Anthony Yarde says Turki Alalshikh personally reached out to him, asking if he wanted to be the opponent for David Benavidez to defend his WBC light heavyweight title against on November 22nd at the ANB Arena in Riyadh. Yarde (27-3, 24 KOs) said he immediately agreed to the fight against Benavidez (30-0, 24 KOs).
There’s been a backlash to this pick because Yarde is a two-time loser in his world title attempts, and he’s never beaten any world-class level opposition. It’s unfair to the other contenders for Yarde to be given repeated world title shots despite lacking any notable wins over top-level fighters.
Yarde’s “Tomato Can” Record
It would be understandable for Yarde to get another title shot so quickly if he’d beaten some killers, but he hasn’t done that. He’s fought four tomato cans since being knocked into oblivion by Artur Beterbiev. These are the victims Yarde beat to get this title shot:
– Lyndon Arthur
– Ralfs Vilcans
– Marko Nikolic
– Jorge Silva: 23-15 record
Who are these people? At 33, Yarde should have stepped up to world-class level after being destroyed by Beterbiev. Why did he fight these scrubs? I know the answer. To build a fake record for a rinse and repeat of getting empty wins, and being given a title shot for having done nothing.
Yarde: Can He Upset Benavidez?
“It’s an opportunity. I can do this. There’s always a chance,” said Anthony Yarde to Secondsout about his fight against David Benavidez. “On paper, Benavidez smokes me. But the people who have seen me fight and know my character think this could be a banana skin for Benavidez. I believe that as well.
“I feel it’s a very entertaining fight for the fans. Do I feel I have the tools to win this fight? Absolutely.”
This fight doesn’t shape to be an “entertaining” one for fans unless they enjoy watching overmatched opposition fed to the executioner, Benavidez. Yarde is British level, and failed miserably in the two times he stepped up against world-level fighters in his knockout losses to Artur Beterbiev and Sergey Kovalev.
Turki Alalshikh’s Yarde Selection
“Turki Alalshikh said he wants me,” said Yarde when asked how he got this title shot opportunity to challenge Benavidez. “I said, ‘Oh, it’s an honor.’ He asked me do I want the fight, and I said, ‘Absolutely.’ He said, ‘Okay.’ I asked him to go through the little details with my team. It happened within three or four hours.
“He said there were four or five other fighters, including me. He told me the names, but he said he wants me,” said Yarde.
Excellent Options Benavidez
– Ben Whittaker
– Imam Khataev
– David Morrell – rematch
– Joshua Buatsi
It would have been better for the fans if Turki had called one of the above fighters to use as the opponent for Benavidez than recycling Yarde for another undeserved world title shot. If none of the fighters above were available, Turki should have reached out to super middleweight contenders Osley Iglesias, Diego Pacheco, and Christian Mbilli to see if they were willing to fight the Mexican Monster.
Turki picking Yarde shows how barren of talent the light heavyweight division is. Why is Yarde getting another world title opportunity when he was knocked out two years ago in 2023 by former light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev?
Last Updated on 07/12/2025
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