British boxer Anthony Yarde plans to use the personal heartache he has endured as a result of coronavirus as “fuel” for his in-ring ambitions.
Yarde has lost his father and his paternal grandmother to Covid-19, a brutally immediate impact of the global pandemic.
The 28-year-old, who put in a brave underdog performance against world light-heavyweight champions Sergey Kovalev last year, is now in the process of working through his grief.
It is hard to focus on his career during a period of lockdown, particularly with a scheduled bout against Lyndon Arthur already postponed, but he is trying to find ways to move forward.
“I know where I want to get to in this sport,” he told the Daily Mail.
“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. I want to make all my family proud, particularly my mum Sonia. Ninety per cent of everything I do is for her, but this has all added to that drive.”
Yarde’s attempts to turn his thoughts towards the ring have not been easy but he maintains it is the best way to cope in trying circumstances.
“It has been stressful. People cannot be around to comfort each other,” he added.
“I am still mourning, really. For me, it has been important to get back focused on boxing.
“I have been going for a lot of bike rides or runs, exercising indoors. I have been watching a lot of comedy films, anything really that keeps your mind off it, but training helps most with that, knowing I have a job to do.”
PA
