WBC light heavyweight champion David Benavidez says he wants to add body shots to his attack in his defense against the former two-time world title challenger Anthony Yarde on November 22nd in Riyadh. He wants to adapt his style a little for this contest and wear down Yarde (27-3, 24 KOs) faster.
Why Yarde Was Chosen
“I want to prove to the people I’m the best in the world. If I have to go through whoever, it doesn’t matter to me,” said David Benavidez to the media. “He was the only one who came to the table. There were better options, but he was the only one who came to the table. A lot of people didn’t want to fight. So, I ended up with Anthony Yarde, and it’s going to be a great fight.
Benavidez may not get the opportunity to prove he’s the best in the world, because Dmitry Bivol has already swerved him once. It’s believed that he doesn’t want that fight. With the money Bivol has made, he doesn’t need to take a risky fight against Benavidez, as that’s a bad style matchup for him.
Fans are not excited about this match-up for Benavidez compared to the Callum Smith fight. But it’s understandable why Smith chose not to take the fight with ‘The Mexican Monster.’ He’s sitting in a perfect spot as the WBO interim champion, and all he has to do is wait for a title shot to fall into his lap. He wasn’t going to risk that against Benavidez in a fight that he would likely lose.
Benavidez’s New Fight Plan
“Me establishing my jab, everything else is going to open up. It’s going to be my job to ensure that he doesn’t see the body shot. I feel like that’s where he’s going to cross over. With this fighter, I know exactly what he brings to the table. If he tries to get hostile with me, I’ll defend myself, but he’s showing respect. I feel like there’s something we can show to the younger youth,” said Benavidez.
In Benavidez’s last two fights against David Morrell and Oleksandr Gvozdyk, he didn’t throw many body shots. He focused on rapid-fire headshots, missing many a lot of them being blocked by these two highly technical fighters.
By the tenth round, Benavidez looked tired, got dropped by Morrell, and was hurt by Gvozdyk with a body shot. It’s not a good idea for Benavidez to tinker with his style and leave his head wide open against a puncher like Yarde.
