Anthony Yarde has compared the power of David Benavidez and Artur Beterbiev, who stopped the Brit in rounds seven and eight of their respective contests.
It was back in January 2023 when Yarde felt the full force of Beterbiev’s attacks, giving a spirited effort before ultimately losing his second world title challenge.
Following an eighth-round knockdown, the Ilford man was compassionately pulled out by his corner, with Beterbiev ultimately retaining his WBC, IBF and WBO titles.
Yarde then secured another light-heavyweight world title shot last November, this time facing WBC champion Benavidez in a largely one-sided affair.
Again, Yarde gave a gritty account of himself against a prolific knockout artist, but was eventually stopped on his feet after suffering a seventh-round knockdown.
Benavidez subsequently went on to dethrone Gilberto Ramirez last month, claiming the WBO and WBA titles with a sixth-round finish in his first cruiserweight outing.
But while ‘The Mexican Monster’ clearly carries destructive power, Yarde has told talkSPORT that he felt Beterbiev landed with greater venom.
“I fought them at different times. It’s hard to say. They’re just different fighters stylistically. I’ll say Beterbiev was the strongest, the hardest [puncher]. Believe it or not, I’m in there with Benavidez and he’s whacking [me] but none of these shots are really hurting me. [He’s got] very, very fast hands.”
Having become a three-division world champion, Benavidez must now decide whether to remain at 200lbs or drop back down to 175lbs, where he still holds the WBC title.
Beterbiev, meanwhile, has not fought since losing his rematch with Dmitry Bivol, whose majority decision victory relieved him of his undisputed crown in February 2025.
Since then, the 41-year-old has accused Benavidez of swerving their potential light-heavyweight showdown, while trainer and father Jose Benavidez Sr insists that they are open to negotiations.
