Boxing Picks 2025- David Benavidez vs Anthony Yarde (Saturday 22nd November)

The undercard made up for what was a one-sided main event at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last Saturday and the real positive news was the announcement that plans are being made for a couple of big cards here next year.

Everyone is anticipating that we will have the Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua fight that the fans want to see, even if it is four or five years too late, but the latter is expected to be out in February in Riyadh.

Before that Anthony Joshua is going to have to deal with Jake Paul and the expectation is that he is going to blitz through an opponent who looks to have bitten off far more than he can chew. He looked relaxed, but focused, and Joshua should be given a slightly tougher challenge in February, although not one that is expected to derail the super fight that could be the perfect way to end what has been a solid career.

Some very good main events have already been announced for the first two months of 2026, but Boxing is Boxing and the news about Subriel Matias potentially failing a drugs test and putting his World Title fight against Dalton Smith in jeopardy is a blow.

It hurts for Smith, who was hoping that World Title fight would be on the card in Riyadh this weekend, and the hope is that any potential suspension for Matias would mean a vacant Belt can be won in January. He needs to be active having last been out in April at a time when entering the peak of his career, and Dalton Smith vs Adam Azim continues to be the fight that so many do want to see with the two both hoping to have World Titles for a Unification at the end of next year.

Of course Dalton Smith is much closer to holding a World Title having a fight lined up to do that, but both are on a good path and the hope is that the Sheffield man gets his shot in January.

This week a loaded card takes place in Saudi Arabia with four very solid fights on the main feature.

The timings are not terrible for fans in the United Kingdom with the main event due out at 2am and this looks to be the best card left in 2025, although there are decent fights still to take place before the end of the calendar year.

David Benavidez vs Anthony Yarde

He has come up short in two previous bids to become World Champion and you have to believe that this is going to be Anthony Yarde's last chance to get over the line.

Credit has to be given to Yarde for challenging Sergey Kovalev in Russia and then Artur Beterbiev in London, but this World Title bid against David Benavidez looks every bit as difficult.

For starters David Benavidez is six years younger at 28 years old and the unbeaten WBC World Champion has moved into the Light Heavyweight Division without missing a beat.

He will have to weather some of the early storm that Anthony Yarde can bring, but David Benavidez is going to be confident he can outlast an opponent who has had his gas tank questioned.

Since putting in a big effort against Artur Beterbiev and enhancing his reputation even in a defeat, Anthony Yarde has perhaps not capitalised on his profile. This is just the fifth fight since January 2023 and Yarde has not exactly been in with some of the top names in a tough Division, while the Mexican Monster has put together a much more solid overall resume, even if not being in with the top, top name like Artur Beterbiev.

It is not for a lack of trying, but David Benavidez will be hoping that he can push forward in 2026 by adding Anthony Yarde to his list of victims.

The two should gel together very well and this has every chance of being a really exciting fight.

David Benavidez has not had a Stoppage since moving up into the Light Heavyweight Division, but there have to be some questions about Anthony Yarde's ability to keep up with the pace that is going to be set by the WBC World Champion.

Anthony Yarde has been to the cards in consecutive fights, but those have been against a much lower level of opponent than the one that will be faced in Riyadh.

He impressed in the effort against Artur Beterbiev and it would not be a big surprise if Anthony Yarde does the same in this one through the first half of the Twelve Rounds scheduled.

However, that is where David Benavidez can take over with his pace and tempo and the Champion may be able to force Yarde into another Stoppage defeat.

In the next couple of months, the face of the Lightweight Division could have significant changes with the IBF World Title to be defended in January.

Before that, the WBO World Title will be decided between Abdullah Mason and Sam Noakes and this looks like a potential headline stealer.

Both are unbeaten and have a huge amount of Stoppages in the victories that have been produced.

Abdullah Mason is seen as one of the brightest young fighters in the United States, but he has yet to hear the bell for the Seventh Round, while Sam Noakes has won British, Commonwealth and European Titles and at 28 years old is coming into the peak of his power.

The expectation is that neither is going to be taking a backwards step and this could very soon become a shoot out.

The younger fighter is the favourite, but Sam Noakes looks very dangerous and he is likely going to be confident if this fight does go longer than expected having completed Twelve Rounds twice before.

However, it is the athleticism of Abdullah Mason that may make the difference and could leave the 21 year old as the last one standing, even if Sam Noakes is able to offer him a real scare.

Eddie Hearn is expecting to extend his contract to promote Bam Rodriguez and the Number One Junior Bantamweight can Unify this Division by picking up a third World Title to go along with his WBC and WBO Belts.

There is no doubt that Fernando Martinez is coming into this one with the confidence of an unbeaten fighter, but the Argentinian WBA World Champion is 34 years old now and not nearly as active as his opponent.

The quality of the recent wins cannot be ignored, but Bam Rodriguez is younger and stronger and he can wear down Martinez in this one.

Fernando Martinez can make the first half of the contest competitive, but keeping up with the Bam tempo will be tough and that has seen a number of recent fighters just break down in the second half of the bout.

This very much feels like the direction of travel in this World Title fight.

The chief support on the Night of Champions card looks like one that could easily be given the main event slot.

Devin Haney is moving up to try and become World Champion in a third Division, but he has been given the task of facing Brian Norman Jr who looks to be the standout in the Welterweight Division that has recently seen the likes of Jaron Ennis and Vergil Ortiz Jr depart for Light Middleweight.

It has long been one of the top Divisions in Boxing, but the current group of Welterweight Champions have a lot to prove.

Brian Norman Jr is the leader of the current pack, but Devin Haney will feel this is a very winnable fight and he could soon be looking to Unify, and earn redemption, against Ryan Garcia who is expected to fight for the WBC World Title in February.

However, we are still trying to work out how much was taken from Haney in the manner of his defeat to Garcia, even if the latter was later found to have failed a drugs test that meant a victory turned into a No Contest. Unfortunately for The Dream, the eyes on that fight will have tarred him with a defeat and his performance against Jose Carlos Ramirez was really worrying, even if Devin Haney won easily.

He looked worried about engaging with Ramirez, who is not nearly the puncher that Brian Norman Jr is, and the question is whether Devin Haney is going to want to 'run' as much as he did in that fight at Times Square earlier in the year.

Devin Haney has something to prove, but so does Brian Norman Jr who is facing his toughest opponent.

The last two wins have been eye-catching, while Norman Jr broke down previously unbeaten Giovani Santillan to pick up an Interim World Title before being made full Champion.

He is 24 years old and Brian Norman Jr is still improving, while being the naturally more comfortable at Welterweight.

This has to be a factor and Devin Haney is unlikely to be able to keep firmly away from the World Champion for as long as he did against a faded Jose Carlos Ramirez.

There is confidence in the Devin Haney camp and he has upset the odds before, but the scars from the Ryan Garcia defeat may be on display if Brian Norman Jr starts landing that left hook.

It looks like another quality fight on what is a high-quality card, and the World Champion looks like he could have a little too much for a Devin Haney who may not be the Boxer he once was.

MY PICKS: David Benavidez to Win Between 7-12 @ 2.87 Sky Bet (2 Units)

Abdullah Mason to Win by KO/TKO @ 2.10 William Hill (2 Units)

Bam Rodriguez to Win Between 7-12 @ 2.37 Bet365 (2 Units)

Brian Norman Jr to Win Between 7-12 @ 5.50 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Boxing 2025: 24-73, - 45.02 Units (124 Units Staked, - 36.31% Yield)

Boxing Picks 2025- Ryan Garcia vs Rolando Romero (Friday 2nd May)

The occasion had already had a decent build, but there is no doubt that 'business picked up' when Chris Eubank Sr was spotted leaving his car, or coming out of the lift, right behind his son Junior ahead of the big main event against Conor Benn.

It really will become an iconic moment in British Boxing and the entire Tottenham Hotspur Stadium was buzzing.

While there were questions about how the main event would play out, the fans were the real winners on the night with a superb fight between Chris Eubank Jr and Conor Benn and there is some appeal in having the rematch.

Ideally that would be without a rehydration clause attached, although Eddie Hearn has already suggested the terms have been signed with the exact some stipulations as the bout that took place this past weekend. With the money that has been invested by Turki Alalshikh, that is a clause that can removed though and there is still a suggestion that both fighters could end up taking different paths rather than going into the rematch.

Money will eventually talk and reports have suggested that both will be heading back to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in September, and the winner of that rematch may indeed be next in line to take on Canelo Alvarez.

The superstar is in action this weekend first and has also reportedly signed off on fighting Bud Crawford with that bout set for September, but he has spoken again of his desire to fight in the United Kingdom and spoke about Eubank Jr perhaps being the dance partner that can help sell out a Stadium. In reality Canelo fighting in the UK would sell out any Stadium regardless of the opponent, but that could be a big fight in twelve months time if both continue putting the wins together.

This is a big weekend with Canelo fighting in Saudi Arabia for the first time on Saturday.

On Friday The Ring Magazine are putting on a special event in Times Square in New York City and they have captured the attention of the fans simply by having a card in such a unique spot. Of course the top three fights feature some of the biggest names in the sport and that card will be the attention of this post.

Canelo Alvarez vs William Scull is not expected to be a top main event, but the undercard is decent and that is something we have come to expect with those cards being run in Saudi Arabia.

And the weekend will close with Naoya Inoue back in action in the United States with reports suggesting he has signed a deal to fight his mandatory Murodjon Akhmadaliev in September in Tokyo. Those reports suggest it will be a fight run on the same weekend that many believe Canelo-Crawford will take place and could be another big weekend of Boxing with the Saudi investors keeping fans and fighters happy.

Ryan Garcia vs Rolando Romero

It has been a little over a year since Ryan Garcia was last seen in the ring battering Devin Haney and eventually earning the Decision win having put his unbeaten rival down in multiple Rounds.

He should have really been building on that victory, but it was announced that Ryan Garcia had failed a drug test and ultimately the result was changed into a No Contest.

A suspension has been served, but there is something shameful in the way Ryan Garcia has been lauded and little or no talk about the failed drug test has taken place. Devin Haney and his father Bill refuse to let Garcia off the hook, but the fans have made it clear that the latter is their favourite and he is line to have that rematch with Haney later in the year.

Well that is the case as long as Ryan Garcia keeps winning and his comeback fight is headlining the event in Times Square.

Sparring stories have perhaps raised some interest in the contest, but Rolly Romero is a considerable underdog having lost fights to Gervonta Davis and Isaac Cruz in his last four contests. He did win his last contest, but that was not against someone near to the level that Ryan Garcia can produce in the ring and there has long been a feeling that Romero earns these opportunities through his charisma rather than skill.

You have to believe that Ryan Garcia is going to be extremely motivated to show that he is past all of the controversy of failing his test and this feels like a bout that is designed for the Californian to really make a statement. He is expected to have the firepower to Stop Rolly Romero and it has led to plenty of victories inside the distance.

Even more telling is that Ryan Garcia carries plenty of early pop and you have to think he can time Romero onto something after perhaps shaking off some of the rust through the first couple of Rounds. We have seen Rolly hurt before and he has struggled to get out of those situations as he tries to fight fire with fire.

That is likely going to lead to being caught with his fundamentals not as strong as some of the top fighters in and around the Welterweight Division and Garcia can produce a big Stoppage before heading into a rematch with Devin Haney.

The aforementioned Devin Haney is also on the card in Times Square and he should have too much for Jose Carlos Ramirez.

Questions have to be asked about Haney simply because of the beating he took at the hands of Ryan Garcia in April 2024 and this is the first time he will be back in the ring since then.

A prime Jose Carlos Ramirez would have posed problems, but he looked a little out of sorts when last in the ring against Arnold Barboza Jr in November 2024. He was a Unanimous Decision loser on the day, but the cards were perhaps closer than they should have been and Ramirez may come up short against The Dream.

While having some solid wins on the resume, Jose Carlos Ramirez has been beaten by Barboza Jr and Josh Taylor and the most likely outcome of this bout is a Devin Haney win on the cards and lining himself up for the big rematch with rival Ryan Garcia.

Arnold Barboza Jr followed the win over Ramirez by travelling to Manchester to get the better of Jack Catterall earlier this year and that earned him the Interim WBO Light Welterweight World Title.

It also meant Barboza Jr earned this shot at the full WBO World Champion Teofimo Lopez, who is also considered the lineal Champion in the Division.

The other three World Champions in the Division are all going to be defending their titles in the weeks and months ahead and Teofimo Lopez would love to move into a position to Unify.

He cannot overlook this opponent though and that has been challenging for Lopez in recent years- big wins have been earned when the focus has been there, but Teofimo Lopez has also produced some underwhelming performances when not being involved in the biggest fights.

His fans have to be hoping that a fight like this one has lit the fire inside Lopez, especially considering some of the big opportunities that could open up for him if he impresses those organising the card.

This is not going to be an easy fight and you just have to expect Arnold Barboza Jr to be well prepared and he will not lose hope even if the card feels like it is going against him. That consistency could be key for the underdog, and he is likely to be competitive throughout, but ultimately you have to give Teofimo Lopez the edge.

The feeling is that he will need the cards though and a narrow Decision win in favour of the full Champion looks likely.

MY PICKS: Ryan Garcia to Win Between 5-8 @ 2.90 William Hill (1 Unit)

Teofimo Lopez to Win by Decision/Technical Decision @ 1.83 Paddy Power (1 Unit)

Boxing 2025: 15-41, - 21.73 Units (69 Units Staked, - 31.49% Yield)