweights in the world. Kovalev doubling up on the jab. And Kovalev at least the same height as Yard. Yard not physically dominating in that respect. Yard with so little experience, just 12 amateur fights, 18 pro fights. Alvarez, Kovalev is really able to pick him apart. Offset the balance of Yard. Yard is playing a cagey game, but it's sort of working for him. He hasn't taken anything. He respects Yard's power because he threw that right hand with not much conviction. Really hurtful as yet in this fight. Hasn't landed a clear, clean shot yet. It's not maybe a bad thing. Caught by a left hand there though from Kovalev. Really is his key weapon, even if he's not the finisher. It's a solid shot, even if it's not always a shot that's going to knock you out. Third round. And Yard needs to get into this fight. Such a confident young man isn't he at the Yard, really is. Very much so. He's good there from Yard. He's looked anything but a man who's facing a quantum leap in class. On the balls of his feet when he got caught from Yard. At the moment, he's out jabbing the British challenger. So many wins, but he's actually, if you look back over the people who've followed him closely, will know, has been... Left hook there from Yard. Again, just faking the jab there, just faking the pump and the jab. Just got to be careful here, Yard. He doesn't get caught into a rhythm of waiting too long. I think my common consent is... He's trying to lure Kovalev on so he overreaches and then throw that sharp left hook. And then start the ball rolling for him, but rather than just wait. He needs to be a bit busier here. Again, not massively dominant here, Kovalev, but bossing with the jab. It's better from Yard there to be more proactive with his work now. Or line him up for the shot. That's why Kovalev's not throwing it too often. He can't see the target clean enough to be confident to let it go. That's good from Kovalev. Right hand, left hand. Good speed of hand. And accuracy. Kovalev looking pretty nimble-footed so far. Oh, good left. Little screw shot there. Come up a bit from Kovalev. Heavier shot from Yard. Partially blocked that left hand. Amateur experience before he turned pro, Kovalev. 200 plus fights. Oh, good shot from the champion. Terrific left hand. But he's being all boxed, John. And that's a worry now. He's getting a bit of a pattern in these rounds here. Kovalev is racking up the points. He's trying to set a trap for Kovalev. I think he needs to force Kovalev to make a mistake. He's certainly not. And Buddy McGirt and Sergey Kovalev must be reasonably pleased. That's a lovely shot there from... A little screw shot, a little left hand there from Sergey Kovalev. To me now, he's just got to change the pattern of the fight, hasn't he? Like that, maybe. Wanted punch power, Yard. Oh, he walked into a ramrod left hand there. Well, he lands a left hook of his own. He's not panicking. And that's not a bad sign. 12 round fight. We're only in the fifth. But he gassed. I think his fitness wasn't quite there. We'll see if that has the same effect now. He's thrown again here for me, Kovalev. But he's throwing a lot of shots. He's doing a lot of work. Oh, good shot. Lovely left hand from Kovalev. Really. Just a little short with that right hand there. Anthony Yard. Good from Kovalev again. Takes a little step forward. After Kovalev throws, try and slip inside the shots rather than slip on the end of them. And get inside and work away. Kovalev did feel a little bit of the British challenger's power. But then steps inside and puts the pressure on once more. Yeah, the right hand of the body was a good shot there from Kovalev. Body shot from Yard, though. And Kovalev is having to show fitness. Good right hand again from the champion. Can he take the big shots? Well, so far, so good. This is good. Oh, good shot there from Yard. Well, just signs in the closing seconds of that round. He doesn't always panic when he's losing rounds. If he's making the other guy work hard, if he's trying to set him up. But the thing is, there's two punches in there tonight. That's a low from Yard. I don't really think he's being headshot. I think the rounds are quite easy for Scott, aren't they? He's losing the rounds. He's not being totally beat up or bossed. He's losing the rounds quite clearly. But showed signs in the end of that round. There's been some complaints in the Antony Yard corner already about his gum shield not quite fitting correctly. And I hope that's not an issue. Nice left hook there from Antony Yard. And again. And he's trying to walk Kovalev down, taking punishment as he does so. There are certainly no signs as yet of Kovalev, in any sense, being a shot fighter. And things are going to form, aren't they? That's been true for a while. But also, there's no signs of Yard being massively out of his depth in getting beat up or any panic in his work. And took a heavy shot back. Chopping right hand. A danger punch from Kovalev over the top. Experience, though, before this, against a higher level of opponent. And there's blood now oozing from his left nostril. Let's hear from Enzo Macronelli, who's in the studio. How have you got it? Wide, I think, of Jim Yard. But he looks like he's got so much in the tank here, Antony Yard. He looks relaxed. He looks very fit. And he's got loads to do here. So I think, show us. Hands high, maybe. There you go. Just try and walk forward a little bit more. It's a lovely jab, though, from Kovalev. Accurate. Because Kovalev can box, because he's not just a puncher, he can afford to get a bit of ground away. Yard must hope. But no signs so far. Body shot from Yard. And another. Oh, there's a left, which was right on the border. And he's targeting the body now. Trying to soften Kovalev up. Good left hand again from Yard. Corner bellowing at Yard to bring his shots up. Look for the uppercut. Just missing there with those left touch out. Good right hand there from Kovalev. And you've just got to feel that it's in him. I think it is in him. Yard the banger, trying to show raw strength and power. He's quickening those feet up a little here, Yard. He's slipping and sliding as you get to tag a little bit quicker. That was a big body shot. Good right hand. And again. Yard really winding up on that right hand. He don't care. He got hit really low with that body shot. He wants to carry on. And he's walking Kovalev back now. Lovely chopping right hand there from Yard as well. Good work. Left hand, right hand from Yard. Oh, good right hand from Yard. Got him rocked. Left hook from Yard. And the right. He's got the champion going. Oh, tremendous attack. Big head shots from Yard. Won't let him off the hook now, surely. He is going for broke. He's lost every round to here. But now Yard. Huge round here for Yard. Ten seconds to go. And Kovalev now will surely. Absolutely spent here, Kovalev. What a round for Anthony Yard. What a great round for Anthony Yard. Yeah, Kovalev is in all sorts of trouble. And he looked one or two punches from being stopped there. Oh, did you hear that? You take one more shot like that, I'm stopping it. Oh, look at this. Now all of a sudden it's Kovalev. Look at that shot. In world boxing, saying to Kovalev, take one more big shot like that and I will stop it. Find the punches to make him a world champion. Yard now knows that he has the power. Look at Yard, hands high. This is what he should have done earlier. Making Kovalev work. Nothing from Yard yet. Now he lands with a solid right hand. Kovalev won't though. He'll try and win it from range. Oh, good right hand. And again there from Kovalev. Yard's mouth hanging open. Put a lot into that last round. With the sponge on the ring. Oh, good there from Kovalev. Beautiful work. And again, rocking back the head of Yard. Well, I heard tales from the Peacock Jim about how he used to spar with the big punching Ovil McKenzie and how he could take the shots. But unless he has an absolutely fantastic finish this round, this is a round that goes in the Kovalev column. And by some distance. And Kovalev has dominated this night. He has shown the resolve of a champion here, Kovalev. That is some round from Sergei Kovalev at the age of 36. The crowd thought he'd gone. Fit as anything in that last round. Looked a little bit tired for the very first time. It looked like he was going to walk him down. But he was so close to going in the eighth. And he dominated the ninth. The clock is ticking down. We're in the tenth. A 12-round World Championship fight. Oh, great left hand from Kovalev. And Yard in a bit of trouble. Good left from Kovalev there. And another one. And Yard looks just about spent. Big right hand. And the crowd senses. Turned this around remarkably after that eighth round. And that's quality again from the champion. The referee's looking closely at this. He wants to see something come back from Yard. And he does so. The bell goes. He's knackered, he's tired. He's in a place he hasn't been before. Under pressure, getting hurt. And he's shown great resolve in patches of this fight here. But that last round, especially at the end there, getting hit, hurt. And now physically dominating Yard after such a brave effort from the British challenger. Into the 11th. Here comes Yard. Final throw of the dice, maybe. A bit of gamesmanship there from Kovalev. Termination from Yard. He's kept on coming. And he's still doing so here in the 11th. But stopped in his tracks by those beautiful, straight, accurate punches from Kovalev. He's a bit of a reflex fighter, Yard. But when you're tired, your reflexes are a little bit slower. And that's the worry here. Absolutely all in here is Anthony Yard. Kovalev knows it. Yard trying to regroup. Trying to somehow find the energy to rally. Oh, he's gone. He's gone. It was the left hand that did it. And the fighter thinks he's all over there. It is over. The referee stops it. And yes, Sergey Kovalev in his homecoming has won by knockout. Massive effort from Anthony Yard. But in the end, the punch that has served Kovalev so well. It was just experience and ability, let's be honest, because he boxed well beyond the jab. But what I would say about Anthony Yard, he showed a great chin. We didn't know he had. He proved that he didn't have a chin. He ticked that box. And again, I thought I should have went for it. My corner said, go for it. I thought the same way. So we literally, I went for it. Confirmation of victory for Kovalev.