Anthony Yarde underwhelms on BOXXER debut in London

Anthony Yarde, now 26-3 (24 KOs) made an underwhelming start to life on BOXXER and Sky Sports with a hard-fought win over the game Ralfs Vilcans (17-2, 7 KOs).

Yarde, 29, had been out of the ring for four months but made a flying start, dropping Vilcans with a counter right hand just seconds into Round 1. The Englishman didn’t rush his work and seemed happy to let his opponent see out the round. Yarde’s skills were on display in the second; he used his movement to avoid the oncoming attacks before flicking a sharp left hand back. 

Vilcans, 30, made up for what he lacked in skill with heart and continued to pressure Yarde even after being heavily countered in the fourth. Yarde seemed relaxed in the corner, enjoying being back under the bright lights, but he was getting caught. However, the punches seemed to not affect him and he waved Vilcans forward in the fifth. 

In the sixth Yarde had decided he’d had enough of a runout and started to walk Vilcans down. He walked through the Latvian’s punches and landed hard, clean shots which brought a cheer from the onlooking crowd. Vilcans was not deterred, however, and seemed to be comfortable with the power of Yarde, even after being dropped in the first.

Yarde focused his attacks on the body of Vilcans in the eighth, hoping that they would have more of an impact than his failed assault on the head. Vilcans again seemed unfazed by Yarde’s shots and, in the ninth, started to push the Englishman into the corner.

Yarde may have been landing the heavier and more eye-catching shots, but he was being outworked by Vilcans. In the tenth, Yarde attempted to finish an underwhelming performance with a knockout, but again he struggled to deter Vilcans. The final bell sounded and Victor Loughlin, the sole adjudicator, awarded the fight 98-92 to Yarde. 

Vilcans may have only won two rounds but that didn’t tell the story of the fight. Yarde will have to step up his game if he is to challenge Joshua Buatsi.

Earlier, Tulani Mbenge (21-2, 15 KOs) defeated Michael McKinson (26-2, 4 KOs) for the IBO welterweight championship.

McKinson, 30, started the better of the two, using his sharp southpaw jab and left to the body early in the first. He switched his attacks upstairs and hurt Mbenge, but the travelling South African fought back.

Mbenge, 33, pressed the action in the second, determined not to let McKinson grow in confidence. He pushed him back to the ropes and was able to find a home for shots over the low guard of the Englishman. More of the same followed in the third as McKinson struggled to get the respect of Mbenge and had to resort to countering when he could. 

Mbenge continued his hunt for McKinson and powered home body shots that were clearly having an effect. McKinson slowed down in the fourth, resulting in him sitting on the ropes at times, but that only played into Mbenge’s hands. He again punished McKinson, delivering shots to the head and body. 

In the fifth and sixth, McKinson seemed to work out the style of Mbenge and started to slip the shots that were previously landing. He sat in the pocket with the South African, slipping and sliding, while landing counters to the body. He was, however, being out-worked.

The body shots that Mbenge had been banking throughout the fight finally started to pay dividends in the seventh. McKinson, gasping for air, had to dig deep and settle for working with his back to the ropes.

The eighth and ninth proved to be the most entertaining rounds of the fight; both men stood in the pocket and fired away at each other. The bigger shots came from Mbenge but McKinson didn’t shy away from landing his own left hand. 

McKinson tried his best to turn the tide in the championship rounds but with limited success. Mbenge was too strong and continued to march forward. Both men embraced after a hard-fought 12 rounds before Mbenge then had his hand raised. The scorecards read 117-111 and 116-112 twice to the South African.