A biography for Anthony Yardehasn’t been written yet.
“The streets are tough but sport, and boxing especially, has put me on the right path in my life.”
“No shame in losing to an all-time great.”
“Nobody has really gone out to Russia to fight somebody like Kovalev. A lot of people are paying attention to it and can't believe what I'm doing. Some people think I'm going to pull out. I've seen comments saying 'Oh this is a good publicity stunt' and I was just laughing. They don't understand.”
“I've had 12 amateur fights, 18 professional fights and I've come to Russia, not just to Russia but to Chelyabinsk, home of Sergey Kovalev who has an impressive resume. The fact I've come to his backyard means I feel it will go down as one of the best results ever.”
“I thought the Mike Tyson story was beautiful and it drew me in. He was bullied, a small kid who started knocking out giants.”
“My first boxing experience came at around 14. There was always confrontation in the area I grew up in. My mentality, I'll be honest, was if someone tries it with me, I want to be able to knock them out.”
“100 percent, I'm a natural athlete. From when I was younger, I played so many different sports and I've got a competitive mindset.”
“Nine times out of 10 the smarter or mentally focused fighter comes out on top.”
“A lot of people don't start something because of fear because they're scared of a negative outcome. Whereas I believe if you focus on negativity, you'll make nothing of your life.”
“I'm a strong believer in destiny. I believe you are born to do certain things.”
“I don't want to become world champion and lose it immediately. I want to become world champion, take over the division and take it from there.”
“I didn't start boxing until I was 18 but I believe that is a big advantage now. If you start too young, it's easy to become distracted.”
“When I was growing up Harlequins were interested in signing me because I was very fast and strong at an early age, but I wasn't interested in rugby at the time.”
“Some people are natural-born punchers and I think I've always had it.”
“When I first went into a boxing gym I watched Kovalev fight on TV and now my name is spoken about in the same light as him, now I'm fighting him.”
“Mayweather has been hit the least out of every world champion in history and that is the art of the sport; to hit and not get hit.”
“Sometimes if you spend your time focusing on other people, you give them energy over you; you give them power.”
“I love my slow jams.”
“In year seven and eight I was very small, but I was muscular. Year nine, ten and eleven I got massive. I was in the gym every day, even at lunchtime and break times. I was thinking about boxing at that time but didn't think I would actually do it.”
“You have to trust in the people you have around you.”