Anthony Yarde To Use Tragedies as Fuel To Get Stronger

The ongoing coronavirus pandemic has been tragic for light heavyweight contender Anthony Yarde.

On March 27, his father passed away to COVID-19, and then on April 2 his grandmother passed away to the virus.

Since then, Yarde has been pleading with the public to obey social distancing orders and to avoid going outside unless it's absolutely necessary.

Despite the UK getting rattled by the pandemic, Yarde consistently sees public gatherings and people disobeying social distancing orders.

"I just want people to understand. Don't do it. Just stay home or keep apart. I know I am kind of guilty of it too. When it all got announced that people couldn't leave their house, I listened because I didn't want to take any risks, but it doesn't sink in fully how real it is or can be. Only experience can tell you, I guess, and maybe my experiences can help others," Yarde told Daily Mail.

"I hope it does because at the moment people are still not listening – I see it whenever I run in the park. I see people in parks, having gatherings, playing football. My message to them is that all it takes is for them to meet their friend because they are bored, and then they go home feeling happy and healthy and the next thing, they don't even know they might have given it to their parents.

"It might affect their parents or a relative more than them and suddenly you have a tragedy in the family. People need to make better decisions. It's serious. I have seen what this does, and how quickly lives can change, and people should be learning by now. Stop being childish. Use your time better – better yourself. Read a book, or do a workout exercise on YouTube. Going to hang out with friends – I find that very selfish."

Yarde is going to turn his grief into fuel, to move forward with his career.

"I know where I want to get to in this sport," says Yarde. "I have to use what has happened now as fuel. I want to make all my family proud, particularly my mum, Sonia. Ninety percent of everything I do is for her, but this has all added to that drive.

"You need to mourn, you need to be upset, to give yourself time to replenish. Then you use it all as fuel to get stronger. I'll get stronger."

Yarde (19-1, 18 KOs) suffered his first career defeat last August in Russia, when he was stopped in eleven rounds by then WBO champion Sergey Kovalev. During the fight, Yarde came close to stopping stopping Kovalev, but then faded in the fight.

Yarde came back earlier this year to win big in a stay-busy fight. And now he has a tentative return date of July 11 against Lyndon Arthur.