World champion David Benavidez simply proved too much for Anthony Yarde on Saturday, overwhelming the Briton in their WBC light-heavyweight title clash.
Benavidez’s forward pressure and volume of output, combined with his power, had Yarde relying on bravery and sporadic counter-punching as the fight went on, with a finish beginning to feel like an inevitability in the middle rounds.
And it came in the seventh, a chaotic frame in which Benavidez dropped Yarde in one corner but was docked two points for landing an extra punch.
While that moment could have proved controversial, it will be nothing but a footnote on Saturday’s result in Riyadh, as Benavidez froze Yarde with a brutal left hook when the action resumed, leading the referee to save the challenger on his feet.
Benavidez’s victory kept the American unbeaten, as the former super-middleweight champion retained his light-heavyweight belt and turned attention to cruiserweight.
In his post-fight interview, 28-year-old Benavidez said: “It’s definitely what I expected. When I got the contract, I said, ‘Oh, man, this is gonna be a war, this is what I dreamt about.’
“He cut me like in round six, I said: ‘You want a shootout, then?’ He stepped in the ‘Monster’’s world and got KOed.
“I grade [my performance] B+, there’s always room for improvement, but people said I couldn’t stop this guy, and I made it look easier than [Sergey] Kovalev and [Artur] Beterbiev.”
Benavidez was referring to Yarde’s two prior world-title fights, both of which ended in defeat via stoppage. And there was similar heartbreak for the Briton, 34, in Saudi Arabia on Saturday.
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Benavidez said his next move will be a cruiserweight title shot, against champion Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez in Las Vegas in May.
Elsewhere on the card, Devin Haney became a three-weight world champion by dropping and outpointing Brian Norman Jr, taking his fellow American’s WBO welterweight title.
Also, Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez dominated and stopped Fernando Martinez in their super-flyweight unification bout.
Furthermore, Abdullah Mason became boxing’s youngest-active world champion, as the 21-year-old won a decision against Britain’s Sam Noakes after 12 competitive rounds.
