MIAMI — It hasn’t taken long for David Benavidez to establish himself as one of the best light heavyweights in the world.

Two fights into his campaign at 175 pounds, Benavidez has already notched quality unanimous decision wins over former light heavyweight champion Oleksandr Gvozdyk and highly-ranked contender David Morrell. Following the win over Morrell, Benavidez was elevated to WBC light heavyweight champion after former undisputed champion Dmitry Bivol was stripped of the title.

Now, Benavidez is set to face another tough test in his first title defense in the main event of “The Ring IV” against Anthony Yarde on November 22 at the ANB Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on DAZN PPV ($59.99 in the United States & £24.99 in the UK).

“This is a perfect opponent for me to showcase my skills and my talents,” Benavidez told The Ring. “Anthony Yarde is a great fighter. He's a tough veteran, but I'm just on a different level right now. I have everything. I have speed, I have defense and I have the skills and confidence. This fight is going to be a hard fight. I know Anthony Yarde is going to come in there and give everything, but I just feel like I'm going to show what level I'm on November 22nd.”

Benavidez (30-0, 24 KOs) is coming off his victory over Morrell (12-1, 9 KOs) on February 1. “The Mexican Monster” used his patented pace and pressure to overcome being hurt in the fourth round and knocked down in 11th by the Cuban southpaw to earn a comfortable win on the cards.

Benavidez, 28, first nabbed the WBC 'interim' light heavyweight title in his first fight at 175 pounds against Gvozdyk on June 15 of last year. Before making the trek up to light heavyweight, Benavidez of Phoenix, Arizona, was a two-time WBC super middleweight champion.

Yarde, 34, has had two world title shots and more than held his own, but fell short in stoppage defeats to Sergey Kovalev in 2019 and Artur Beterbiev in 2023. Since the loss to Beterbiev, Yarde (27-3, 24 KOs) of Hackney, London, United Kingdom, has won four straight fights, the latest being a unanimous decision victory over Lyndon Arthur on April 26 in their third bout.

After the win over Morrell, 27, Benavidez knew he was poised to be in a significant bout the next time he stepped into the ring. With that opportunity coming against Yarde, Benavidez is ready to cement himself as the best of the best at light heavyweight.

“Since I fought David Morrell, I’ve just been really grateful with the work I've been putting in,” Benavidez said. “I've been calling for these big fights, and not only have I been calling for them, I've been showing that I am the best. After the David Morrell fight, I think I left everybody wanting more, and we went right back into the gym.

"We've been working. I've been training for about four-and-a-half months working for this fight because I knew something big was on the horizon. The level that I'm at, all of these fighters are good. I want to lead the pack, and I want to show everybody in the world that I'm the best light heavyweight in the world.”