Anthony Yarde says his strength will carry WBC lightweight heavyweight champion David Benavidez “to sleep” if he lands cleanly in their headliner fight on November 22, 2025 in Riyad, Saudi Arabia.
Yarde (27-3, 24 KO) is confident that he will be able to hit “Mexican Monster” Benavidez (30-0, 24 KO) because his fighting style involves waging war on his opponents. This has been his signature approach to fighting since day one of his 12-year professional career.
Benavidez is counting on being able to beat Yarde, wear him down and, at some point, score a knockout. What happens if Yarde lands first? With Yarde’s power, if he can equalize early in the fight, fans will know if Benavidez has what it takes to fight at 175 pounds.
It’s not a good sign that Benvidez has been injured in two fights since moving up to lightweight heavyweight in 2024. David Morrell staggered him in the second round, hurt him in the fourth and dropped him in the eleventh fight on February 1, 2025.
Former WBC lightweight heavyweight champion Oleksandr Gvozdyk knocked out Benavidez in the 11th round after hitting him with a right hand to the body in their June 15, 2024 fight.
A war waiting to break out
“It’s inevitable. At some point there will be a shooting. That’s what I want and that’s what he wants,” Anthony Yarde said in an interview Queensberry about how his fight with David Benavidez on November 22 will play out. “I feel like that’s our fighting style. That makes it an thrilling fight.”
The first round of the Benavidez vs. Yarde fight will immediately be a “shootout”. This is how Benavidez fights. He won’t wait until mid-round or later in the fight to go after Yarde because he’s a power puncher who wins his fights by outperforming his opponents.
The question is, can Anthony Yarde keep up with Benavidez’s pace for twelve rounds? In the past, we’ve seen Yarde’s tank run empty after knockout losses to Artur Beterbiev and Sergey Kovalev as they set a rapid pace. Given Beavidez’s high-pressure style, it’s obvious that Yarde will wear out quickly if he can’t knock him out or make him think twice about taking this approach.
Benavidez’s chin questioned
“I’ve got the artillery. I’ve got the Iron Man vest and gear. We’re getting to the center of the ring. Let’s hope there aren’t any homeless people. The referee has to be careful. And you’re going to have a good fight,” Yarde said. “If I hit Benavide and it’s immaculate, he’ll go to sleep,” Yarde said.
Benavidez, 28, will insist on going to war with Yard right away, believing he can pepper him with shots. We don’t know if his chin is still intact after what Cuban Morrell did to him last February. He was again hurt twice by Morrell and went down in the 11th round. This is not a good way to fight a great boxer like Morrell.
Benavidez experiment 175
Is Benavidez’s strength at lightweight heavyweight as real as it was at 168 pounds? The fights he has had since moving up to 175 pounds with Gvozdyk and Morrell suggest that his strength has not increased from 168. Both of Benavidez’s fights were over 12 rounds.
Is Yarde being overlooked – could it be his way? He is clearly being overlooked, seen as a symbolic sacrifice that Benavidez can operate in an exhibition fight. People don’t pay attention to Yarde and don’t see him as a credible threat. Therefore, there is less hype around this fight compared to the feature fight between Devin Haney and Brian Norman Jr. for The Ring IV gala, which took place on November 22.
Daniel Dubois will face Fabio Wardley in a rematch of a heavyweight slugfest from earlier this year, with Dubois defending the WBO heavyweight title he took from Wardley on that night.
Live coverage will kick off at 2 pm ET, and we’ll have results and updates during the four-fight, main card undercard, then live, round-by-round scoring and updates for the main event itself.
How to watch Dubois vs Wardley 2
Start time: 2:00 pm ET for main card, prelims begin at 11:00 am ET
Streaming: DAZN (Ultimate subscription or Pay-Per-View)
PPV Cost: As a standalone, one-off purchase Pay-Per-View, the price is $59.99 (or £24.99). With DAZN’s Ultimate tier, the show is included as part of your subscription.
Location: O2 Arena – London, England
Dubois vs Wardley 2 full undercard and running order
Fabio Wardley can turn his early success against Daniel Dubois into a rematch victory if he avoids exhausting himself chasing the finish. He proved he could hurt Dubois in their first fight. The harder task is keeping control when an opponent he has dropped continues coming forward.
Wardley scored two early knockdowns before Dubois recovered and stopped him. That leaves an opening for a different result, although better pacing alone may not be enough to prevent another punishing night.
Chris Mannix and Sergio Mora both back Wardley to win again on Saturday, with Mannix choosing him by stoppage. Mora believes Wardley’s eagerness to finish Dubois helped undo his promising start.
“If he just doesn’t punch himself out, he thinks about setting up that right hand, doesn’t get right hand happy,” Mora said to DAZN Boxing.
That is the adjustment Wardley needs to make under pressure. Once Dubois survived his biggest punches, Wardley needed something beyond another loaded right hand. Working behind his jab and putting punches together would give him more ways to attack without spending everything on a single finish.
Dubois deserves credit for surviving those knockdowns and returning to his jab. Mora believes his previous defeats helped him stay composed when Wardley hurt him. Wardley now has his own experience of a fight turning against him.
“I think he’ll be smarter after this fight. I think he’ll learn some lessons,” Mannix said. “I think Wardley wins by stoppage in this fight.”
Mannix’s biggest concern is what the first beating took out of Wardley. Learning the tactical lesson does not guarantee he will absorb Dubois’ punches the same way in the rematch.
Wardley’s power gives their picks a credible foundation. He has already put Dubois down twice. To complete the job, he needs to create another opening without allowing the pursuit of a knockout to leave him exhausted and exposed again.
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Fabio Wardley’s team wants tighter control of Daniel Dubois’ head-first attacks in Saturday’s rematch, with manager Michael Ofo calling for stronger officiating after their first fight.
The concern is about Wardley being able to punch without Dubois driving into him with his head. Those collisions can interrupt an attack, knock a fighter out of position, and make him hesitate before throwing again.
Dubois recovered from two knockdowns to stop Wardley in May and take the WBO heavyweight title. Ahead of their return at London’s O2 Arena, Ofo has accused the champion of leading with his head and using a tackle during that fight.
“We’re calling for a stronger referee, because it’s needed,” Ofo told Sky Sports Boxing.
Dubois’ trainer Don Charles rejected the criticism, describing the opposing camp’s complaints as “insecurity and weakness.”
Wardley’s camp has a reasonable case for asking the referee to watch those entries closely. When Dubois comes forward behind his punches, head contact can make it difficult for Wardley to plant his feet and counter. Intent is difficult to establish, but repeated collisions still need attention.
That becomes especially important if Wardley hurts Dubois again. He needs the opportunity to follow up without a foul interrupting his work and giving the champion time to recover.
However, Wardley cannot build his approach around the referee intervening. His jab has to give Dubois something to get past, and combinations would make him less predictable than loading up on individual power shots. Moving after punching could also reduce the opportunities for Dubois to drive into him.
Wardley showed he could hurt Dubois in the first fight. The harder task is turning those moments into a finish while avoiding another punishing battle at close range. Firmer officiating could help, but his own adjustments will have to do most of the work. Wardley cannot rely on the third man to solve that puzzle.
If Dubois is going to be stopped from barreling in head-first, Wardley has to make the physical cost of doing so intolerable, just like Oleksandr Usyk did.
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BoxingNews24.com has delivered independent boxing coverage since 2007, including original news, fight analysis, schedules, and results. Our experienced boxing writers cover major fighters and events worldwide, with published content reviewed by editors for accuracy.