David Benavidez vs Anthony Yarde: Who has the edge heading into their fight?

Tonight, David ‘El Monstro’ Benavidez puts his WBC light heavyweight world title on the line against Anthony Yarde in the main event of Ring IV: Night of Champions in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and live on DAZN Pay-Per-View.

In his only ring appearance this year, Benavidez (30-0, 24 KOs) delivered a unanimous decision over David Morrell in an exciting fight this past February. A convincing win over a rugged, durable Yarde (27-3, 24 KOs) could catapult Benavidez into possible talks to meet with unified 175-pound champion Dmitry Bivol for undisputed glory in 2026.

To get there, Benavidez must first get past Yarde, a former two-time title challenger, who bounced back from an eighth-round TKO loss at the pounding hands of Artur Beterbiev with four straight wins. That includes a unanimous decision over Lyndon Arthur in their April trilogy.

Will Benavidez continue his rampage through light heavyweight by generating his third win in the division? Or will the third title shot be the charm for Yarde?

With the stakes reaching a fever pitch, DAZN News analyzes who has the edge between the champ and challenger in this main event.

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Boxing Styles

Standing six-foot-two with 74½ inches of reach, David Benavidez works behind a prodding jab that usually paves the way for him to cut the ring in half and tee off on opponents, force-feeding them a buffet of punches.

As he demonstrated earlier this year with his points win over David Morrell, Benavidez regularly pieces together punishing combinations whether it is a cranking uppercut followed by a right hook to the temple or a left hook liver shot, step back to assess and straight right to split the guard with a left uppercut soon thereafter.

‘El Monstro’ has it all at his disposal as a forward-fighting force that Yarde is going to have to find a solution for in real time.

Like Benavidez, Yarde is an all-action fighter. The British light heavyweight likes to pepper with the jab behind a flexible guard and possesses the ability to wrap long hooks around opponents’ guards effectively.

He gave Beterbiev a fireworks-filled fight before eventually being dismantled. Withstanding the high volume of punches that Benavidez generates is another daunting prospect.

Edge: Benavidez

Power

Both Benavidez and Yarde have pop to their punches. While Yarde might have more one-punch power, Benavidez’ ability to break opponents down with steady blows over the course of a fight is hard to argue against.

That makes this category a close one, though if there is one push it might be the deeper bag of punches that Benavidez is able to draw from.

That variety gives him the slightest edge in power despite Yarde touting a knockout ratio of just over 88 percent to Benavidez’ 80 percent.

Edge: Benavidez

Mental Warfare

Yarde, as potent of a fighter as he is, has tried to become a light heavyweight world champion twice and has fallen short with each attempt — suffering an eighth-round TKO to Artur Beterbiev in January 2023 and an 11^th-round KO at the hands of Sergey Kovalev back in August 2019.

Now, in his third attempt and at 34, Yarde is going to bang and attempt to beat the WBC light heavyweight title out of Benavidez’ grasp — even if that means going out on his shield while trying.

Having experienced those losses to now having to walk through the fire Benavidez presents is as big of a mental hurdle as physical that Yarde must clear.

Immense pressure comes with that.

Edge: Benavidez

Who has the edge in Benavidez vs Yarde?

DAZN News has Benavidez with the 3-0 edge entering this headlining main event with Yarde. Neither man is ever in a lackluster fight which should present fireworks in an entertaining affair.

The bundle of skills that ‘El Monstro’ has at his disposal make it hard to pick against him. A dazzling win here will only drum up the chatter for Bivol-Benavidez in 2026.

Watch Ring IV Benavidez vs. Yarde live only on DAZN

David Benavidez vs. Anthony Yarde headline a star-studded Ring IV fight card in Riyadh this Saturday, November 22. Watch it exclusively on DAZN PPV for £24.99 / $59.99.

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