David Benavidez Beats Anthony Yarde by 7th-Round KO in Light Heavyweight Title Fight

David Benavidez retained his WBC light heavyweight title with a seventh-round knockout win over Anthony Yarde to close out a stacked card in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Benavidez had some good moments in the early rounds, but Yarde showed some of his own skills. His fluid movement and athleticism kept him in the early rounds. 

The Mexican Monster found a rhythm in the third round. He started landing power shots with regularity. 

Benavidez's signature pressure continued to pile up. Yarde's early defenses were worn down as he continued to pour on the heat. 

He scored a knockdown shortly before the referee called an end to the bout.

The boxing world was impressed with Benavidez's dominant performance:

Benavidez not only takes his unbeaten record to 31, but sets the stage for even bigger things moving forward.

The 28-year-old continues to prove himself as a star at 175 pounds. After chasing a fight with Canelo Alvarez at 168 pounds he has positioned himself as the primary threat to Dmitry Bivol in the light heavyweight division.

He won the interim WBC title in his divisional debut in June 2024 against Oleksandr Gvozdyk. That title became official when Bivol elected to pursue a trilogy fight with Artur Beterbiev when Benavidez was the mandatory challenger.

That trilogy fight still hasn't come to fruition. Bivol had back surgery in August 2025 and is working toward a return in 2026. He also has mandatory IBF challenger Michael Eifert to consider.

It doesn't look like Benavidez will be waiting around for Bivol at this point. He has two other names on his radar and he'd rather see a completely healthy Bivol when they do eventually fight.

"The good thing is for me is that we have a lotta options on the table," Benavidez said, per Keith Idec of Ring Magazine. "We have Beterbiev on the table. We have 'Zurdo' Ramirez on the table. So, it doesn't really matter to me. If he's gonna [fight someone else], I would rather fight the best Dmitry Bivol out there, as opposed to fighting a Dmitry Bivol that's still hurt."

Even without Bivol in the picture, a bout with Beterbiev would be a massive opportunity for Benavidez. The 40-year-old is still widely considered to be the among the top three in the division.

A chance to prove himself against the Russian could finally give him the opportunity to fight Bivol and become an undisputed champion.