David Benavidez to Defend World Title in November
David Benavidez is preparing for his first defense of the WBC super-middleweight title against Anthony Yarde in November. The announcement was made by Turki Alalshikh, chairman of the General Entertainment Authority and the Saudi Arabian Boxing Federation.
The exact date and location for the fight have not yet been defined, which will mark Benavidez’s debut in the Riyadh Season.
Benavidez, 28 years old, had expressed his desire to face the undisputed super middleweight champion, Canelo Álvarez. However, due to Álvarez’s lack of interest, Benavidez (30-0, 24 KOs) decided to move up to the light heavyweight division.
In June 2024, Benavidez achieved a decision victory in his debut in this category, defeating Oleksandr Gvozdyk for the WBC interim light heavyweight title. Previously, in February, Benavidez defeated David Morrell in his first successful defense of the interim title.
He was elevated to full champion when then-undisputed champion Dmitry Bivol opted to face Artur Beterbiev for a third time, instead of complying with the WBC’s request to defend the championship against the interim title holder.
Yarde (27-3, 24 KOs) will seek his third attempt to obtain a world title.
Yarde, originally from London, began his career with an undefeated record of 18-0 before suffering his first defeat against Sergey Kovalev in 2019, when he was contesting the WBO light heavyweight title. His second attempt at a world title was also unsuccessful, being knocked out by Beterbiev in January 2023, in a fight for the WBC, IBF and WBO titles.
In his last fight, Yarde secured a decision victory over Lyndon Arthur on the Chris Eubank Jr. vs. Conor Benn undercard in April.
