After 10 years and 30 fights as a professional, Anthony Yarde's previous opponents can be safely filed into three specific categories.

File one; fighters nowhere near his level. File two; Russian killers. File three: Lyndon Arthur. It is really that simple.

On Saturday night in Riyadh, in the main event of The Ring IV card at ANB Arena, Yarde will take his first step outside those options when he faces David Benavidez, who is the firm favourite, and is neither Russian nor Lyndon Arthur.

In many ways, Yarde has had a strange career. He turned over with very limited amateur experience and boxed nine times in his first 18 months as a professional, winning all but one inside the first two rounds.

By then it was clear he was emerging as one of the most marketable figures in Frank Warren’s stable at the time. He had the looks, personality and ability to knock people out which would guarantee him high billing from there on in.

Another five fights would follow in 2017 with Yarde crushing the quintet of overmatched opponents inside the distance once again. It was clear he needed stepping up and in 2018 he was finally taken some rounds, although Tony Averlant and Dariusz Sek were both sent packing in the seventh.

Another two stoppages would follow, against Walter Sequeira and Travis Reeves, neither of whom could really land on Yarde. In fact, across his first 18 fights you could probably count the number of times anyone had landed anything of note on him on just one hand.

Not the ideal preparation, you could argue, for a showdown with Sergey Kovalev, one of the generation’s most devastating punchers but that is what followed for Yarde, who had to travel to Chelyabinsk, Russia for the opportunity.

He came close to stopping the Russian all-time-great in a famous eighth-round siege but was eventually taken out himself in the 11th of his first world title fight.

It had not gone his way but Yarde returned home with plenty of credit in the bank.

Now was the time, it seemed, for him to press on with his career and push towards another world title fight with experience banked. Covid, however, would be a devastating time for the east Londoner, who lost four family members in the first six months of the pandemic, including his father and grandmother.

He boxed three times in 2020, with two routine stoppage wins before his first fight with Arthur, which he lost on points in Westminster. It was a hammer blow to his climb back towards the top. He destroyed Alex Theran inside a round six months later before he had revenge against Arthur, winning the rematch inside four brutal rounds.

But then followed an 11-month break, which was only ended when he faced little-known Bulgarian Stefani Koykov, who was vanquished in the third. Once again, not the ideal preparation, you could argue, for a showdown with Artur Beterbiev, the second Russian killer on this list.

It was a similar story to Chelyabinsk, with Yarde having his moments but ultimately lacking the requisite seasoning to overcome a champion like Beterbiev, who won in the eighth.

By now it was 2023 and there would be three more names added to the first file in the form of Jorge Silva, Marko Nikolic and Ralfs Vilcans. Then, another entry for the third, with Arthur and Yarde completing their trilogy at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in April.

Now the question is, at 34 years of age and 10 years in this game, does Yarde (27-3, 24 KOs) finally have what it takes to hit the road and overcome an established world champion?

Since stepping up to light-heavyweight, Benavidez (30-0, 24 KOs) has beaten both Oleksandr Gvozdyk and David Morrell and the oddsmakers are expecting him to add Yarde’s name to that list.

They would point to his career so far, with a string of expected wins, a 2-1 series victory over Arthur and two stoppage defeats in world title fights, and hypothesise that an undefeated puncher like Benavidez will be too much to him.

But if the Beast from the East can make it third time lucky in world title attempts and become the WBC light-heavyweight champion, you can safely file his victory among the best away wins in British boxing history.