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Anthony Yarde calls for 'shootout' with David Benavidez in world title clash
Anthony Yarde has laid down the gauntlet to David Benavidez ahead of their WBC title fight on November 22 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
This is a fight that promises fireworks, both men are all-action heavy-hitters, and they both intend to stay true to themselves come November.
Benavidez had the opportunity to deliver an early message to Yarde ahead of their fight and warned him that he would be ready for war.
Benavidez said: “Anthony Yarde, I know you are going to come 100% prepared for this fight. But guess what? We are going to be 100% prepared, too.”
He concluded: "If you want to go to war, let’s go to war. Let’s give the people what they want to see.”
Yarde responded with a cheeky smile, happily accepting Benavidez’s offer of war.
Yarde said: “That’s exactly what’s going to happen. Real recognise real, I respect David Benavidez. If he doesn’t respect me already, I'm sure after the fight, he will definitely have to respect me.
He continued: “Let’s have a shootout. Give me a shootout. I will stand in the middle, he’s going to stand in the middle, and we will have a shootout… give the fans what they want to see.”
Yarde has previously challenged for light heavyweight straps against Sergey Kovalev and Artur Beterbiev – falling short on both occasions by stoppage.
Benavidez has only fought twice at light heavyweight after escaping the frustrations of the super middleweight title situation. He claimed the WBC interim belt by defeating Oleksandr Gvozdyk last year and defended it against David Morrell in February.
A bit of fortune came for Benavidez when Dmitry Bivol opted to vacate his WBC belt to allow for a trilogy fight with Artur Beterbiev, which upgraded his interim belt to full champion status.
Whoever emerges victorious from this will be next in line to have a shot at becoming undisputed light heavyweight champion against the winner of Dmitry Bivol vs Artur Beterbiev.
Yarde has already made it clear at this stage of his career that he only wants to take the highest-risk fights with the highest reward.
Yarde told Sky Sports: "I have no fear of any man on this planet. I want to fight the best in the world. When at the end of my career I retire, I don't want to look back and be [thinking:] 'I only fought this person, I only fought that person.' My personality is that I feel like I can beat everyone. I'm going to beat Benavidez and even after Benavidez I will fight the best out there.
He added: "If Bivol is still the champion after I fight Benavidez, that's a fight I will definitely explore. Because that means I will be undisputed. That's the goal. That's the dream. That's the ambition.
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