Undefeated mandatory challenger Anthony Yarde (18-0, 17 KOs) believes WBO light heavyweight champion Sergey "Krusher" Kovalev (33-3-1, 28 KOs) is a bit nervous about their upcoming fight.

Kovalev will defend his title this Saturday night against Yarde, at the Traktor Arena in Chelyabinsk, Russia.

Earlier this year, Kovalev reclaimed his WBO title with a dominating twelve round decision over Eleider Alvarez. Last year, Alvarez knocked him out in a stunner to capture the belt.

There are some that believe Kovalev, at 36-years-old, is right for the taking. And other critics feel that he is not the same kind of force since losing back to back fights to Andre Ward.

In the opinion of Yarde, the veteran was looking for a way out of this mandatory obligation. For Kovalev, there was a very lucrative fight on the table with Saul "Canelo" Alvarez, but in order to make that opportunity come together the Russian boxer would have had to pay a very large step-aside fee to Yarde.

When the two sides were unable to reach a deal, Kovalev went forward with the Yarde defense.

But, Canelo is watching the contest with a lot of interest - because he wants to face Kovalev - if he comes away with the win and without injury.

"The vibration I’m getting is that he doesn’t really want to fight me. He’s thinking 'this guy has only had 18 professional fights, he only had 12 amateur fights and I’m a future Hall of Famer, I can’t let this kid come and beat me.' But that’s what’s going to happen," Yarde told BT Sport. 

"I feel that’s what’s going to make him nervous. I’m just a kid from East London who started boxing at 19 years old and worked his way up. But my name’s in the mix now and it shows what’s going to come in the future."