Lonnie Thompson Predicts A “Tough Fight” For David Benavidez Vs. Anthony Yarde

Lonnie Thompson believes that Anthony Yarde has the punching power to defeat WBC light heavyweight champion David Benavidez in their fight on November 22nd in Riyadh. He questions whether Yarde (27-3, 24 KOs) has anything left after being knocked out by former unified light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev in 2023.

Yarde’s Punching Power Threat

“That’s a tough fight for Benavidez. Anthony Yarde is strong,” said Lonnie Thompson to Pro Boxing Fans, discussing David Benavidez’s fight against Anthony Yarde on November 22nd. “He’s strong.”

Benavidez’s “Victory Lap”

If Benavidez is depleted from weight loss and the punishment he took in his war last February against David Morrell. Yarde has a real chance of an upset. Benavidez has been celebrating in his five-month victory lap after the victory over Morrell, and he appears to have picked up a good 40 pounds, with most of it settling around his waistline.

Losing that fat is going to be a major ordeal for Benavidez, and it’s going to take a lot of his strength away. He’s already shown no power since moving up to 175, but it’ll be worse after he loses the excess weight he’s put on since his fight with Morrell. If you’ve ever lost 40 lbs before, you’ll know that it takes away the power that you had. That’s why it’s never a good idea to get that badly out of shape in the first place if you’re an athlete.

“If he hits Benavidez with the shots that he hit Artur [Beterbiev] with [he’s in trouble],” said Thompson about Yarde being dangerous. “It depends on how much he has left after fighting Artur because he took some shots. I know David doesn’t hit nowhere near as hard as Artur or nowhere near as strong. Different styles.”

Yarde hurt Beterbiev during their fight on January 28, 2023. The left hooks that Yarde was catching Artur with in that fight would be tough for Benavidez to take without nosediving on the canvas like we saw in his fight with Morrell. He was hurt twice in that fight, and Morrell didn’t hit him that often. The shots he did land on ‘The Mexican Monster’ swelled up his face, giving him a strange-looking appearance.

Yarde’s Dangerous Left Hooks

“That’s a good fight because David is going to be in there with someone that is throwing back at him and throwing back hard,” said Thompson. “It’s a tough fight because if Yarde fights him the same way he fought Artur, it’s going to be a tough night with the little hand feints and feinting and all that and the check hooks.”

Benavidez leaves himself open with his combination punching, and the way he throws from the waist. He’s focused on throwing rapid machine-gun type shots, leaving his head and body wide open. Oleksandr Gvozdyk hurt Benavidez with body shots in their 2024 fight. Morrell got his attention each time ht hit him in the bread basket. You could tell that Benavidez didn’t like it.

“He hit Artur with some good shots. If he hits David like that, it’s going to be interesting to see. That’s a fight I’m looking forward to,” said Thompson.