Benavidez Stops Yarde in 7th, Eyes Ramirez in Cruiserweight

David Benavidez defended his WBC light heavyweight title with a dominant seventh-round stoppage of Anthony Yarde on Saturday night in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and immediately announced his next challenge: a move up to cruiserweight to face unified WBA and WBO champion Gilberto "Zurdo" Ramirez on May 2 in Las Vegas.

The 28-year-old from Phoenix, known as "The Mexican Monster," controlled the bout from the opening bell, overwhelming the British challenger with relentless pressure and heavy shots. Yarde, a durable former contender, absorbed punishment but could not withstand Benavidez's onslaught, marking the champion's first defense at 175 pounds since capturing the belt earlier this year. Benavidez, now 31-0 with 25 knockouts, improved his resume against a list of former world champions that includes Demetrius Andrade, Anthony Dirrell, David Lemieux, Caleb Plant and Oleksandr Gvozdyk.

In the post-fight interview, Benavidez revealed he had already signed for the cruiserweight clash, bypassing potential unification bouts at light heavyweight against Dmitry Bivol or Artur Beterbiev. "It's already signed. May 2nd, me versus Zurdo Ramirez," he told reporters. The fight, set for Cinco de...