James Cook – Peckham’s former European middleweight champion – added to Anthony Yarde’s training team

Anthony Yarde has added Peckham’s former European and British champion James Cook to his training team.

Cook will join Tunde Ajayi and Ade Olayinka in the corner when the world ranked light-heavyweight returns to action next month.

Yarde (20-2, 19 KOs) meets unbeaten German Emin Atra (17-0, 12 KOs) in a non-title 10-rounder at the Royal Albert Hall, London on Saturday July 10, live on BT Sport.

It will be the Ilford fighter’s first contest since losing his Commonwealth light-heavyweight crown on a split decision against Lyndon Arthur in December.

Cook had 35 professional fights in a career between 1982 and 1994 and included wins against Mark Kaylor, Michael Watson, Sam Storey and in Paris he beat 50-1-1 French star Pierre Frank Winterstein to become European champion.

Yarde, who lost to Sergey Kovalev in a WBO title fight in August 2019, said: “James has been an extra pair of eyes, watching over certain things and giving advice when he can. It has been good.

“He is a very nice guy. I have known him since I first started boxing and I know more about him now.

“He was a serious fighter, very well respected, has very good energy and very good boxing knowledge.”