Former world title challenger Anthony Yarde warned Ben Whittaker it’s too soon for the Olympic silver medallist to take him on in a professional fight.
Yarde will complete a trilogy with Lyndon Arthur on the undercard of Chris Eubank Jr’s clash with Conor Benn, live on Sky Sports Box Office.
He hopes a victory would position him for another run at a world title fight, but he would consider boxing Whittaker.
“Of course, but I don’t think it’s a smart decision on any of their parts. That’s just my humble opinion. I feel like it’s a little bit too early. A few more fights, I feel like it will make more sense,” Yarde told Sky Sports.
“If I fought Ben Whittaker now, I’m just being honest, it would be too early for him. It would be too early for him. That’s my opinion. Because I feel I can beat anybody in the world. Each loss at world level, I’ve always come back better.
“The reason for that is because I’ve always been learning on the job. Sometimes, most times, my undoing has been my experience. So I feel like my experience is making me better each time.”
But he added: “Even though someone’s at my weight class, it doesn’t really mean anything to me. I’m one of those people supporting what Ben Whittaker was doing because he was going viral, he was bringing a lot of attention to boxing and I like all that showboating stuff.”
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Yarde knocked down Vilcans with the first punch
Whittaker has a major fight the week before Yarde’s next bout. The Olympic silver medallist will rematch Liam Cameron on Sunday April 20, live on Sky Sports.
Their first fight came to a shock end when both Whittaker and Cameron tumbled out of the ring in the fifth round and the bout finished as a technical decision draw.
Yarde though believes that if Whittaker sticks to his accustomed showboating style, he can beat Cameron in the rematch.
“I think Ben Whittaker will be better this time,” Yarde said. “He wasn’t himself. I was in the Sky Sports studio watching that fight and I said it, this ain’t him. He’s being too serious. This is not him.
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Yarde says he got too content after he knocked down Vilcans in the first round before claiming victory on points
“He thrives on showboating, similar to Naseem Hamed. He’s not Naseem Hamed but Naseem Hamed thrived on being Naseem Hamed. What comes across as showboating and dancing, that’s part of the style.
“So when he tries to be serious, it’s a different fighter. A completely different fighter and then Cameron’s style was all wrong for him on that night.”
Yarde continued: “But I do think if he’s himself, he’s flamboyant, [he can win]. Which is going to be hard to do because the first fight, a lot of people are saying it was a cop out and Cameron was coming on to actually win the fight.
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Yarde imitates fellow light-heavyweight boxer Artur Beterbiev by copying his famous push-ups routine during his open media workout
“So for him to come out and showboat now, it’s going to take a very strong mentality.
“That’s when he’s at his best in my opinion. It is dangerous but then that’s the style he chose. It’s very dangerous. Depending on who you’re in there with it can be very dangerous.
“But for a fighter like him I’m sure it will motivate him. So I say, be yourself.”
Watch Ben Whittaker vs Liam Cameron 2 on Sunday April 20, live on Sky Sports
