A former rival of David Benavidez says there is one fighter in particular that hit him even harder than ‘The Mexican Monster’.
Two-weight world champion Benavidez has consistently proven himself to be one of the biggest stars in the sport over the last 12 to 18 months, remaining unbeaten in 31 bouts since he entered the paid ranks back in 2013.
The 28-year-old from Phoenix made his return to the ring on November 22 when he stopped Britain’s Anthony Yarde in the seventh round of their showdown in Riyadh to defend his WBC light-heavyweight title for the first time.
Speaking to Boxing King Media, Yarde shared his thoughts on the punching power of ‘The Mexican Monster’ although he claims Russian star Artur Beterbiev actually punched him harder in a shock claim.
“I know it sounds crazy, but in this fight against Benavidez, other than when he hit me when I was down, he never hurt me, but Beterbiev hurt me.
“I think it was the second round, Beterbiev hit me with a left hook at the end of the round and that buzzed me, but with Benavidez, they were overwhelming punches but none were hurting me, even the body shots, they weren’t hurting me.”
Former undisputed light-heavyweight champion Beterbiev stopped Yarde in the eighth round of their clash in London back in January 2023 to successfully retain his WBC, WBO and IBF world titles.
The 40-year-old is yet to make a return to the ring since he was beaten in his rematch with Dmitry Bivol in February, although the Russian duo are expected to lock horns for the third time next year.
