Riyadh Season has landed another blockbuster. WBC light-heavyweight ruler David Benavidez will defend his freshly minted crown against Britain’s Anthony Yarde in November, His Excellency Turki Alalshikh confirmed on X. Exact date and venue are pending, but the matchup ends months of speculation about who would welcome the unbeaten “Mexican Monster” to Saudi Arabia’s fight capital.
Benavidez, elevated after Dmitry Bivol vacated the WBC strap, blitzed Oleksandr Gvozdyk and out-slugged David Morrell to establish instant credibility at 175 lbs. Now the 27-year-old power broker meets a swarming challenger who has twice fallen agonizingly short on the world stage. Yarde pushed Sergey Kovalev to the brink in 2019 and traded fire with Artur Beterbiev before an eighth-round halt in 2023; a trilogy-clinching decision over Lyndon Arthur in April has put the Londoner back in line for one more swing at glory.
Watch Yarde vs. Arthur highlights: Watch
The bout sidelines stalled talks between Benavidez and WBO interim champ Callum Smith, whose team had hoped to secure a late-2025 date. Instead, Smith must wait while Yarde takes his third crack - and Riyadh adds another high-octane collision to its growing combat-sports portfolio.
Image Credit: X