Benavidez vs Yarde: Bloodied Briton stopped in seventh of world-title challenge
British light-heavyweight Anthony Yarde’s third shot at a world title ended in heartbreak again after he systematically defeated WBC champion David Benavidez in Saudi Arabia.
After a slow start, American Benavidez took control and sent the 34-year-old Yarde into the field with a barrage in the seventh round.
As blood flowed from Yarde’s nose and smeared on the canvas, another heavy rain of punches forced the referee to stop the bout with one minute left in the round.
“I was stuck in there. I’m a fighter,” Yarde told BBC Radio 5 Live.
“I felt like he was competitive. I know how he comes with good pressure. I was boxing, I was boxing, I was thinking middle rounds, dog rounds, we would trade.
“His hands were fast, he caught me first and hit me with a good shot on the nose. When he hit me when I was on my knees and on the ground, I felt dizzy.”
Two points were deducted for Benavidez’s punches when Yarde was down, but the result was already inevitable.
The London player, who previously lost to Sergey Kovalev in 2019 and Artur Beterbiev in 2022 in world championship competitions, may now have to accept the possibility of the world championship slipping away from him.
Benavidez, 28, is undefeated and extended his record with 25 knockouts in 31 wins.
After the fight, Benavidez, who is of Mexican descent, announced that he planned to move up to cruiserweight to challenge Mexican Gilberto Ramirez for the WBA and WBO cruiserweight titles on May 2, aiming to become a three-weight world champion.
