David Benavidez became emotional today during an interview when he was told that Anthony Yarde (27-3, 24 KO) said he was better “the power of one punch”. Fans consider Yarde’s comment precise because Benavidez is a fighter who wins by burying his opponents with his creativity.

Benavidez didn’t like Yarde claiming his power was greater, but the remark reflects a general belief. Is Yarde simply telling the truth that Benavidez stubbornly refuses to face? His punch froze at the edge between 168 and 175. The “Mexican Monster” hasn’t even come close to knocking out either of the two fighters he’s faced since moving up to lithe heavyweight, and he’s taken a ton of punishment in those two fights alone.

Morrell’s plan

In Benavidez’s last fight against David Morrell, we saw that his strength was not at the same level as the Cuban. By the end of the competition, Benavidez’s face looked beaten beyond recognition. In contrast, Morrell was not marked. This is a signal that his strength has not transferred from the super middleweight division. Benavidez was injured twice by Morrell and went down in the 11th round.

The “Mexican Monster”‘s fighting style, in which he positions himself, stands at close range and fires rapid-fire combinations, puts him at risk of being pinned down by more powerful 175-pounders. What Morrell did to Benavidez could have been this is just a taste of what Yarde will do on Saturday night if nothing changes in his primitive fighting style. This approach would work if Benavidez had real power at lithe heavyweight, but he doesn’t.

Benavidez benefited from being much larger than his 168- and 175-year-old opponents, which is why hardcore fans often referred to him as the “weight tyrant.”

“I’m going in there to take care of business first and whatever large fight we can have later, I’m 100% ready to make any fight happen,” David Benavidez said MillCity Boxingabout what he will focus on if he wins his title defense against Anthony Yarde on Saturday evening in Riyad.

“The Mexican Monster” Benavidez (30-0, 24 KO) states that he will knock out Yarde when he defends his WBC lithe heavyweight title against him this Saturday, November 22, at the ANB Arena in Riyad, Saudi Arabia.

This is a fight where there is a risk that Benavidez could lose, as he hasn’t scored a knockout since moving up to 175 pounds. Moreover, he was injured in both fights in the division against Morrell and Oleksandr Gvozdyk.

“A lot of people say they can land me and knock me out. But I think they have to worry about themselves first,” Benavidez said. “They have to worry about covering every side of themselves because I can reach the body. I can reach the head. There are a lot of things I can do. Anthony Yarde has been stopped twice. So he should be worried about not getting stopped a third time.”

Benavidez in denial mode

The look on Benavidez’s face as he spoke indicated rage. He looked like he was starting to seethe at Yarde’s straightforward comment about being gifted with extraordinary powers. I’m not sure why Benavidez got so mad about this. This suggests that he has a distorted view of his power and believes that he is someone he is not. Why did an innocuous comment about power send the “Mexican monster” into meltdown? Is it insecurity, or is he starting to suspect the reality of his limitations? For Benavidez, making such a straightforward comment suggests that he knows he has no power, and he’s furious that his opponent, Yarde, noticed it.

Yarde is actually doing Benavidez a favor by letting him know that he has more power than him because it will give him a chance to adjust his game heading into Saturday night. The last thing Benavidez needs to do is fight like primitive Neanderthal 400,000 years ago against a warrior of Yarde’s strength and his purification. That’s how Benavidez fought his entire career. The only reason he’s doing well is because of his size advantage, as when he hydrates for his 168 and 175 fights, he appears to be a cruiserweight.

“I’m prepared for anything he throws at me,” Benavidez said of Yarde. “I don’t think about whether he’s going to hurt me. I go in there and try to stop his ass and that’s what I’m going to do.”