David Benavidez promised punishment – and he delivered in devastating fashion.
The WBC light heavyweight champion retained his belt in Riyadh on Sunday afternoon with a seventh-round TKO victory over Anthony Yarde, finishing a fight that had been one-way traffic for the “Mexican Monster”.
One of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the sport, Benavidez came out like a wrecking ball with his clinical accuracy and relentless tempo.
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He marched Yarde backward from the start, ripping in combos and giving the Londoner no space to breathe. Yarde fired back with a few clean counters, but every exchange took more out of him as Benavidez’s power and pace began to take its toll.
By the midway point, Benavidez had completely taken over with Yarde retreating under constant heat. In the seventh, a savage series of shots rocked Yarde badly and sent him to the canvas.
Realising his man was finished, the Mexican went all out and poured on several more shots before the referee stepped in to halt the onslaught.
“It’s definitely what I expected,” Benavidez told DAZN’s Claudia Trejos afterwards.
“When I signed to fight Anthony Yarde, I said, ‘Oh man, this is gonna be a war.’ And this is what I dreamt about, you know, both of us going to war.
“I think he cut me in round six and I said, ‘You want a shootout? Let’s go for it, then.’ And you see what I did. He stepped into Monstruo’s world and he got KOd.”
Elsewhere on the card, Devin Haney dismantled previously unbeaten WBO welterweight champion Brian Norman Jr., claiming the title and cementing his place as a three-division world champ.
Right from the opening bell, Haney was bossing the ring. Haney’s fancy footwork, sharp jab, and clever counters kept Norman on his toes, picking him apart round by round.
Haney vs Norman Jr: Fight Highlights | 02:55
When the final bell rang, the scorecards, 117-110, 116-111, 114-113, told the story of the fight.
The win was a statement for Haney, putting to rest doubts about his ability after he was dropped three times in a controversial majority decision loss to Ryan Garcia in 2024.
“In 2024, I lost everything,” Haney said, referring to his loss to Garcia.
“Everything came crashing down on me. In 2025, I came to get it back.
“In 2026, I’m coming for everything.”
Another highlight of the card was Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez’s KO of Fernando Martinez.
Rodriquez shocks Martinez in 10TH RD KO | 00:50
“Bam” reminded the world why he’s a nightmare at junior bantamweight, knocking out Fernando Martínez in the 10th round to unify three major super-flyweight belts.
One crisp left hand had Martínez sprawled on the canvas at 1:35 of the round, ending his unbeaten run in brutal fashion.
When asked after the bout when he realised the win was his, Rodriguez didn’t hesitate:
“Honestly? After Round 1.”
Bam went on to tip his hat to Martinez.
“He’s a tough opponent. He’s a former world champion himself, so that says a lot. Nothing but respect for Martinez. He was a lot tougher than I expected even though I gave him my hardest shot.”