Benavidez’s Combinations Broke Down Yarde in Riyadh
David Benavidez stopped Anthony Yarde at 1:59 of the seventh round on November 22, 2025, at ANB Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The technical knockout preserved Benavidez’s WBC light heavyweight championship after a main event increasingly controlled by his sustained pressure.
Yarde faced another unbeaten champion in his third title challenge
The British contender had previously lost championship fights to Sergey Kovalev in 2019 and Artur Beterbiev in 2023. Benavidez presented another formidable obstacle, combining fast hands with a high attacking output.
Yarde had competitive moments but spent much of the contest moving backward. Benavidez continued closing the distance and putting combinations together instead of allowing the challenger to dictate a slower rhythm.
Accumulating damage set up the seventh-round ending
The champion’s speed and accuracy increasingly shaped the fight. By the sixth round, Yarde had a bloodied nose and was struggling to prevent the repeated attacks from reaching their targets.
Benavidez knocked him down in the seventh. Yarde rose, but another sustained attack followed, and referee Héctor Afú intervened when the challenger could no longer offer an effective response.
The champion left with his unbeaten record intact
Benavidez improved to 31–0 with twenty-five knockouts, while Yarde fell to 27–4. The result added a successful championship defense to Benavidez’s campaign at light heavyweight.
Afterward, Benavidez announced plans to pursue Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez at cruiserweight the following May. The proposed move followed an emphatic victory at 175 pounds, where his combination punching had steadily dismantled an experienced challenger.
Sources
- WBC: knockdown, referee intervention and championship record
- Associated Press: official stoppage time and fight development
