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SportsTranscript
00:00 [indistinct chatter]
00:15 Almost a reverential pause after the excitement of what we've witnessed so far tonight.
00:21 There's such goodwill surrounding Anthony Yard these days right across Great Britain,
00:27 particularly in this East End of London. He is one of their own in every sense.
00:31 A medal for valour, but not the world title belts that his bravery perhaps would earn at any other time.
00:40 He's been in against two of the best of this era, pound for pound, and come up short, but only marginally so.
00:46 We're not going to pretend that Marco Nikolic has any claim on that kind of status, but he is the job at Hatton Ritchie.
00:53 What do we look for in terms of the focus that Anthony Yard needs?
00:57 Well, this is a big year for Anthony Yard. He knows that he can't afford any sloppy performances.
01:02 He's got to look good because he wants to obviously get another world title shot.
01:06 And it's such an exciting division, both domestically and on the world scene, with some, as you said,
01:13 Paul, the best pound for pound boxers in the world. Probably are light heavy.
01:16 You know, you're Bouturbier, you're Bivell. And then there's that also on the British scene with now Josh Bawatze.
01:24 That's a fantastic fight that will keep brewing and brewing. So he's got to look good here tonight.
01:30 And with shots like that to the body there, that was a good shot indeed from Yard.
01:35 Who started this quite composed and very confident, but it's a massive year for him and he'll want to look good.
01:42 I don't think they'll mind if they get a few rounds of this tonight, Rich.
01:47 Just that brief, brief excursion against Georges Silva at Wembley.
01:54 Deservedly took, what, seven months off after Bouturbier.
01:58 And that brilliant fight, Fight of the Year potentially, in the eyes of many.
02:02 I think you actually said it was your Fight of the Year last year.
02:05 Yeah, it was for me. I thought he really showed his mettle in that contest against Bouturbier.
02:11 It was my Fight of the Year. And the work he's doing here,
02:16 the quality of his punching and the speed is much better than Nikolic,
02:21 who's struggling straight away with dealing with the speed and the power of Anthony Yard.
02:28 But when he throws that jab from the waist, it's hard to detect.
02:31 Oh, what a shot that was.
02:34 Had a little recoil effect, didn't it?
02:37 Yeah, the quality of his work here, Paul, is very good indeed. Speed and accuracy.
02:43 Nikolic almost professing an awe of being in the ring with Anthony Yard,
02:49 expressing his admiration for him, saying,
02:51 I've always dreamt of the opportunity to fight a man like Anthony Yard.
02:55 Perhaps also knowing that the reality is going to hurt a lot more.
02:59 Hopefully it won't hurt for very long.
03:01 Well, give him credit. He's not hitting and running, is he?
03:03 He's having a go here, but he's just been beaten by, at the moment,
03:07 better quality boxing, speed in the punch from Yard, the power and the accuracy.
03:13 Nikolic is really sort of struggling to cope with his opponent here.
03:19 But give him credit, he's not running from Yard.
03:21 And to pick up from your previous point, Richie,
03:23 I think one of the things they want to see in the Yard corner tonight
03:26 is the variety of work which they've worked so hard on over the last two years.
03:31 And we are seeing that in this opener.
03:33 [BELL RINGS]
03:35 Hmm. Million dollar Whopper contest. I can top that.
03:53 I can top that.
03:54 Hey! You can top that!
03:56 You bet!
03:57 Really? Avocado, bacon, hollandaise.
04:00 Hollandaise?
04:01 Pickles and sport peppers.
04:03 What? Corn chips!
04:05 Brisket and bark!
04:07 I can top that!
04:09 Bacon, egg and cheese Whopper.
04:10 Pizza Whopper!
04:11 Creating your Whopper, your way, could win you a million bucks.
04:15 Can you top that?
04:17 [MUSIC]
04:18 Corners, 10 seconds.
04:25 So, cool, calm and collected, as usual.
04:28 Marco Nicolic, not so. I think all that is to be expected.
04:32 [BELL RINGS]
04:34 Scheduled 10 rounder.
04:36 The return of Anthony Yard, a headliner in itself.
04:40 It really did look like Anthony Yard was in second gear, Paul, in that opening round.
04:47 Just testing his opponent with some nice fast shots here and there.
04:51 Crisp work from him, quality boxing.
04:54 Nicolic took a couple of good right hands to the body late on in that round.
04:59 It hurt him, I thought.
05:00 But, yeah, he's just struggling with the speed of Yard.
05:05 And the variation, there's that right hand again, downstairs.
05:09 Cracking shot, little left hook on the inside as well.
05:12 That wasn't too far away, so good variation from Yard.
05:15 It was veering towards top gear there for a sec, Richie, wasn't it?
05:18 Yeah, it was.
05:19 Nicolic is the brave man in the line of fire.
05:23 And by trade, a fireman, actually.
05:25 So used to danger, used to being brave.
05:28 Hasn't come over to just get the money and run.
05:33 It's a well-known casino not very far from here.
05:37 And a lot of his fellow countrymen have been in there playing for money this week.
05:41 He's playing for a different kind of reward, but it's all hard work.
05:45 Down for the first time.
05:46 He says that wasn't a knockdown, incidentally.
05:47 What was your view, Richie?
05:48 I think he was a little bit off balance, maybe.
05:51 But there was certainly a punch involved there, Paul.
05:53 So you've got to give it as a knockdown, I think.
05:55 But he was sort of shoved to the ground, wasn't he?
05:58 It was a punch and then a shove, I should imagine.
06:00 I think it was from Yard.
06:01 But just before that, he landed quite a good shot, Nicolic.
06:05 And that's why I think Yard just upped the tempo a little bit.
06:08 And again, it's the quality of the jab, the speed and the accuracy with it.
06:12 And there's another body shot from Yard.
06:14 That's wonderful.
06:17 Up and down and around the side.
06:20 Everyone at Cannon is not going to make it, I don't think.
06:25 Just in the nick of time.
06:28 Yeah, brave guy.
06:30 Many, many boxers would have just stayed down there.
06:33 He's got a brave kid.
06:35 The end appears to be nigh for Marco Nicolic.
06:38 It might be merciful if it is quick.
06:40 Yard, so composed, wants to showcase his ability.
06:48 Showcase is the key word tonight in every way.
06:50 There's another one underneath.
06:51 Showcase the talent.
06:53 And moreover, in addition to the power,
06:55 showcase the improvement in his general output.
06:59 The armory is so much more varied these days.
07:02 That's all the work they've done since that first defeat by Lyndon Arthur.
07:07 Reprogrammed, rebuilt.
07:09 They were brave enough to think about what they were doing wrong and address it.
07:13 James Cook came in as part of the team.
07:15 And you're seeing the fruits of his work alongside Tunde Ojeye here.
07:19 This is a showcase performance from Yard, as they were hoping for.
07:23 Yeah, good work, good variation.
07:25 Switching the attack body to head.
07:27 Uppercuts and hooks going in.
07:29 Fair play to Nicolic.
07:30 He's having to go back, landing with Yard's right hand here and there.
07:33 But the quality work on the inside from Yard, very good indeed.
07:36 Unsteady legs.
07:38 Feeling for the canvas with his toes as he goes back.
07:41 Look at him slump on the stool.
07:43 [crowd cheering]
07:48 Hmm. Million dollar Whopper contest.
07:51 I can top that.
07:52 I can top that.
07:53 Hey! You can top that!
07:55 You bet!
07:56 Really?
07:57 Avocado, bacon, hollandaise.
07:59 Hollandaise?
08:01 Pickles and sport peppers.
08:02 What?
08:03 DuBois has come over rightly.
08:05 Good referee and have a little word.
08:07 [crowd cheering]
08:10 It's so one-sided.
08:11 Of course a meeting with this guy will be altogether a different proposition
08:14 as has been said on the show tonight.
08:16 One of the standout potential fights to look forward to.
08:21 And maybe not that far into the future.
08:23 But they've never strayed into that territory this week.
08:26 Yes, we want it.
08:27 We want everybody.
08:28 They've already shown that time and time again.
08:30 But the job is to do the right thing tonight against the very brave Marco Nicolic.
08:35 Yeah, I don't know whether I'd have been sending my boxer out there, you know, Paul,
08:39 for this round.
08:41 You know what's coming here.
08:43 And Nicolic is on the end of it already from the jabs.
08:48 And when Yard decides to go through the gear, he'll take him out whenever he wants to,
08:52 to be quite honest.
08:53 I think the only way...
08:54 So the cornerman maybe shouldn't have sent him out really.
08:56 Rich, I think the only way he sees the start of round four is if Anthony just eases off slightly.
09:01 Yeah.
09:02 Which doesn't happen very often, does it?
09:04 No.
09:08 All pretense of boxing has been abandoned by Nicolic.
09:11 He's just having it, isn't he?
09:13 And he's bound to lose out in that way.
09:15 Well, he hasn't gone on the back foot at all, has he?
09:18 He hasn't tried to get away.
09:20 What a brave guy he is taking these shots.
09:23 But Yard with that precision, with those punches, especially downstairs.
09:29 That left hook especially to the body.
09:32 Powerful shots, but Nicolic...
09:35 Oh, there you go.
09:36 Oh, brilliant one.
09:38 So the question again is asked of Lee Everett,
09:40 how much more of this do we really need to see?
09:42 Just throw the towel in there.
09:44 The kid's hurt, you know?
09:45 Yeah.
09:46 It's over.
09:47 Well played, Lee Everett.
09:48 And very well done indeed, Anthony Yard.
09:50 It could not have been more clinical.
09:52 It could not have been more of a statement tonight at the start of 2024.
09:58 We didn't even get to Lyons in the camp.
10:01 That's for another night.
10:03 And what a wild ride it would be with that kid if it does happen one day.
10:06 Josh Bawatsy.
10:07 Now Tunde might give a little chorus of it, I don't know.
10:11 Hardly even breathing.
10:13 They've worked so hard on the fitness,
10:15 apparently the new dedication, Richie, over the last six months.
10:18 James Cook was telling me there's a run in Dulwich in South London
10:23 that they've been doing,
10:24 which has extended even his exceptional athletic powers.
10:28 Brilliant.
10:29 James Cook's been brought in.
10:31 He's made such a difference as well to the training camp.
10:35 That was a wonderful right hand there, wasn't it, to the body from Yard.
10:39 Let's have a look at that.
10:41 Bang on the solar plexus.
10:42 Nikolic goes down, he's hurt.
10:45 Yeah, you can only beat what's put in front of you.
10:47 Nikolic didn't run, he stood and had a go.
10:51 But Yard was in another league, to be quite honest.
10:54 And not even drawing breath.
10:56 It is actually a run that many years ago Crystal Palace FC used to torture their players on.
11:01 I actually know, well I've never done it.
11:03 I've watched them suffer.
11:05 And James Cook said, he's been making me suffer.
11:08 He's been running it while I've been on the bike and he's been outrunning me.
11:11 Brilliant.
11:12 Well, it's paying off, Paul, isn't it?
11:14 You look really good tonight.
11:15 That was until James got on the electric bike, by the way.
11:18 But Yard has got the motor, hasn't he?
11:21 And as Richie rightly said, second gear was enough tonight.
11:24 Great job.
11:25 Perfect.
11:26 Perfect start to 2024.
11:28 Ladies and gentlemen, here is the official time.
11:36 One minute, 15 seconds of round number three.
11:40 Our referee in charge, Lee Every, waves off the contest.
11:44 Therefore, your winner by way of technical knockout,
11:48 Akane, the Beast Family, is yours!
11:54 [Cheering]
12:00 These are great days, let's be very clear about it.
12:02 To have fighters of the quality.