Boxing

David Benavidez "Invites War" With Anthony Yarde Warning Shot

WBC champion knows what to expect in his next title defense
Jaren Kawada|
IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire

David Benavidez is not expecting an easy night against Anthony Yarde.

Benavidez, 28, is entering his first title defense of the WBC light heavyweight title in November, despite maintaining interim champion status since 2022. In doing so, he expects an eventful night against Yarde, who is known for pushing Artur Beterbiev and Sergey Kovalev to their limits.

"Yeah, I definitely expect a big action fight," Benavidez said on the Inside the Ring Show.

"Anthony Yarde is a fighter who's been in there with the best of them. He's felt hard shots and he's been in there with two of the best Russian fighters of all time, Sergey Kovalev and Artur Beterbiev. So I'm expecting this man to come 100 percent ready for this fight, but like I said, at the end of the day, I'm not scared of nothing. I accept and I invite war. So if that's what the people of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, want to see, well, let's give it to them."

Although Yarde is 0-2 in his world title opportunities, he enters the fight on a four-fight win streak. Aside from his two title losses, Yarde's only defeat was a split decision loss to Lyndon Arthur in 2020, which he just avenged in his last outing.

While Yarde was ultimately stopped by Beterbiev and Kovalev, he memorably gave both fighters a much more difficult fight than anticipated. He was particularly competitive against Kovalev and looked like he was on his way to winning the fight before getting stopped in the 11th round.

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David Benavidez seeks unification bout after Anthony Yarde fight

David Benavidez
Mar 25, 2023; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; David Benavidez celebrates after defeating Caleb Plant (not pictured) in their Interim WBC Super Middleweight Championship boxing bout at MGM Grand Garden Arena. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images | Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

Should he get past Yarde, Benavidez already has his next opponent in mind. 'The Mexican Monster' is keeping an eye on Canelo Alvarez, but is more aggressively pursuing a title unification bout with Dmitry Bivol.

After beating Beterbiev in the rematch, Bivol was ordered by the WBC to defend his title against Benavidez. He instead vacated the belt and relinquished his undisputed status to pursue a trilogy bout with Beterbiev.

The trilogy was initially targeted for the end of 2025, but Bivol would suffer an injury, forcing Beterbiev to take a stay-busy fight with Deon Nicholson. Should he emerge victorious, the trilogy figures to go down in early 2026.

Benavidez and Bivol have been linked before, but the latter continues to opt for fights with Beterbiev instead. Regardless of what happens next, Benavidez is clearly prioritizing his pursuit of the undisputed championship status over anything else.

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Jaren Kawada
JAREN KAWADA

Jaren Kawada is a combat sports writer who specializes in betting, with over five years of experience in boxing and MMA. When he is not covering the sport, Kawada is an avid MMA, Brazilian jiu-jitsu and boxing practitioner. Kawada has previous bylines with ClutchPoints, Sportskeeda MMA, BetSided and FanSided MMA. Born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii, Kawada has a B.A. in Sports Media from Butler University and now resides in Denver, Colorado.

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