Anthony Yarde compares Benavidez, Beterbiev power after three title losses

Anthony Yarde has lost three world title fights at heavyweight/" class="internal-link text-bone underline decoration-ash/30 hover:decoration-gold underline-offset-2">light heavyweight — and says each opponent brought something different that made winning impossible.

The British contender dropped decisions to Sergey Kovalev in Russia in 2019, Artur Beterbiev in London in 2023, and David Benavidez in November, stopped in the seventh round. Speaking on talkSPORT, Yarde broke down how the three differed in style and danger.

Beterbiev hits hardest, Benavidez controls distance

Beterbiev landed the hardest single shots, according to Yarde. "I'll say Beterbiev was the strongest, the hardest punch," he told the outlet. But Benavidez's speed caught him off guard. "Believe it or not, I'm in there with Benavidez and he's whacking but none of these shots are really hurting me. Very, very fast hands."

What surprised Yarde most about Benavidez was not power but footwork and reach. "His legs were like abnormally long," Yarde said, per Ring Magazine. "I'm thinking, 'He's there,' and next thing he's there — 'Boom! Boom!'" That ability to cover distance and land combinations from range kept Yarde from ever finding a rhythm before the seventh-round stoppage.

Yarde also pointed out that he fought all three men when they were still rising forces in the division, not faded champions. "I'm fighting all these people in their prime, when they're on an upward scale," he said. "Where everyone's scared to fight them."

Benavidez has since moved up to cruiserweight and claimed the WBA and WBO titles with a sixth-round finish of Gilberto Ramirez. Yarde remains ranked third by Ring Magazine at 175 pounds and has not announced his next opponent.

Source: ringmagazine.com