Who is Ralfs Vilcans, the man Anthony Yarde is fighting this Saturday?
‘The Beast from the East’ Anthony Yarde marches back to the ring this weekend, October 19, on the undercard of Adam Azim vs Ohara Davies at the Copper Box Arena in London, live on Sky Sports.
Now 33, Yarde has been a big star in the UK for almost a decade now, also known around the globe for his two brave and exciting efforts against Sergey Kovalev and Artur Beterbiev in his two challenges for a world title.
But who is his Yarde’s next opponent, Ralfs Vilcan, who isn’t as well known on these shores? Read on to find out all about the Latvian light-heavyweight…
Ralfs Vilcans (17-1, 7KO)
Ralfs Vilcans was born January 27, 1994, in Ogre, Latvia, and is currently 30-years-old.
He first started training in kickboxing when he was a kid, then he transitioned to boxing later.
As an amateur, he won the Latvian championship a couple of times.
His pro debut was in February 2017, so has only been a pro for seven years.
His nickname is ‘The Train’.
He is the No.1 ranked light-heavyweight in Latvia.
At some point, he was competing as a cruiserweight, then decided to lose weight and try him himself at super-middleweight, but has now settled in at light-heavyweight.
He is 6′ 1″ tall, which is an inch taller than Yarde.
Ralfs won the WBC International light-heavyweight title in his 12th bout in May 2021, with a split decision victory over unbeaten German, Nick Hannig.
He won another title in his next fight, albeit the obscure IBA Intercontinental title, down at super-middleweight, making him a two-weight champion.
When challenging a Dane in Denmark, Vilcans was defeated widely by Jacob Bank in 2023 for the WBO European super-middleweight title, unable to win a single round of the scheduled 10.
He bounced back four months later to win the Latvian super-middleweight title in October last year.
His last fight in April was against Shefat Isufi, who British boxing fans will remember as the opponent Billy Joe Saunders defeated for the WBO World super-middleweight title back in 2019. Vilcans stopped the world title contender in three rounds in Munich to win the WBA Continental title.
He is ranked WBA #14 and IBO #26 after winning four championships to-date.
Ralfs has been managed by Vadim Milov of LNK Boxing for eight years, and is trained by his father, Normunds Varenburgs.
He’s a sparring partner of Mairis Briedis.
He works as a part-time boxing coach.
He was supposed to fight on another show on the same day of October 19, but his opponent got injured, which turned out to be a lucky coincidence after receiving an offer to fight Anthony Yarde. According to his manager, Vadim Milov, “He happily accepted because he believes that he can win.”
He and his partner, Baiba Vilcane, have a young child together.
The Vilcans Style
Ralf Vilcans is a stand-up tall out-boxer. He paws with his jab persistently as a defensive tool and a range-finder, waving it mid-extension.
His stand-upright style means that he doesn’t move his head much, opting to shell up tight and block behind a high guard.
He possesses decent power. Against Shefat Isufi, he threw a one-two in the second round and the right hand dropped the world title contender cleanly. He got back to his feet, so he wasn’t completely iced out, but his right hand carries considerable power.
He can fight as well as box. He’s been in with aggressive, scrappy opponents before and has been able to fight fire with fire and match their aggression.
Yarde will be a big step up for Vilcans, but the last time Ralfs fought a world title contender, he stopped him within seven minutes.