WBC light heavyweight champion David Benavidez says he’s well aware that #4 Anthony Yarde is a “dangerous” opponent for him, and he’s not overlooking the threat he brings to their main event battle on November 22, 2025, at the ANB Arena in Riyadh.
It’s crucial that Benavidez (30-0, 24 KOs) performs well in this fight, as he’s on Turki Alalshikh’s card and it’s a headliner on DAZN PPV. If Benavidez wins and looks impressive, he could be facing Artur Beterbiev next in what could be a career-high payday.
“This is his third attempt at a title. This is a man who has his back against the wall. He’s a dangerous man,” said David Benavidez to the 411 Experience, talking about his fight against Anthony Yarde on November 22. “I like it when I go up against a person with nothing to lose.
“I hope he comes 100% for his safety because if he doesn’t, it’s going to be a problem. It’s going to be a problem for him even at 100%,” said Benavidez.
Yarde always fights at “100%,” and he’ll be bringing it even more so in this fight, given that he’s fighting in the headliner spot on Turki Alalshikh’s event in Riyadh. Going up against WBC light heavyweight champion Benavidez will push Yarde even more, because he’s know what he’s facing.
Moreover, if Yarde wins this fight, it’ll put him in position to fight IBF, WBA, and WBO light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol for the undisputed championship. There’s a lot of money to be made from that clash.
‘The Mexican Monster’ Benavidez predicts that Yarde, 33, will make it an entertaining fight for the fans by the way he’ll come out slugging on November 22nd. Like he mentioned, Yarde’s back is against the wall after having failed in his two previous tries at winning a world title in knockout losses to Artur Beterbiev and Sergey Kovalev.
What gives Yarde a chance in this fight is that Benavidez hasn’t shown the same power in the 175-lb division that he did at 168. The high-volume style that he uses has resulted in him getting hit a lot and being hurt in his two fights at light heavyweight against David Morrell and Oleksandr Gvozdyk.
If Yarde can land his best shots against Benavidez, he’s got a chance to knock him out or hurt him badly enough to score knockdowns. Benavidez absorbed a lot of punishment in his last fight against the Cuban Morrell on February 1, 2025. We don’t know how he’ll respond to taking hard punches from Yarde after what he went through against Morrell.
Benavidez believes this fight is his “moment” to shine, and he feels he’s in the prime of his career at 28. He turns 29 on December 17, 2025, and he says he’s got at least 15 more years left in his career before retiring. However, Benavidez states that retiring at 40 is his goal.
Last Updated on 10/04/2025
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