Anthony Yarde claims Ben Whittaker’s team wanted another year before putting the two together, despite Eddie Hearn now including him among the options for Whittaker’s next fight.
Yarde is willing to accept the bout immediately. His account of the earlier discussions adds a different perspective to Hearn’s proposed route after Whittaker’s difficult finish against Conor Wallace.
“Personally, we tried to get that fight, and then his team came back and said he would need another year. He’s still in that stage where he’s growing and he’s learning and all these kind of things. But if that fight got offered to me tomorrow, I’ll take it,” Yarde told talkSPORT Boxing.
Yarde didn’t specify when those discussions took place, so his comments don’t establish that Whittaker’s team is currently rejecting the fight. Hearn naming him as a possibility also falls short of an offer.
The concern is whether Whittaker is ready for that step. Hearn included Yarde, the Joshua Buatsi–Willy Hutchinson winner and a Wallace rematch, among his options, while acknowledging that Ben needs another fight before moving toward Dmitry Bivol.
Choosing Yarde would ask considerably more of Whittaker than running it back with Wallace. Yarde has faced Sergey Kovalev, Artur Beterbiev, and David Benavidez. He would enter with experience of the pressure and punishment that comes with fighting elite light heavyweights.
Whittaker’s early control against Wallace showed his ability to win rounds with speed and accuracy. The closing rounds left questions about how well he can maintain that work when hurt or exhausted. Yarde would have reason to keep testing him even if Ben built an early lead.
Yarde was measured about the matchup, describing Whittaker as “fantastic over six rounds” and insisting he would take him seriously. That makes this an awkward choice for Hearn: a recognizable opponent who welcomes the fight, but one capable of testing the very weaknesses Ben’s last performance exposed.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tboob4QIIA