Riyadh’s ANB Arena will host another blockbuster on November 22 as Turki Alalshikh’s “The Ring IV” brings four world-title clashes to Saudi Arabia’s capital.
Headlining, unbeaten knockout artist David Benavidez (30-0, 24 KOs) makes the first defence of his freshly minted WBC light-heavyweight crown against British puncher Anthony Yarde (27-3, 24 KOs). Benavidez kicked down the division’s door in June 2024, out-pointing Oleksandr Gvozdyk for the interim strap, then consolidated his claim with a bruising decision over David Morrell in February. When Dmitry Bivol chose a third Artur Beterbiev superfight instead of the WBC’s mandatory order, the belt passed to its interim lord—and Benavidez finally gained the world title status that eluded him at 168 lbs.
Yarde (27-3, 24 KOs) knows this road; the Londoner’s third swing at a major belt comes after gutsy defeats to Sergey Kovalev (2019) and Beterbiev (2023). A bounce-back decision over domestic rival Lyndon Arthur in April kept the 32-year-old relevant, and his trademark seek-and-destroy style guarantees fireworks whenever he crosses the equator.
Watch Yarde va. Arthur highlights: Watch
Stylistically, the matchup promises a collision of heavy artillery: Benavidez floods opponents with combinations, while Yarde searches for the detonator shot. For Benavidez, victory anchors him at 175 while Canelo deliberates; for Yarde, it offers redemption at the third time of asking—and perhaps a pathway to the winner of Bivol-Beterbiev III.
The co-main event snaps attention to 147 lbs, where WBO welterweight champion Brian Norman Jr. (28-0, 22 KOs) meets former undisputed lightweight king Devin Haney (32-0, 15 KOs) in a pick-’em showdown that could reshape the welterweight hierarchy. Norman forced his way onto the world stage the hard way: flattening Giovanni Santillan in San Diego last year to seize the vacant strap, then travelling to Tokyo to ice Jin Sasaki so brutally the Japanese puncher reportedly lost six weeks of memory. At 24, the Georgian holds the division’s heaviest hands and a reputation for ending nights early.
Watch Haney vs. Ramirez highlights: Watch
Haney, 26, counters with the tools of a master boxer - length, rhythm and a jab that broke three weight classes. After sweeping lightweight and a brief stop at 140 lbs, he now chases greatness north of the classic 147-lb limit. Trainer Robert Garcia, whose fighter Santillan fell to Norman, warns that “landing anywhere hard” on Haney is the blueprint after Ryan Garcia’s knockdowns last year - but still tips the slicker technician to “take a lot of rounds” behind movement and accuracy.
Lightweight gold is also up for grabs as England’s all-action Sam Noakes (17-0, 15 KOs) collides with U.S. prodigy Abdullah Mason (19-0, 17 KOs) for the vacant WBO belt Keyshawn Davis lost on the scales in June. Mason, just 21, vaulted into the spotlight in June after headlining on one day’s notice and forcing veteran Jeremia Nakathila to quit in four. The Cleveland-born left-hander has yet to hear a seventh-round bell and believes Riyadh will be “the night the world sees the next American lightweight star.”
Watch Noakes vs. Walsh highlights: Watch
Noakes, 27, brings heavier pro seasoning and a wrecking-ball reputation forged on British soil. Back-to-back stoppages of Lewis Sylvester, Yvan Mendy and Ryan Walsh stamped him as Frank Warren’s most ruthless finisher; now he leaves the U.K. for the first time intent on planting the Union Jack in Saudi sand.
Undercard also features a fourth championship bout to crown an undisputed junior-bantamweight ruler: WBC and Ring champ Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez unifies with IBF/WBA king Fernando Martinez (18-0, 9 KOs) on the same Riyadh bill.
Martinez (18-0, 9 KOs) secured his seat at the table after back-to-back decisions over Japan’s four-division legend Kazuto Ioka, surviving a late knockdown in March to retain his WBA belt. The 33-year-old Argentine’s relentless output forms a stylistic clash with Rodriguez’s slick switch-hitting and pinpoint body work—a recipe for another Riyadh thriller.
Fight card:
▪️David Benavidez vs. Anthony Yarde, 12 rounds, for Benavidez’s WBC World light heavyweight title
▪️Brian Norman Jr. vs. Devin Haney, 12 rounds, for Haney’s WBO World welterweight title
▪️Abdullah Mason vs. Sam Noakes, 12 rounds, for the vacant WBO World lightweight title
▪️Jesse Rodriguez vs. Fernando Daniel Martinez, 12 rounds, for the WBC and WBO World super flyweight titles
▪️Subriel Matias vs. Dalton Smith, 12 rounds, for Matias’ WBC World super lightweight title
▪️Artur Beterbiev vs. Deon Nicholson, TBA, light heavyweight
Watch the launch press conference here: Watch
