Anthony Yarde says he has to have it “dog” mentality that saw him defeat WBC delicate heavyweight champion David Benavidez in their 25-day clash on November 22, 2025 in Riyad.
Benavidez’s unrelenting firestorm lies ahead
WBA No. 3 contender Yarde has no choice but to fight like a ‘dog’ as Benavidez will bury him with non-stop combinations right out of the gate. This won’t be the type of fight where Yarde can fight at a sluggish pace, giving his bodybuilder enough rest to generate maximum power from his shots. Benavidez will make this a marathon-level fight.
Muscle problem for Yarde
For a player with too much muscle like Yarde, he will tire quickly on November 22. So his best chance of winning is to try to score a knockout before he chokes. Yarde is a so-called “weight baby,” a guy who spends too much time pumping iron.
“I’m a realist. On paper I should have been an underdog. He was the world champion and that’s why I’m developing,” said Anthony Yarde in an interview with Ring Magazine about his fight against WBC delicate heavyweight champion David Benavidez.
Of course Yarde is weaker. He was defeated many times against top-class players. He talks about “developing” as an underdog, but the reality is that it didn’t aid him in losses to Artur Beterbiev, Sergey Kovalev and Lyndon Arthur. He was an underdog and failed to succeed. You can’t call it a flourishing.
Turki’s selected underdog
Yarde (27-3, 24 KO) has already been dismissed by fans as another one of those plastic, second-rate fighters that Benavidez (30-0, 24 KO) will easily deal with. In this case, he didn’t choose the 34-year-old Yarde. He was chosen by Turki Alalshikh. Yarde did nothing to earn a title shot after being knocked out in the eighth round by Beterbiev on January 28, 2023. To redeem himself after this defeat, Yarde defeated these four:
- Jorge Silva: record 23-17.
- Marko Nikolic
- Ralph Wilcan
- Lyndon Arthur
Fans wanted Bivol or Beterbiev
American boxing fans would prefer Dmitry Bivol or Artur Beterbiev as “Mexican Monster” Benavidez, rather than using what’s left of Beterbiev as an opponent. There are no words to describe how disappointing this choice is. There are many more noteworthy contenders at 175 pounds who could be chosen to face Benavidez at the November 22 event.
“I want to be in a situation where I’m like a dog. I have to get out of this. I feel like that’s where I get my best performance,” Yarde said. “People who have watched my career know that I can hit. Benavidez has been almost perfect so far and that’s why I thrive.
No hype, no belief
In this fight, Yarde looks more like a lamb to the slaughter than a “dog.” This is the main reason why there is almost no fan hype for this fight. They see Yarde as another victim for Benavidez to add to his record. It would be better if Turki buried the fight on the undercard below these fights:
- Devin Haney vs. Brian Norman Jr.
- Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez vs. Fernando Martinez
- Abdullah Mason vs. Sam Noakes