Yarde vows to bounce back after giving Kovalev scare

Anthony Yarde pledged yesterday to come back stronger after the first defeat of his career on Saturday night. The east Londoner’s inexperience told as he was stopped in the 11th round by champion Sergey Kovalev in their World Boxing Organisation light-heavyweight title fight in Chelyabinsk, Russia.

Yarde, 28, who had never gone beyond seven rounds in his 18-fight career, succumbed to exhaustion, having come within seconds of halting the world’s No 1-ranked light heavyweight as he attacked the body of the Russian in the seventh and asserted a major assault in the eighth.

“I will be back. I took a big risk for a big reward, because I don’t fear opponents. It didn’t go to plan, but my mentality stays the same,” said Yarde, having shown a great chin, guts, heart, fearlessness – and inexperience – in equal measure.

“You’re a great fighter. You have a great future,” Kovalev told Yarde in the ring, adding: “A hundred per cent he will be a champion.”

Tunde Ajayi, Yarde’s trainer, came under fire from fans after the contest for his lack of technical advice between rounds, but said: “Last night the whole world saw what Anthony, myself and our whole team were made of. We came from nothing and made it happen.”

Kovalev is being lined up to fight Saul “Canelo” Alvarez – the Mexican moving up a third weight division – probably in November.

The path for Yarde remains less clear, though a fight with Britain’s Callum Johnson is one option.