{"id":5279,"date":"2023-01-30T15:09:31","date_gmt":"2023-01-30T15:09:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kede.com.br\/sport\/anthony-yarde-coach-tunde-ajayi-praised-for-pulling-hurt-briton-out-of-artur-beterbiev-bout\/"},"modified":"2023-01-30T15:09:32","modified_gmt":"2023-01-30T15:09:32","slug":"anthony-yarde-coach-tunde-ajayi-praised-for-pulling-hurt-briton-out-of-artur-beterbiev-bout","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kede.com.br\/sport\/anthony-yarde-coach-tunde-ajayi-praised-for-pulling-hurt-briton-out-of-artur-beterbiev-bout\/","title":{"rendered":"Anthony Yarde: Coach Tunde Ajayi praised for pulling hurt Briton out of Artur Beterbiev bout"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Anthony Yarde now has three defeats on his pro record<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A wounded Anthony Yarde looks to his corner after getting back to his feet.<\/span><\/p>\n

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He has just been knocked down by a vicious right hand from Artur Beterbiev in the eighth round of a relentless battle and is visibly dazed.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The referee Steve Gray gives Yarde the chance to prove he is OK and is satisfied enough to let the fight continue.<\/span><\/p>\n

But less than a second after the action resumes, Yarde’s coach Tunde Ajayi instructs the referee to end the contest.<\/span><\/p>\n

It is a rare sight in boxing, especially at championship level, for a corner to pull their fighter out. <\/span><\/p>\n

Perhaps 31-year-old Yarde could have survived, but there was still a minute left in the round. That is a long time to deflect the onslaught that would inevitably come from unified light-heavyweight champion Beterbiev.<\/span><\/p>\n

Beterbiev had 18 knockouts in his 18 previous fights. He is a ruthless finisher. And one bad knockout can change the trajectory of a fighters life, never mind their career.<\/span><\/p>\n

Boxers Tony Bellew, Carl Frampton and Claressa Shields all took to social media after the fight to praise Ajayi’s decision. <\/span><\/p>\n

“A very, very, very good stoppage by Tunde Ajayi,” former world champion Bellew said. <\/span><\/p>\n

“I don’t care what anyone says, [Yarde] was one shot away there from being in a bad, bad way.<\/span><\/p>\n

“He knows his fighter better than anyone.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Ajayi has coached Yarde for his entire professional career. They met when he decided to take boxing seriously around the age of 19.<\/span><\/p>\n

Yarde remembers how Ajayi forced him to earn his respect. He had to arrive at the gym at 5am each day. He insisted he didn’t train amateurs, but Yarde went on a knockout run in the unpaid ranks to change Ajayi’s mind. <\/span><\/p>\n

BBC Sport visited Yarde and Ajayi in camp before the Beterbiev fight. The training session was a constant negotiation between the pair, almost like bickering.<\/span><\/p>\n

But it was clear these two men have risen through the ranks in boxing together. They are familiar with each other and have developed a remarkable bond.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ajayi called Yarde his “hero” during the build-up to Saturday’s bout.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ajayi has faced criticism for his corner work in the past. His instructions to Yarde during his stoppage defeat by <\/span>Sergey Kovalev in 2019<\/span><\/a> were questioned as they were predominately motivational rather than tactical.<\/span><\/p>\n

After Yarde picked up the <\/span>second defeat of his career<\/span><\/a> against Lyndon Arthur, many called for the east Londoner to find a new coach.<\/span><\/p>\n

But Yarde refused to dump his trainer. Super-welterweight boxer Hannah Rankin believes that decision was justified and it ultimately comes down to trust between a fighter and their coach.<\/span><\/p>\n

“At the end of the day, as a fighter, if you feel as though you and your corner team are progressing together and you’ve not outgrown them, then there is no reason to leave,” she said.<\/span><\/p>\n

“They understand you and your body, not just you as a fighter, so I don’t see why you would change trainer.<\/span><\/p>\n

“Everyone can criticise all they like but those are the people you get in the ring with you on fight night, and only Yarde knows if he wants to continue to trust those people.”<\/span><\/p>\n