Today’s Ring IV boxing card at the ANB Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia is underway! David Benavidez faces Anthony Yarde in the Main Event for the Vacant WBC Light Heavyweight title. Brian Norman Jr. is defending his WBO Welterweight title against Devin Haney in the co-main event.
On Draftkings Sportsbook, Norman Jr. and Haney are both -110 to win the contest. Meanwhile, Benavidez is a -900 favorite with Yarde being a +550 underdog.
10:06 p.m. ET: David Benavidez defeats Anthony Yarde by KO/TKO
David Benavidez beat Anthony Yarde by a seventh-round knockout to win the WBC Light Heavyweight Championship. He is now 31-0 with 25 knockouts. A potential fight with Dmitry Bivol could be next for Benavidez.
Benavidez knocked Yarde down less than a minute into the seventh round. But the ref took a point away from Benavidez after hitting Yarde when he was down. In the end, it didn’t matter, as Benavidez pressured Yarde and finished him. Benavidez landed 101 more total punches than Yarde. He also landed 120 power punches at a 45.5 percent rate.
9:59 p.m. ET: Benavidez vs. Yarde – Round 6
Yarde was more aggressive to start the round and had Benavidez against the ropes. But after a few seconds of the round, Benavidez implemented his own offense and seemed to hurt Yarde.
10-9, 60-54 Benavidez
9:55 p.m. ET: Benavidez vs. Yarde – Round 5
Benavidez showcased his well-rounded skillset in this round. Yarde still cannot land anything to hurt Benavidez.
10-9, 50-45 Benavidez
9:50 p.m. ET: Benavidez vs. Yarde – Round 4
In the fourth round, Benavidez is still the more aggressive fighter. Yarde displayed his toughness when Benvadiez began to hurt him towards the end of the round.
10-9, 40-36 Benavidez
9:47 p.m. ET: Benavidez vs. Yarde – Round 3
Yarde is powerful, but is struggling to put together multiple punches in a row. Benavidez keeps pushing Yarde to the ropes, allowing him to land big punches.
10-9, 30-27 Benavidez
9:42 p.m. ET: Benavidez vs. Yarde – Round 2
Benavidez closed the distance right away and landed a significant combination on Yarde. Yarde hasn’t been able to get anything going so far.
10-9, 20-18 Benavidez
9:38 p.m. ET: Benavidez vs. Yarde – Round 1
Benavidez unloaded a ton of body shots in the first round. Benavidez landed the better punches in this round.
10-9 Benavidez
9:10 p.m. ET: Devin Haney defeats Brian Norman Jr. by unanimous decision (114-113, 117-110, 116-11)
Devin Haney beat Brian Norman Jr. to win the WBO Welterweight Championship. Haney is now 33-0 and a three-division world champion. Haney is the first fighter to defeat Norman Jr.
Up Next: David Benavidez vs. Anthony Yarde
9:05 p.m. ET: Norman Jr. vs. Haney – Round 12
Haney began the final round more aggressively, but Norman responded with a ton of combinations of his own. Haney dominated this fight from start to finish.
10-9 Haney, 117-110 Haney
9:02 p.m. ET: Norman Jr. vs. Haney – Round 11
Haney continued to land his elite jab in this round, which was the difference. Norman has one round left to try and pick up a finish.
10-9 Haney, 107-101 Haney
8:58 p.m. ET: Norman Jr. vs. Haney – Round 10
Haney looked a lot better in the 10th round. Norman needs a knockout to win this contest.
10-9 Haney, 97-92
8:53 p.m. ET: Norman Jr. vs. Haney – Round 9
Haney increased his output in the ninth round. Norman has landed the better punches in the last two rounds and is gaining momentum.
10-9 Norman, 87-83 Haney
8:49 p.m. ET: Norman Jr. vs. Haney – Round 8
Norman landed the more effective punches in this round as Haney didn’t land anything significant. When Norman moves forward and is aggressive, he has landed.
10-9 Norman, 78-73 Haney
8:45 p.m. ET: Norman Jr. vs. Haney – Round 7
The difference is still Haney’s jab and his fast-paced style. Norman Jr. is still hesitating and doesn’t seem as confident as he usually is.
10-9, 69-63 Haney
8:41 p.m. ET: Norman Jr. vs. Haney – Round 6
Norman landed a few times this round but needs to increase his volume to hurt Haney more. This was likely another round for Haney.
10-9, 59-54 Haney
8:37 p.m. ET: Norman Jr. vs. Haney – Round 5
Haney’s jab continues to hurt Norman in the fifth. Haney is now connecting on multiple combinations.
10-9, 49-45 Haney
8:33 p.m. ET: Norman Jr. vs. Haney – Round 4
Norman was closing the distance, but Haney continued to unload punches. Haney’s head movement has been excellent throughout the first four rounds in this contest.
10-9 Haney, 39-36 Haney
8:28 p.m. ET: Norman Jr. vs. Haney – Round 3
Norman pressured Haney at the beginning of the third round. Although Norman had a better round, Haney still got the better of the champion. Haney showed his elite defensive ability in this round.
10-9 Haney, 29-27 Haney
8:24 p.m. ET: Norman Jr. vs. Haney – Round 2
Haney responded well at the start of the second round, landing a nice hook. With a little more than one minute left in the round, Haney dropped Norman. Haney showed an aggressive side we haven’t seen in a long time.
10-8 Haney, 19-18 Haney
8:20 p.m. ET: Norman Jr. vs. Haney – Round 1
Both fighters came out slow, but Norman was the aggressor in the first round. Haney was hesitant to start the contest.
10-9 Norman Jr.
Ring IV Results
WBC Light Heavyweight Championship: David Benavidez vs. Anthony Yarde
WBO Welterweight championship: Brian Norman Jr. vs. Devin Haney
Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez def. Fernando Martinez via 10th-round KO
Abdullah Mason def. Sam Noakes via unanimous decision (117-111, 115-113, 115-113)
Vito Mielnicki Jr def. Samuel Nmomah via ninth-round TKO
Mohammed Alakel def. Jiaming Li via unanimous decision (60-53, 60-53, 60-53)
Julio Porras Ruiz and Pius Mpenda fight to a unanimous draw (57-57, 57-57, 57-57)
Sultan Almohammed def. Umesh Chavan via first-round TKO
Juan Carlos Guerito def. Barker Ssewanyana via unanimous decision (40-35, 40-35, 40-35)
