TLDR
- David Benavidez defends his WBC light heavyweight title against Anthony Yarde on Saturday, November 22 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- The fight streams live on DAZN PPV starting at 3 p.m. ET/8 p.m. GMT (UK: £24.99; US: $59.99)
- Benavidez (30-0, 24 KOs) is ranked No. 2 by The Ring while Yarde (27-3, 24 KOs) is rated No. 4
- The card features three other title fights including Jesse Rodriguez vs. Fernando Martinez and Devin Haney vs. Brian Norman Jr.
- Benavidez reports this is the easiest weight cut of his career, currently at 178 pounds with three pounds left to lose
David Benavidez will make his first defense of the WBC light heavyweight title when he faces Anthony Yarde on Saturday at ANB Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The fight marks Benavidez’s first bout outside North America.
Benavidez adjusted his sleep schedule to prepare for the early morning ring walk. He has been going to sleep around 7 to 8 a.m. to adapt to the time difference.
The 28-year-old from Arizona reports the weight cut has gone smoothly. He currently weighs 178 pounds with three pounds left to lose before weigh-in. Benavidez called it the easiest weight cut of his career.
Benavidez moved up to light heavyweight about a year and a half ago after two reigns as WBC super middleweight champion. His first title reign ended due to a positive cocaine test taken out of competition. His second reign concluded when he missed weight on the scales.
David Benavidez current shape 5 days out from #BenavidezYarde 💪 pic.twitter.com/eXGfTlEvyG
— Source of Boxing (@Sourceofboxing) November 17, 2025
The undefeated champion defeated Oleksandr Gvozdyk to win the WBC interim belt at 175 pounds. He then beat David Morrell in February to add a secondary WBA belt. Benavidez was upgraded to full WBC champion after Dmitry Bivol vacated the title.
Benavidez’s Game Plan
Benavidez has not scored a stoppage in either of his light heavyweight fights against Gvozdyk or Morrell. He believes his power translates to the higher weight class despite the lack of knockouts.
The champion said he hurt both Gvozdyk and Morrell during those fights. For this camp, he focused on getting back to basics with footwork, distance, and head movement.
Benavidez plans to work behind his jab and set up traps against the bigger fighters at 175 pounds. He said the walk-down style that worked at 168 pounds won’t be as effective at light heavyweight.
The champion wants fights with Artur Beterbiev, Dmitry Bivol, Gilberto Ramirez, and Jai Opetaia. He views taking the toughest fights as the way to establish himself as a major star. Benavidez wants to take over the traditional Mexican boxing dates of Cinco De Mayo and Mexican Independence Day.
Yarde’s Background
Yarde brings a 27-3 record with 24 knockouts to the fight. The 34-year-old from Ilford, England has challenged for world titles twice before.
Yarde lost to Sergey Kovalev in the 11th round in 2019. He was stopped by Artur Beterbiev in eight rounds in 2023. He showed competitive moments in both fights before being stopped.
His other loss came via split decision to Lyndon Arthur in 2020. Yarde avenged that defeat twice, stopping Arthur in the fourth round in 2021. He won the rubber match by unanimous decision in April.
Stacked Undercard
The pay-per-view card features three other world title fights. Jesse Rodriguez defends his WBC, WBO, and Ring Magazine junior bantamweight titles against WBA champion Fernando Martinez in a unification bout.
David Benavidez 🤝 Abdullah Mason#TheRingIV | Buy now at https://t.co/AxmwuHu4GB | @RiyadhSeason | Nov 22nd in Riyadh 🥊 pic.twitter.com/fh1nh5wgmW
— Ring Magazine (@ringmagazine) November 19, 2025
Rodriguez carries a 22-0 record with 15 knockouts. He knocked out Juan Francisco Estrada with a body shot and stopped Phumelele Cafu in July to add the WBO belt. Martinez holds an 18-0 record with nine knockouts.
Brian Norman Jr. defends his WBO welterweight title against former undisputed lightweight champion Devin Haney. Norman is 28-0 with 22 knockouts while Haney stands at 32-0 with 15 knockouts.
Abdullah Mason and Sam Noakes fight for the vacant WBO lightweight title. Mason is 19-0 with 17 knockouts while Noakes enters at 17-0 with 15 knockouts.
The event streams live on DAZN PPV beginning at 3 p.m. ET/8 p.m. GMT.
