David Benavidez continues his flawless run, and this time the victim was England’s Anthony Yarde, overwhelmed by the usual cascade of punches.
During the “The Ring IV” event at the ANB Arena in Riyadh, the showdown between the U.S. fighter of Mexican heritage Benavidez (30-0-0, 24 KOs), current WBC light heavyweight champion, and England’s Yarde (27-3-0, 24 KOs) stood as the main attraction of a card filled with compelling matchups.
Truth be told, few doubted the success of “La Bandera Roja,” and that’s exactly what happened: Benavidez controlled the fight with confidence, overwhelming Yarde with his trademark high-volume punching and eventually forcing the referee to stop the contest in the 7th round. A technical knockout produced by his usual suffocating pressure, relentless work rate, and astonishing hand speed—something rarely seen in these weight classes.
Yarde has always been a difficult opponent. Although limited in certain technical aspects (footwork not exactly elite, and a rhythm far from high-paced), Anthony has often delivered great fights, even against top-level opposition such as Artur Beterbiev (with whom he engaged in a spectacular battle, helped by the Russian’s choice to fight toe-to-toe) and Sergey Kovalev. Fundamentally, Yarde has always lacked just that final spark to reach the absolute elite. However, he has always shown toughness, selling his skin dearly and courageously taking on the best available opponents.
And among the very best today, we cannot fail to mention David Benavidez, a fighter with an incredible résumé (consider that at 15 he was already sparring fiercely with Kelly Pavlik and, above all, the great Gennady Golovkin). The only thing missing from his career so far is a marquee name—through no fault of his own. It is well known that Mexican superstar Canelo Álvarez refused to face him, and later moved up in weight (from super middleweight to light heavyweight) in pursuit of the Russian duo Beterbiev and Bivol, who are now hopefully closing in on the final chapter of their trilogy. Now it appears that David wants to go all the way up to cruiserweight in pursuit of a title in a third weight class.
A fight involving Benavidez usually comes with a familiar script: David in tank mode, moving forward without hesitation in pursuit of his opponent, unleashing his long arms in lightning-fast and violent combinations. Yarde certainly has the power to discourage reckless aggression from anyone. But Benavidez is a smart, complete fighter: equipped with minimal yet efficient footwork, great timing, and defensive micro-movements—likely learned during those early sparring sessions with Golovkin—that make him hard to read.
After a balanced opening round, Benavidez gradually increased the pace. Yarde initially appeared composed, ready to let his hands go whenever David got too close. Anthony’s physical strength is undeniable, and Benavidez showed great respect early on.
The tactical plan was clear from the beginning: push Yarde to the ropes, forcing him into a brutal short-range battle, especially considering the difference in hand speed between the two. When David opens up, his combinations become spectacular, lightning-fast, varied, and tremendously effective. Already in the third round, Yarde was forced to pay the price: Benavidez’s advance pinned him to the ropes, and once trapped, the barrage of punches was overwhelming.
Although absorbing the shots well, the accumulation soon began to take a toll on the Englishman. Benavidez started pushing harder. His jab is always splendid—whiplike, heavy, and difficult to read given his length and speed. The corner’s advice was to alternate it between head and body, and David executed flawlessly, working to drain his opponent.
Yarde landed some good punches, relying on the jab downstairs and the straight right, occasionally catching Benavidez by surprise during his two-handed bursts. But the Mexican-American fighter appeared to absorb the blows with calm.
On the inside, David’s punches began to tell. Yarde lacks the footwork needed to avoid them, and sooner or later Benavidez’s pressure inevitably sent him back to the ropes, where the Englishman became easy prey for the onslaughts of La Bandera Roja.
In the sixth round, a brief change of script saw Anthony take the role of aggressor. But Benavidez’s physicality and defensive tools quickly shut that down, and Yarde soon found himself backing up once again.
Once on the ropes, the Englishman again endured another furious attack. A crushing overhand right from Benavidez landed flush on Yarde, who began bleeding heavily from the nose. Benavidez unloaded punch after punch on a clearly struggling opponent, helpless under the whirlwind of David’s arms. A vicious right hand to close the round, followed by another flurry, confirmed Yarde’s extremely difficult moment—saved only by the bell.
But the end was delayed only by a few seconds.
At the start of the seventh, Benavidez trapped Yarde on the ropes again, overwhelming him with punches and dropping him to the canvas. The referee, however, deducted two points from the American for hitting Yarde while the latter already had a knee on the floor.
Benavidez didn’t blink, and within seconds he moved forward to close the show. Yarde had no escape: once pinned again to the ropes, defenseless, he absorbed yet another furious barrage and, after a massive left hook that made him stagger, was rescued by the referee who stepped in, awarding the 28-year-old from Phoenix a technical knockout victory.
Benavidez thus retained his WBC light heavyweight world title. Now the next steps in his career must be determined. A move up to cruiserweight would likely add another belt to his collection, but would deprive fans of the chance to see him face the two titans of the division—Beterbiev and Bivol—in matchups of extraordinary technical and tactical value. A harsh setback for Anthony Yarde, who must now find the strength and motivation to come back after missing yet another chance to win a world title.