Anthony Yarde is walking into November 22 as a clear underdog and he’s perfectly fine with that. The London light heavyweight contender is set to challenge David Benavidez for his WBC light heavyweight title at ANB Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and he’s convinced the champion hasn’t yet felt the kind of power he’s bringing.
“I don’t think he’s been hit by anybody who hits like me yet,” Yarde told The Ring. “But we’ve just got to wait and see on fight night. One thing I’m very sure of is styles make fights. Styles make fights, so it’s gonna be an exciting one.”
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Benavidez’s durability has been one of the cornerstones of his rise into the pound-for-pound conversation. He was officially knocked down by David Morrell Jr. in the 11th round of their February 1 clash at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, though their legs clearly tangled before Benavidez briefly hit the deck.
Anthony Yarde, however, saw enough in that moment to believe he can trouble the champion.
“The highlight I saw was I think Morrell landed a left hook and Benavidez’s legs dipped a little bit,” Yarde said. “But again, I think that’s a credit to how good Benavidez has been. So, if he gets caught with anything, people are like, ‘ha, ha,’ even though he dominated the fight.”
Proven Puncher at the Elite Level
Anthony Yarde (27-3, 24 KOs) enters with a reputation as one of the heaviest hitters in the division. In his two defeats to former unified champions Sergey Kovalev and Artur Beterbiev, he hurt both men before ultimately getting stopped.
That experience has only deepened his belief that Benavidez (30-0, 24 KOs) can be shaken, too. The 34-year-old isn’t bothered by the betting odds either, which have Benavidez a wide favorite as big as 10-1 at many sportsbooks.
“I’m the kind of person where when someone’s in front of me and I’m the underdog, you will see the best of me,” Yarde said. “So I’m looking forward to it.”
Respect for an Unbeaten Champion
At the same time, Yarde is clear-eyed about the scale of the task. Benavidez, 28, is a two-weight world champion, having dominated at super middleweight before moving up and quickly establishing himself at light heavyweight. The Phoenix native is also ranked No. 9 on The Ring’s pound-for-pound list.
“I’m not silly,” Yarde admitted. “The guy’s still undefeated. You know, he’s moved up to my weight and he’s fought some of the best at my weight already and beat them. He dominated super middleweight and he’s been world champion. I ain’t yet. I’m a realist, so when you get someone that’s real, I know what I’m in for, and that’s when you get the best version of me.”
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Robert LaMar is a writer for Dice City Sports. You can follow him on X via @RobertLaMar26
