Anthony Yarde cut a disconsolate figure after coming up short in his third world title attempt in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Saturday night.

Yarde (27-4, 24 KOs) was stopped in the seventh round of his fight with WBC light heavyweight champion David Benavidez, headlining an action-packed Ring IV card.

The Londoner displayed his usual ambition and determination but Benavidez - The Ring's No. 2-rated operator at 175 pounds - took increasingly firm control of the fight the longer it went.

Eventually in round seven, Yarde sunk to the canvas after absorbing a hard flurry of shots.

Benavidez (31-0, 25 KOs) received a two-point deduction for hitting a bloodied Yarde after his knee touched down but, by that point, the writing was on the wall.

A few moments later, Yarde found himself under heavy fire and referee Hector Afu stepped in to halt the action.

Back in August 2019, Yarde travelled to Russia to take on the feared Sergey Kovalev and performed admirably before being stopped in the 11th round of a bid for Kovalev's WBO title.

In January 2023 he and then-unified champion, Artur Beterbiev, engaged in a violent shootout before Beterbiev’s relentless pace and heavy punches took a toll as his corner saved him in the eighth round.

In both previous title challenges, Yarde enjoyed moments of genuine success but although able to land the occasional sharp right hand on Benavidez, the undefeated 28-year-old never allowed him to gain any real foothold in the fight.

"He's top three," Yarde told The Ring as he weighed up where Benavidez sits in terms of the opposition he has faced.

"It's different times. When I fought Kovalev, I was very green. I think I'll put him second or third, I'll put him above Kovalev.

"I think it's between him and Beterbiev and then I would say Kovalev."

Yarde - who entered the fight as Ring Magazine's No. 4 ranked light heavyweight - is now 34 years old and will need to think long and hard about which way his career goes.

His longtime rival, Joshua Buatsi, was at ringside in Riyadh on a spying mission.

The two have long been linked to a fight but Buatsi - No. 8 in The Ring's 175-pound ratings - recently scraped past the highly-ranked Zach Parker and may well now decide to focus his attention on securing a world title shot, rather than facing Yarde.

Yarde enjoys the big occasion and isn’t the type to drop back down to domestic level, becoming a target for up-and-coming fighters. Neither is he the kind of character to give up on his dream of finally becoming a world champion.

"I'm a realist," he said. "Yes, I'm heartbroken I didn’t get a decision because you win a fight like this, your life changes forever but coming from where I've come from, I've changed my life forever anyway. I'm very ambitious so always want the best for myself but, again, this is boxing. There’s only three outcomes that can happen; I win, he wins, or it’s a draw.

"He was the better man tonight. Take nothing away from him and there's a lot of respect."