Benavidez is not a real 175 Monster vs Yarde test

Trainer Abel Sanchez expects Anthony Yarde to give WBC light heavyweight champion David Benavidez a “tough fight” this Saturday night, November 22, in their main line at Ring IV in Riyadh. Abel sees Benavidez (30-0, 24 KOs) pull away to get the win in the end due to his speed and overall talent.

(Credit: Queensberry/Leigh Dawney)

Yarde’s power makes it dangerous

It wouldn’t be a shock if Yarde (27-3, 24 KOs) knocks out Benavidez on Saturday. He’s there to be hit, and Yarde is one of the biggest punchers in the 175-lb division.

Sanchez says he does not consider Benavidez to be the “power” at 175 to defeat the top fighters in the division, Dmitri Bivol and Artur Beterbiev. He says that ‘The Mexican Monster’ Benavidez is not as “dominant” as when he campaigned at 168. His boxing skills are not enough in this department. It takes more.

“The Yarde fight is not an easy fight, but David is a talent. Anthony is going to be there for him. He’s going to give him a tough fight, but in the end it’s going to be David Benavidez wins, goes away,” trainer Abel Sanchez said. Second saltwhich predicts a win by WBC light heavyweight champion David Benavidez over challenger Anthony Yarde this Saturday.

Yarde looks strong—Benavidez looks drained

Sanchez did not discuss Benavidez’s physical condition. He looked skeletal this week since cutting weight for Friday’s weigh-in. That weight loss could leave him vulnerable to Yarde, who looks much healthier this week.

We also don’t know what Benavidez has in the tank after the blow he took in his last fight against David Morrell.

“No longer dominant”: Sanchez’s verdict

“No,” Sanchez said when asked if Benavidez could beat top 175-pound fighters Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol. “At 168, dominant. At 175, he’s proven he’s not that dominant. Listen, he’s got great tools. Great hand speed. Excellent combinations and commands very well in the ring.”

Benavidez’s two fights at 175:

• David Morrell
• Oleksandr Gvozdyk

We already saw that Benavidez is not the same fighter in his two matches at 175 against David Morrell and Oleksandr Gvozdyk. Despite winning a pair of 12-round unanimous decisions, Benavidez took a beating in both fights and looked physically worse than his opponents. Those fights showed he lacked the power at 175, and his opponents hit harder.

Another fifteen years? The reality says otherwise

Benavidez said in an interview this week that he believes he will fight for another 15 years. However, with the bump he’s taken in the last year alone, the chances of him lasting that long are slim. Benavidez could change his mind once he begins a sharp decline in his performances, suffers knockout losses and no longer dominates as he did at 168.

Morrell & Gvozdyk have already put miles on him

His grueling fights against Morrell and Gvozdyk were a wake-up call, showing how his situation had changed. He is no longer the big fish in a small pond.

“Does he have the strength and the size to handle Bivol or Beterbiev? They’re talking about Zurdo (Ramirez) moving up to 175,” Abel says of Benavidez’s limits. “Does he do enough to be able to do more than just the boxing ability?”

Going up against Beterbiev and Bivol will take a lot from Benavidez. He would also have to absorb a lot of shots for him to beat, and it is doubtful that he could. Morrell and Gvozdyk have already hurt him. That’s a bad sign.