David Benavidez, known as ‘The Mexican Monster’, is set to defend his WBC light-heavyweight world title against British challenger Anthony Yarde. This announcement confirms that Benavidez will face a UK opponent for his first defense.
Earlier, there had been considerable speculation linking Benavidez to a potential fight against Callum Smith, a former WBA super-middleweight champion and current WBO interim light-heavyweight belt holder. Smith himself had indicated that negotiations were ongoing and that both sides seemed interested in the matchup, though he noted the inherent difficulties in finalizing boxing deals.
However, it has now been confirmed that Smith will not be Benavidez`s next opponent. The news came via an announcement from Turki Alalshikh, the prominent figure behind many major boxing events. Alalshikh took to social media platform X to reveal that the undefeated Benavidez (30-0, 24 KOs) will step into the ring against Anthony Yarde (27-3, 24 KOs) in November as part of a Riyadh Season event.
This announcement closely followed Alalshikh`s earlier revelation, just four days prior, that WBO welterweight champion Brian Norman Jr would defend his title against Devin Haney, also scheduled for November and a Riyadh Season event. At this time, it is not confirmed whether the Benavidez-Yarde and Norman Jr-Haney bouts will share the same fight card or take place on separate dates.
David Benavidez.
For Anthony Yarde, this opportunity marks his third challenge for a world title. His previous bids were unsuccessful; he suffered an 11th-round TKO loss to Sergey Kovalev for the WBO title in 2019, and was stopped in the eighth round by the formidable Artur Beterbiev in 2023. Despite the defeat, Yarde`s performance against Beterbiev was highly praised and considered the toughest test of the Russian champion`s career, showcasing Yarde`s improvement and resilience before Beterbiev`s renowned power proved decisive.
David Benavidez was elevated to become the full WBC champion after Dmitry Bivol vacated the title to pursue a potential trilogy fight with Artur Beterbiev. In his second fight at 175 pounds, Benavidez demonstrated his capabilities in the division by securing a points victory over the skilled Cuban fighter David Morrell Jr. Anthony Yarde also enters this fight following a recent win, having settled his trilogy with Lyndon Arthur two months ago by winning their third encounter over 12 rounds.
