From 18st Kid To World Champion - The Rise Of Benavidez

David Benavidez v Anthony Yarde

Venue: ANB Arena, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Date: 22 November

Coverage: Follow power commentary from 23:00 GMT connected BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra & BBC Sounds earlier switching to BBC Radio 5 Live from 02:00 connected BBC Sounds, BBC Sport website & app

At nan property of 12, David Benavidez weighed 18st 6lb (117kg).

When nan American steps into nan ringing connected Saturday against Briton Anthony Yarde arsenic nan defending WBC light-heavyweight champion, he will beryllium 12st 7lb (79kg).

Now 28 and a two-weight world champion, images connected societal media of Benavidez arsenic an overweight 13-year-old training pinch his begetter show conscionable really acold he has travel to get into nan style basal to scope nan top.

"At nan time, I would person ne'er imagined I would beryllium a apical combatant and 1 of nan biggest successful boxing today," he told BBC Sport.

"I ever had religion successful myself. I ever knew that pinch difficult work, thing is possible. I've ne'er fixed up connected myself. I started disconnected and I wasn't successful shape.

"I did person nan will and nan dedication to get to wherever I wanted to go. That's nan connection I want to springiness to nan kids.

"Other kids and different men could look astatine my communicative and return it into their life and execute anything."

As his older relative Jose thrived successful nan amateur ranks, plans were put successful spot for Benavidez to driblet 100lb.

By nan clip he was 15 he was sparring pinch pros specified arsenic aggregate middleweight world champion Gennady Golovkin.

"I had been boxing since I was three, pinch my dada training me," recalled nan Phoenix-born fighter.

"I really believed successful myself. When I sewage backmost into boxing aged 11, we started moving small by small and cutting nan weight.

"When I mislaid that first 100lb, I was astatine 260lb and I sewage down to 168lb. That's erstwhile I knew I sewage nan biggest portion retired of nan way, and now let's proceed to train and spot wherever it takes us.

"I wasn't reasoning astir being a world champion, I conscionable worked difficult each azygous day. This is not a sprint. I for illustration to deliberation of it arsenic a marathon."

In a athletics afloat egos, America's 30-0 world champion is arsenic humble arsenic they travel connected a travel to animate nan adjacent generation.

It wasn't until Benavidez sewage to 17-0, pinch 16 knockouts, that he started to judge he could beryllium nan champion successful his field.

Coming from a spot wherever six-packs and muscles are expected, he has talked openly astir nan weight challenges he faced arsenic a youngster and draws "motivation" from inspiring others.

"I get a batch of group who connection maine online and show maine my communicative has been an inspiration and that it's helped them driblet weight," added Benavidez.

"Some group request to spot it's imaginable for them to put it successful their lives.

"Going done everything I went done makes maine really happy that group tin spot my communicative and put it successful their lives. I support telling my communicative complete and complete again because there's ever going to beryllium personification successful my position.

"I don't mind talking astir it because I cognize really it feels to deliberation you won't ever suffer weight aliases get to wherever you want to get successful life.

"For group to spot that and get to wherever they want makes maine really happy."

After 2 fights arsenic WBC interim light-heavyweight champion, Benavidez was upgraded to afloat world champion position earlier his conflict successful Saudi Arabia against Londoner Yarde.

At super-middleweight he doubly mislaid his world title because of troubles retired of nan ring, erstwhile for testing affirmative for cocaine successful 2018 and different for missing weight successful 2020.

With those issues down him, Benavidez is eyeing a early conflict pinch light-heavyweight king Dmitry Bivol if he tin flooded nan 34-year-old Yarde, who was antecedently stopped successful 2019 by Sergey Kovalev for nan WBO ray heavyweight loop and by Artur Beterbiev for nan WBC, IBF and WBO titles successful 2023.

"I haven't overlooked Anthony Yarde, though," he added.

"I cognize it's his 3rd clip astatine a world title. I cognize he's moving highly hard. I cognize he has a batch of power, I cognize he has courage and a large heart.

"I want each nan titles and Dmitry Bivol has each those belts. There are besides different awesome fighters for illustration Artur Beterbiev.

"There's besides nan opportunity to spell up to cruiserweight and conflict [Gilberto] Zurdo Ramirez.

"There are a batch of awesome fights for me, but first things first, I person to spell and return attraction of Anthony Yarde and past nan sky's nan limit."