GRADES: ARTUR BETERBIEV, ANTHONY YARDE, ALEXIS ROCHA, FLOYD SCHOFIELD & MORE

By: Jay Calderon

A solid weekend of action just took place, with the Light-Heavyweight title bout between champion Artur Beterbiev and mandatory challenger Anthony Yarde headlining the action. While competitive early on, the champion picked up the 19th stoppage in as many outings in his pro career.

Outside of London's Wembley Arena event, there was the Alexis Rocha vs. George Ashie clash at the YouTube Theater in Inglewood, which saw Rocha earn a highlight reel knockout. The Welterweight main event also had Lightweight prospect Floyd Schofield on the undercard, where he decisioned veteran Alberto Mercado.

So, without much more ado, let's hand out these grades.

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ARTUR BETERBIEV: B+

RESULT: DEF. ANTHONY YARDE, 8TKO (LIGHT-HEAVYWEIGHT)

To be fair, these grades are sometimes based on expectations. They have to be. As Beterbiev, you're the massive favorite, expected to go in there and run over a mandatory challenger in Anthony Yarde.

That isn't exactly what happened.

Instead, fans were treated to a much better fight than expected, and we saw ebbs and flows, ultimately leading to a stoppage win for the champion. So, while the outcome was correctly predicted by most, the pathway there was a little rougher than Beterbiev might have expected.

He was hit more than one rooting for Beterviev would like to see, he was stunned a few times. He seemed to have issues with a bit of movement early on as well. Perhaps, one could argue, the 38-year-old showed a bit of his age as well.

Still, he showed his ability to adjust, his ability to come back from some big shots. He timed the shot that eventually ended matters perfectly, and now moves on to potential mega-bouts late in 2023. All in all, a solid performance.

ANTHONY YARDE: B-

RESULT: LOSS TO ARTUR BETERBIEV, 8TKO (LIGHT-HEAVYWEIGHT)

As mentioned, these grades often times depend on expectation. It's not the only metric that I will weigh, but it definitely matters. When you're a 6-1 underdog, and fully expected to get blown away, you don't have a very high bar to clear. In the case of Yarde, he actually exceeded expectations and then some.

Yarde was better poised in his second title opportunity, boxing far more within himself and conserving energy in those early rounds. While he ultimately seemed to tire, especially as Beterbiev began to land with regularity, Yarde continued to throw solid blows, and even stunned the seemingly indestructible Beterbiev.

While he ultimately came up short, he showed signs of development by leaps and bounds. The unfortunate news for Yarde is he might just be in a division where Beterbiev is too strong and the other titlist in Dmitry Bivol might just be too technical.

Still, Yarde deserves credit for the performance.

ALEXIS ROCHA: B+

RESULT: DEF. GEORGE ASHIE, 7KO (WELTERWEIGHT)

It's tough grading someone when they're facing a replacement opponent. On the one hand, they get marked very poorly if they struggle. On the other, if they blast out a late substitute, it's almost expected. It makes it very difficult to gage exactly where a fighter like Alexis Rocha falls, after he defeats replacement foe George Ashie.

Rocha, originally scheduled to face Anthony Young, made relatively easy work of Ashie. However, the fight wasn't without it's hurdles for Rocha.

Rocha was tagged, he did get impatient at times, and he rushed in with his attack looking to impress. Ashie didn't quite have the power to deter Rocha, but he had his moments of success on the night. This is something Rocha won't get away with at the top of the 147 pound division.

In fairness, he would likely have a different approach when in against the best. Nonetheless, Rocha will need to be mindful of those mistakes he made as he moves forward.

FLOYD SCHOFIELD: B+

RESULT: ALBERTO MERCADO, 10UD (LIGHTWEIGHT)

Heading into the Alberto Mercado showdown, the question was how well Floyd Schofield could do against a seasoned veteran in just his 13th professional bout. I mean, he's no Darryl Sharp, but Mercado he's faced a decent list of fighters. So, many wondered if Schofield could finish the man that Lamont Roach, Chris Colbert, and O'Shaquie Foster failed to stop?

Turns out, he couldn't quite finish off Mercado. However, it wasn't due to a lack of effort.

Schofield pressed, and tried to get his man out of there before the final bell. However, Mercado was elusive enough, and crafty enough to hear the wide scores all in favor of his opponent in the end. All that said, Schofield showed the desire to be a fun and entertaining fighter all while displaying his skills and natural abilities.

Was it a pitch-perfect performance? No. Schofield rushed some of his work, and made himself too easy a target as a result of that hurried approach. He also smothered a great deal of his work when trying to stun or hurt his man.

Still, for a younger, developing fighter, it wasn't a terrible outing by any stretch.

ARTEM DALAKIAN: C-

RESULT: DAVID JIMENEZ, 12UD (FLYWEIGHT)

Honestly, there is a portion of me that wanted to grade lower for Artem Dalakian.

On the Beterbiev-Yarde under card, the Flyweight titlist barely seemed to care that opponent David Jimenez seemed to be taking away his gold, one round at a time. Perhaps he knew what we didn't, which was that the scorecards were always going to be in his favor. He certainly seemed to fight like it the majority of the time.

Early on, Dalakian couldn't seem to get out of first gear, allowing the pressure and activity of Jimenez to seemingly take those initial rounds. And, more shockingly, Dalakian fought as though it didn't seem to faze him.

It wasn't as though Jimenez was doing anything other-worldly, he was just consistent. Only down the stretch did he seem to let off the gas. However, at that point, most expected Jimenez had done enough to earn the decision and the gold as well.

Apparently not.

The only reason Dalakian gets that C- and not something in the D range is due to the decision going his way. Maybe I'm wrong, and the judges are right, and he deserved the close win. Regardless, it might have been a close victory, but it wasn't an impressive one.

OTHER GRADES:

GEORGE ASHIE: C

DAVID JIMENEZ: B+

EZEQUIEL MADERNA: A-

KAROL ITAUMA: F