David Benavidez will defend his WBC light heavyweight title against Anthony Yarde on November 22 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The fight marks Benavidez's first world title defense at 175lbs.
Benavidez, known as "The Mexican Monster," moved up to the light heavyweight division last year after a successful run as a two-time super-middleweight world champion. He's been on a roll, scoring impressive victories over Oleksandr Gvozdyk and David Morrell. The WBC elevated Benavidez from interim to full champion after Dmitry Bivol vacated the belt to pursue a trilogy contest with Artur Beterbiev.
Yarde, the British challenger, gets another shot at world title glory. He's had two previous attempts, coming up short against Sergey Kovalev and Artur Beterbiev. This time, he'll face the formidable Benavidez in what promises to be an action-packed bout.
The fight negotiations weren't straightforward. Other potential opponents for Benavidez included Joshua Buatsi, Callum Smith, and Gilberto Ramirez. Yarde revealed the selection process in an interview with Sky Sports Boxing:
"I can say the names. It was four people they had. Four names including my name. [Joshua] Buatsi is one of them. Callum Smith is the other, and [Gilberto] Ramirez was the other one. They were in talks with all these people, and he [Turki Alalshikh] said to me personally he wants me because he feels I'm the most entertaining and I've got the best profile."
The fight announcement stirred up some controversy. Yarde's trainer, Tunde Ajayi, accused three fighters of rejecting Benavidez, claiming they had previously expressed willingness to face either Yarde or Benavidez. Callum Smith quickly responded to these allegations on Twitter:
"I was never offered the fight in Saudi. He only mentioned he wanted to make the fight. 'The number' Eddie was talking about was from PBC which was less than what I got for Buatsi."
The Benavidez-Yarde clash will be part of a stacked card in Riyadh. Other fighters expected to feature include Devin Haney, Brian Norman, and Jesse Rodriguez. It's shaping up to be an exciting night of boxing for fans around the world.
With the fight now officially confirmed, both Benavidez and Yarde will be gearing up for what could be a career-defining bout. Benavidez will look to cement his status as a two-weight world champion, while Yarde aims to finally capture that elusive world title. The stage is set for an explosive encounter in Saudi Arabia.
