In a business that delivers Kung Fu clowns in comedy fights with living legends, it is still hard to think of a fight with extremes like Sergey Kovalev against Anthony Yarde on Saturday in Chelyabinsk, an industrial Russian city.

In the fantasy world of Floyd Mayweather it seems any pairing is acceptable for the right pile of cash, but in boxing’s real world fights like Kovalev and Yarde are rarities, the classic known and unknown, young and old, innocence and experience. The old man giving the kid a shot, nice.

The story line seems simple, a Rocky tale without raw eggs or love: Kovalev has won and lost savage, bloody wars in ring battles that have shaped his face and mind and made him an icon in Russia. Yarde has barely broken a sweat in four years of biffing and bashing a steady line of willing punch bags. This should not be a fight, according to ancient boxing reason.

However, strange things happened on the way to the Traktor Sport Palace on the edge of the darkest and deepest green forest, on the outskirts of this sprawling concrete city. As the statistics were mentioned and dismissed, as Yarde – when faced with Kovalev on Wednesday – still insisted he would win by knockout and as Kovalev shared his pain at missing his children when isolated in endless training camps, there was a shadow of doubt creeping over the fight. Is Kovalev in the wrong place, is Yarde in the right place?

Yarde is the unbeaten, untested fighter from East London, he has dropped his 18 victims over 30 times, he refuses hard sparring with any rivals and is joined at the hip with Tunde Ajayi, his maverick coach. The pair have divided boxing opinion, their unshakable belief that their brand of preparation- called System 9 by Ajayi – will change the boxing world has been dismissed as foolish and arrogant. The rejoicing if they lose will be quite uncomfortable, but few in the old boxing game will come out now and say categorically that no sparring, lengthy sessions of repetition on the pads and no roadwork is crazy preparation for a fight against a hardened beast like Kovalev.

Anthony Joshua vs Andy Ruiz in pictures Show all 38 1 /38 Anthony Joshua vs Andy Ruiz in pictures Anthony Joshua vs Andy Ruiz in pictures Anthony Joshua vs Andy Ruiz Jr Michael Buffer introduces the two boxers inside Madison Square Garden. Action Images via Reuters Anthony Joshua vs Andy Ruiz in pictures Anthony Joshua vs Andy Ruiz Jr Oleksandr Usyk watches on from ringside as he seeks a potential future shot at Anthony Joshua. Action Images via Reuters Anthony Joshua vs Andy Ruiz in pictures Anthony Joshua vs Andy Ruiz Jr James Corden and Jamie Redknapp were two of many famous faces in attendance at the Garden. Action Images via Reuters Anthony Joshua vs Andy Ruiz in pictures Anthony Joshua vs Andy Ruiz Jr Anthony Joshua prepares for his world title defence against Andy Ruiz Jr Reuters Anthony Joshua vs Andy Ruiz in pictures Anthony Joshua vs Andy Ruiz Jr Joshua made a cagey start as he attempted to work out Ruiz. Action Images via Reuters Anthony Joshua vs Andy Ruiz in pictures Anthony Joshua vs Andy Ruiz Jr The first round saw little of note as the two showed caution. PA Anthony Joshua vs Andy Ruiz in pictures Anthony Joshua vs Andy Ruiz Jr Joshua tried to assert the jab put stayed out of range of Ruiz's left hook. Action Images via Reuters Anthony Joshua vs Andy Ruiz in pictures Anthony Joshua vs Andy Ruiz Jr Ruiz showed enough to worry Joshua though as he kept the defending champion honest. PA Anthony Joshua vs Andy Ruiz in pictures Anthony Joshua vs Andy Ruiz Jr Despite the towering difference in size... Action Images via Reuters Anthony Joshua vs Andy Ruiz in pictures Anthony Joshua vs Andy Ruiz Jr ...Ruiz refused to walk away from the challenge. Action Images via Reuters Anthony Joshua vs Andy Ruiz in pictures Anthony Joshua vs Andy Ruiz Jr But after finding his range, Joshua started to exert his dominance in the third. Getty Images Anthony Joshua vs Andy Ruiz in pictures Anthony Joshua vs Andy Ruiz Jr A thunderous right hand connected with Ruiz early in the round. Getty Images Anthony Joshua vs Andy Ruiz in pictures Anthony Joshua vs Andy Ruiz Jr The fight changed completely 45 seconds into the third round. PA Anthony Joshua vs Andy Ruiz in pictures Anthony Joshua vs Andy Ruiz Jr Joshua knocked Ruiz down early in the third round. Action Images via Reuters Anthony Joshua vs Andy Ruiz in pictures Anthony Joshua vs Andy Ruiz Jr The Mexican-American looked to be heading out of the fight as he staggered back to his feet. Action Images via Reuters Anthony Joshua vs Andy Ruiz in pictures Anthony Joshua vs Andy Ruiz Jr Miraculously, Ruiz managed to stay in the fight after the knockdown. AP Anthony Joshua vs Andy Ruiz in pictures Anthony Joshua vs Andy Ruiz Jr But Ruiz stunned everyone when he sent Joshua to the canvas in the same round. Action Images via Reuters Anthony Joshua vs Andy Ruiz in pictures Anthony Joshua vs Andy Ruiz Jr Joshua looked as shocked as everyone else at the sudden resurgence. AP Anthony Joshua vs Andy Ruiz in pictures Anthony Joshua vs Andy Ruiz Jr When Joshua was put down for a second time in the third round, the champion was close to an early exit. PA Anthony Joshua vs Andy Ruiz in pictures Anthony Joshua vs Andy Ruiz Jr The unthinkable looked to be turning into reality as Joshua just beat the count before the bell. Action Images via Reuters Anthony Joshua vs Andy Ruiz in pictures Anthony Joshua vs Andy Ruiz Jr The defending champion needed all of the time afforded to him to recover. Action Images via Reuters Anthony Joshua vs Andy Ruiz in pictures Anthony Joshua vs Andy Ruiz Jr Joshua was able to regain his composure and see through rounds four, five and six. Action Images via Reuters Anthony Joshua vs Andy Ruiz in pictures Anthony Joshua vs Andy Ruiz Jr But he was floored again in the seventh and this time Ruiz went for the kill. Getty Anthony Joshua vs Andy Ruiz in pictures Anthony Joshua vs Andy Ruiz Jr When he went down for the second time in the seventh, the end was nigh. Action Images via Reuters Anthony Joshua vs Andy Ruiz in pictures Anthony Joshua vs Andy Ruiz Jr Joshua was in big trouble after taking a flurry of punches. Action Images via Reuters Anthony Joshua vs Andy Ruiz in pictures Anthony Joshua vs Andy Ruiz Jr Referee Mike Griffin ordered a jubilant Ruiz to the neutral corner. Action Images via Reuters Anthony Joshua vs Andy Ruiz in pictures Anthony Joshua vs Andy Ruiz Jr Joshua had to use the ropes to get back to his feet. AFP/Getty Images Anthony Joshua vs Andy Ruiz in pictures Anthony Joshua vs Andy Ruiz Jr Griffin's count continued as Joshua tried to recover. Action Images via Reuters Anthony Joshua vs Andy Ruiz in pictures Anthony Joshua vs Andy Ruiz Jr Joshua did not respond to the referee's commands, leading to the fight being waved off. PA Anthony Joshua vs Andy Ruiz in pictures Anthony Joshua vs Andy Ruiz Jr Griffin waved it off as Joshua did not walk out to him when ordered to. Getty Images Anthony Joshua vs Andy Ruiz in pictures Anthony Joshua vs Andy Ruiz Jr Joshua reflects on his first defeat of his career. Reuters Anthony Joshua vs Andy Ruiz in pictures Anthony Joshua vs Andy Ruiz Jr Eddie Hearn confirmed they will seek a rematch for Anthony Joshua against Andy Ruiz Jr Reuters Anthony Joshua vs Andy Ruiz in pictures Anthony Joshua vs Andy Ruiz Jr Ruiz was delighted with the victory as he jumped in the middle of the ring. AP Anthony Joshua vs Andy Ruiz in pictures Anthony Joshua vs Andy Ruiz Jr Ruiz celebrates with his team. PA Anthony Joshua vs Andy Ruiz in pictures Anthony Joshua vs Andy Ruiz Jr Ruiz became the first Mexican heavyweight world champion PA Anthony Joshua vs Andy Ruiz in pictures Anthony Joshua vs Andy Ruiz Jr The A-listers at ringside could barely believe what had happened. PA Anthony Joshua vs Andy Ruiz in pictures Anthony Joshua vs Andy Ruiz Jr But Ruiz had done the unthinkable to become unified heavyweight champion. AP Anthony Joshua vs Andy Ruiz in pictures Anthony Joshua vs Andy Ruiz Jr Joshua paid tribute to Ruiz before leaving the ring. AFP/Getty Images

Yarde started to box late in life, finding the gym and leaving the streets. His bond with Ajayi was instant. Yarde calls him a “genius” and Ajayi, who had five professional fights without loss in 2001, talks about him and Yarde being the same man: “I know when I wake up just how Anthony feels – I don’t even have to see him,” Ajayi told me on Wednesday here. “We both go through it – I’m with him and he’s with me – it’s like the old karate thing: Master and pupil. He spars with me, I’m his best sparring partner. We will answer the critics. I will be validated.”

Underneath the Karate Kid references and bold claims there is an awful lot of good sense in Ajayi’s methods. The concentration needed for his repetition sessions on the pads is not new, but he has extended the conventional time from three minutes to possibly 20 or even 40 minutes; same combination, no rest, two men in one ring. The simplest way to learn any sporting art is through repetition, which enhances concentration and that is one of boxing’s oldest beliefs. The veterans of abandoned gyms will tell you about the hours spent shaping the left hook on yet another forgotten master in a time that nobody cares about any longer. Tunde is just speeding the learning process up. As I said, strange things have happened on the way to the Traktor Palace.

However, lack of hard sparring is slightly more difficult to dismiss and it raised the eyebrow of Buddy McGirt, former world champion and the man in Kovalev’s corner. “It’s hard to replace real sparring, real hard. We will see – I can tell you that Sergey did have hard sparring,” McGirt said. McGirt knows best because he belongs to a past boxing needs to change, he is a veteran of the vicious American slum gyms of the Eighties when fighters were broken in too many stupid sparring sessions that established gym kings. I have seen those men at recent fights in Las Vegas and New York, panhandling and looking through milky, damaged eyes for recognition.

“I have watched too many fighters have too many hard sparring sessions over the years,” Ajayi added. “If my method doesn’t work, then how has Anthony Yarde got better without any meaningful sparring? I will tell you why – It’s deeper than that, it’s a mind set.” It is easy to see why Ajayi upsets the purists, but difficult to understand how many smart boxing people dismiss him as a chancer; Ajayi is a real boxing man, make no mistake.