David Benavidez has a chance to show he’s the new ‘Face of Boxing’ with his fight against Anthony Yarde in less than two months on November 22, 2025, at the ANB Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Benavidez (30-0, 24 KOs) defends his WBC light heavyweight title against Yarde (27-3, 24 KOs) in the main event.
Can Benavidez Replace Canelo Alvarez?
The old ‘Face’ of the sport, Canelo Alvarez, by Terence Crawford, and that leaves empty shoes for ‘The Mexican Monster’ to step in to become the next star to carry the sport. Despite the furious campaign being undertaken by some to artificially place the 38-year-old Crawford as the next ‘Face of Boxing,’ he’s not it. His hit-and-run style doesn’t fit with the tastes of the mainstream fans.
Four Reasons Benavidez Is Next
- Mexican Heritage, Global Marketability: With Benavidez having Mexican heritage, he can attract many fans to replace Canelo as the biggest star in North America.
- All-Action Style Fans Want to See: The method that Benavidez uses to fight is what the larger public wants to see. They’re not interested in watching chess matches and fighters that evade danger for 12 rounds. They want wars, and that’s what Benavidez provides.
- Unafraid to fight the best: This is a major factor in what sets Benavidez apart from many of the other fighters in the sport. Benavidez wants to fight the best. He’s openly said that he wants to fight these four: Canelo, Crawford, Dmitry Bivol, and Artur Beterbiev.
- Skills: Benavidez’s hand speed, volume punching, power, and his courage to go to war with his opponent are what are missing in the other fighters vying for the ‘Face of Boxing’ position.
Ambrose’s Viewpoint: Benavidez Ready for the Crown
Benavidez’s all-action fighting style fits the mold for the next superstar. He likely would have been already if Canelo hadn’t chosen to ignore him for the last three years. Benavidez’s fighting style is what fans want to see, as it keeps them focused throughout.
Turki Alalshikh missed the boat by choosing Crawford as the opponent to unseat Canelo for the September 13th card. He paid all that money to use an aging fighter as Alvarez’s opponent, who has no sustainability in the sport due to his age, 38, and chronic inactivity. That should have been Bensvidez that was used. It would have been him taking the baton from Alvarez.
Why Yarde Is a Dangerous Test
Yarde, 34, arguably would have a stronger chance against Benavidez than Canelo or Crawford. The British fighter has the punching power and courage to stand in the trenches to try to knock out Benavidez.
With Yarde’s punching power, he’s got a chance to upset Benavidez if he can connect with the kind of shots that he’d hit former unified light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev with in their fight on January 28, 2023.
Yarde stunned Beterbiev several times with big shots before succumbing to his pressure in the eighth round. ‘The Mexican Monster’ Benavidez has shown that he can be hit. Moreover, he’s coming off a 12-round war with David Morrell on February 1, 2025.
Benavidez took a lot of heavy shots from the Cuban Morrell in that fight in the process of winning a unanimous decision. Benavidez was down once in the 11th and hurt in the fourth.
Since 2023, Benavidez, 28, has beaten these notable fighters:
- David Morrell
- Oleksandr Gvozdyk
- Demetrius Andrade
- Caleb Plant
Dan Ambrose has followed boxing since 2011, sharing his passion for the sport’s biggest stars and battles.