Benavidez Stops Bloodied Yarde To Retain Title

British light-heavyweight Anthony Yarde's 3rd changeable astatine a world title ended successful heartbreak again aft a systematic beat-down by WBC champion David Benavidez successful Saudi Arabia.

After a slow start, American Benavidez seized control, sending 34-year-old Yarde to nan canvas pinch a barrage successful nan seventh.

With humor streaming from Yarde's chemoreceptor and smeared crossed nan canvas, different dense flurry of punches pinch a infinitesimal near successful nan information forced nan referee to halt nan contest.

"I stuck successful there. I'm a fighter," Yarde told BBC Radio 5 Live.

"I felt for illustration it was competitive. I cognize really he comes pinch bully pressure. I was boxing, boxing, reasoning mediate rounds, nan canine rounds, we would exchange.

"He has speedy hands, caught maine first and deed maine pinch a bully changeable connected nan nose. When I took a knee and he deed maine erstwhile I was down, I was dizzy aft that."

Benavidez was deducted 2 points for punches while Yarde was down, but nan result was already inevitable.

The Londoner - having antecedently mislaid successful world title bouts to Sergey Kovalev successful 2019 and Artur Beterbiev successful 2022 - whitethorn now person to judge nan anticipation that a world title mightiness elude him.

Benavidez, 28, remains unbeaten and extends his grounds to a formidable 25 knockouts successful 31 wins.

After nan fight, Benavidez - of Mexican practice - revealed he plans to move up to cruiserweight to situation Mexico's Gilberto Ramirez for nan WBA and WBO cruiserweight titles connected 2 May, aiming to go a three-weight world champion.

Legendary ringing announcer Michael Buffer welcomed nan fighters to nan ringing astatine 05:30 section clip - minutes earlier sunrise successful Riyadh - pinch nan schedule tailored for a Mexican and American tv audience.

Hackney-born Yarde made an understated entrance, pausing to return successful nan arena and seemingly savour nan moment.

Benavidez appeared wholly astatine ease, fist-bumping fans connected his measurement to nan ringing pinch his five-year-old boy and entourage successful tow.

Both men - Benavidez, famed for his relentless punch output, and Yarde, who carried superior powerfulness pinch 24 knockouts successful 27 wins – made a watchful start.

Two-time super-middleweight champion Benavidez tried to provoke Yarde successful nan fourth, only for nan Briton to reply pinch a sharp, short right.

As nan information closed, Yarde tied up Benavidez's correct limb complete his shoulder, prompting nan "Mexican Monster" to unleash a twelve aliases truthful accelerated lefts to nan head.

Marked up nether his correct eye, Yarde was not rather a sitting duck yet but was not winning rounds either - possibly blameworthy of showing nan champion excessively overmuch respect.

Some little occurrence from nan challenger only seemed to outpouring Benavidez into action successful nan sixth.

Yarde began rubbing humor from his chemoreceptor and looked progressively unnerved.

"You're a warrior, you're a lion," Yarde's semipermanent trainer Tunde Ajayi encouraged from nan corner.

But Benavidez began landing combinations to nan caput and assemblage pinch nan velocity of a lightweight, switching betwixt southpaw and orthodox astatine will.

A peculiarly dense barrage floored Yarde and nan champion was rightly penalised for nan precocious punch.

But different sustained attack, ending pinch a dense near hook with, forced nan referee to prevention Yarde from much punishment.

After turning pro a decade agone pinch nary amateur background, Yarde's profession has been defined by a willingness - sometimes to his ain detriment - to skip nan accepted home route, and moreover nan big-money home clashes pinch nan likes of Joshua Buatsi, successful pursuit of world honours.

He was still comparatively earthy erstwhile he travelled to Russia to look Kovalev, a baptism of occurrence that became nan defining early section of his career.

And erstwhile he later stepped successful pinch Beterbiev - 1 of nan astir feared punchers successful world boxing - he performed admirably earlier yet being overwhelmed.

Once again, Yarde has shown that while he whitethorn autumn short astatine nan very highest level, he does truthful only against nan very best.

Retirement whitethorn beryllium mentioned but location are plentifulness of fights still retired location for nan light-heavyweight.

A match-up pinch Buatsi aliases different domestic-level contender for illustration Callum Smith is still beryllium an charismatic action for Yarde and his fans.