Fight To The Top

After taking up the sport at the relatively late age of 19, British boxer Anthony Yarde has been sending shockwaves through the light heavyweight division. With one WBO title under his belt already, he tells MF how he’s preparing to reach the very pinnacle of his sport

- Jon Lipsey

We first spoke to you a couple of years ago, when you were a hot prospect and everyone was talking about your potential. Now it seems you’re realising that potential – what do you put that down to?

My focus. Sometimes when someone gets labeled as a prospect, it goes to their head and they lose their hunger. Everything that’s happened to me so far, it has just motivated me. I started boxing when I was 19 years old so I’ve experienced waking up and having to go to work, doing a job that you don’t want to do, and that’s a big part of my motivation.

Have the physical challenges changed as your career has progressed?

Not really. I just go with how my body feels. I try to listen to my body as much as possible, when it’s saying “do something different today” or it’s genuinely like “I need a day’s rest” – without making excuses or being lazy! It’s about listening to your body, training as smart as you can but at the same time training as hard as you can. But above all it’s about just making sure you remain focused and keep working extremely hard.

Do you feel like you have the confidence to say to the team around you that you know what’s best for you?

Most definitely. The team around me has just formed naturally, really, and everyone has their own personality and we just bounce off of each other.

How important is it to have the right team? You need the team that’s right for you. So, you know, a legendary trainer might not be the best trainer for me. Personalities might clash, our beliefs might clash, and when you’re in tune with the people around you things go a lot smoother. When you’re battling to be in tune with each other you’re using up more energy to try to make things work.