David Benavidez says his goal is to do a better job of beating Anthony Yarde than former light heavyweight champions Artur Beterbiev and Sergey Kovalev did when they defeated him. ‘The Mexican Monster’ sounds unsure of his need to improve on what those two talents did against Yarde.
Benavidez Chasing Validation
Benavidez (30-0, 24 KOs) defends his WBC 175 lb title against Yarde (27-3, 24 KOs) this Saturday, November 22, at Ring IV at the ANB Arena in Riyadh.
Beterbiev knocked out Yarde in the eighth round on January 28, 2023. He was leading on two of the scorecards when Beterbiev knocked him out in round eight. Yarde hurt Beterbiev at one point in that fight. Kovalev knocked out Yarde in the 11th round on August 24, 2019. It was a situation in which Yarde gassed and was stopped by a hard jab from Kovalev.
“That’s why I prepared so hard for this fight, because in his head he probably thinks this is his last opportunity. So, he will be very dangerous,” David Benavidez told the Daily mailbox about Anthony Yarde.
Yarde is not a soft target
Anthony always gives his best in fights. It has nothing to do with the fact that this may be his last chance. Yarde will always like and will try to knock out Benavidez. If ‘The Mexican Monster’ isn’t at his best in this fight, he could be the one to lose in their headliner on Saturday night.
Benavidez says he’s going to be more defensive in this fight. However, it will be difficult for him to do so if he wants to get Yarde out faster than Beterbiev and Kovalev did. He won’t be able to surpass those two fighters’ performances if he fights defensively and tries to turn over a new leaf.
It’s clear that Benavidez is starting to realize that he won’t be able to keep fighting like he used to when he was still campaigning at 168. He lacks the power in his punches at 175, and he takes a lot of punishment against the more powerful punchers in the light heavyweight division.
A shootout that Benavidez can’t control
“So, this is probably going to be the best Anthony Yarde we’ve ever seen. So, I have to be prepared for something like this; my defense has to be on point. My power has to be on point, and I have to take control of the fight early,” Benavidez said.
If Benavidez is going to “take control” early on, that means he’s going to war with Yarde. There is no way he can dominate a puncher like Yarde right off the bat without dealing with him and taking massive shots. It will be interesting to see how well Benavidez withstands Yarde’s punches in the first four rounds. He was hurt by David Morrell in the second round of their fight earlier this year on February 1st. Yarde is just as good a puncher as the Cuban Morrell, and he’s going to bring fire from the start.
Uncertainty in the air
“When you see Anthony Yarde, when he gets on a hot streak, he gets a lot of confidence. He’s got good skills. He’s got a good left hook, and he’s got good defense. In saying that, I also want to show what level I’m at,” Benavidez says.
Beterbiev sets the bar high
Yarde looked dangerous even when overwhelmed with punches in his loss to Beterbiev. He caught Artur with left hooks that stunned him. If Beterbiev didn’t have such a good chin, Yarde would have pulled off an upset in that fight because he hurt him.
“I saw him give a good fight to Kovalev. He gave a great fight against Artur Beterbiev. So, I kind of want to show that I’m a great fighter too, and I want to do even better than Beterbiev and Kovalev,” Benavidez said.
Last updated on 18/11/2025
