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Andreas Hale
David Benavidez defended his WBC and WBA “regular” light heavyweight titles with a dominant performance against Anthony Yarde in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Saturday. It was another incredible performance that solidified his status as one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world. Will this victory lead to him replacing Canelo Alvarez as the face of Mexican boxing in the near future?
In the co-main event, Devin Haney, often criticized for his conservative style, showed a more aggressive side in his unanimous decision victory over Brian Norman Jr. to win the WBO welterweight title. Haney dropped Norman in Round 2, but once again, he failed to finish his opponent when he had the chance. Whether by design or for lack of power, Haney hasn’t scored a KO win in six years. Could winning a title in a third division satisfy his skeptics?
Also on the card, Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez unified three junior bantamweight world titles in another world-class performance against Fernando Martinez. And while he fights in the lower division and just turned 26, Rodriguez is a huge star and it’s time to treat him as such.
And Abdullah Mason became the current youngest champion in boxing in a hard-fought battle against Sam Noakes to win the vacant WBO lightweight title. Mason still has defensive deficiencies and will need to fix that now that he’s a champ and becomes the hunted instead of the hunter.
Andreas Hale shares his thoughts on these performances.
David Benavidez will become Mexico’s biggest star in 2026
Benavidez’s systematic and ferocious beatdown of Yarde was another demonstration of just how special “The Mexican Monster” is. He was effective and exciting, putting together extraordinary combinations in succession, along with his usual iron chin and relentless pressure to walk down Yarde and score the stoppage.
The win, coupled with Canelo’s recent loss to Terence Crawford, has yanked the door open for Benavidez to become the new face of Mexican boxing and, eventually, the face of boxing.
Prior to the fight, Benavidez, who was born in Phoenix, Arizona, but is of Mexican descent, told ESPN that he sought to take both Mexican traditional boxing dates from Canelo: Cinco De Mayo and Mexican Independence Day weekend. He also said he planned to fight for the WBO and WBA cruiserweight champion in his next fight if he was unable to land a fight with former champion Artur Beterbiev or unified champ Dmitry Bivol. Following his win over Yarde, Benavidez called his shot.
“I got some news for you guys,” he said. “May 2nd [it will be] me versus [Gilberto] Zurdo Ramirez. I’m going up to cruiserweight to challenge for his titles.”
A fight on Cinco de Mayo weekend against a Mexican champion in another weight class is exactly how Benavidez takes over. For one, style-wise, it’s a fantastic fight.
Benavidez presents a different brand of “Mexican Style” boxing. Yes, he comes forward with persistent pressure and resilience, but the way he bludgeons his opponents makes him a fan favorite. Also, his willingness to fight anyone with no hesitation sets him apart from most of his contemporaries. Benavidez turns only 29 in December and has plenty of fights ahead of him while the current crop of stars are starting to age out.
Like his fighting style, Benavidez’s star power is an avalanche that cannot be stopped once it gets rolling. And after his performance on Saturday, it’s well underway.
There will still be questions about Devin Haney
Haney silenced his critics by brilliantly shutting down the power punching Norman to gain possession of the WBO welterweight title and become a three-division champion.
There were questions heading into the fight regarding Haney’s punch resistance and if he was “shell-shocked” after touching the canvas three times against Ryan Garcia in April 2024. Even though the fight was overturned from a Garcia win to a no contest after Garcia failed a drug test and was suspended, the lasting image of Haney going down three times from Garcia’s powerful left hooks was burned in the memory of fight fans. That follows a lackluster performance against Jose Ramirez in May where he didn’t seem too eager to engage.
But against Norman, the hardest puncher in the division, Haney was the aggressor. Norman dared Haney to stand in the pocket and trade with him. Haney obliged and put Norman on the canvas with a hard right hand in the second round. Norman, not Haney, was shell-shocked from that point and needed multiple rounds before he could create some offense. By then, it was too late, and Haney took a unanimous decision and, most importantly, shut down his skeptics.
For now.
Haney didn’t finish Norman when he got him in trouble in Round 2. He allowed him to make it to the final bell and that is something the naysayers will almost certainly hang on to before he steps into a ring again. Haney routinely shows just enough vulnerability for people to question his status as one of the best pound-for-pound fighters and his win against Norman was no different. But for Haney, a win is a win.
“In 2024, I lost everything,” Haney said. “Everything came crashing down on me. In 2025, I came to get it back. In 2026, I’m coming for everything.”
Haney is risk-averse like the fighter he often draws comparisons to, Floyd Mayweather. He’s very calculated and does just enough to win fights. That approach may suggest that he’s beatable. However, what it also does is make it easier to land the fights he wants because everyone thinks they can beat them until they get in the ring with him.
Matchroom Boxing’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, is not a fan of Haney’s style.
“You’ve got to give Devin Haney credit and respect,” Hearn said during a postfight interview on DAZN. “I mean, he’s just become a three-division world champion, but no one’s going to want to watch him fight. I mean, he’s fighting scared.
“You can’t keep fighting like that because no one’s going to want to tune in and watch. And again, amazing achievement, but he doesn’t want to engage at all in the fight.”
It could be a calculated strategy or just the way he fights. Haney hasn’t stopped an opponent since September 2019, when he forced Zaur Abdullaev to quit on the stool. It’s not necessarily because he doesn’t have power, but maybe it’s because he doesn’t find it necessary to take risks when he’s already ahead in the fight.
Now that he has the WBO belt, other champions will have to face him if they want to unify the division. Whether that is the winner of WBC champ Mario Barrios vs. Ryan Garcia, who are scheduled to fight next February, IBF champion Lewis Crocker or WBA titleholder Rolando “Rolly” Romero, all options are available for Haney’s next fight. And every last one of them will believe they can beat Haney.
The understated boxing brilliance of Jesse Rodriguez cannot be ignored
“Bam” Rodriguez was the best pound-for-pound fighter on the Riyadh Season card, but was neither the main nor co-main event. For an undefeated champion in a lighter weight class, he carries himself in the ring as someone much larger. Boxing purists adore him and will gush over how he patiently picked his spots to put away Martinez in a fight he had dominated from the start.
He’s not unknown; he just hasn’t been discovered by everyone yet. It’s like that for many fighters under 130-pound fighters, where the fight for attention is arguably more important than the fight in the ring. But “Bam” is just too good not to become a massive star. His fights are always exciting, and he chases the KO as soon as he sees the opening. It only took seconds to realize that he was a class above Martinez and he made sure the fight didn’t go the distance. He’s targeting the winner of IBF junior bantamweight champion Willibaldo Garcia Perez and Kenshiro Teraji’s clash on Dec. 27 to become undisputed before moving up in weight again. Neither of those opponents will raise his profile, but whenever Rodriguez fights, he’s must-see TV. That drum needs to be banged louder than ever heading into 2026. He turns 26 in January and is ranked No. 5 in ESPN’s pound-for-pound rankings. All that’s left is to win over the heart of the casual fan.
Abdullah Mason’s lesson in grit and determination will go a long way
It was the ultimate skill vs. will showdown as Mason was the more talented fighter but had to deal with a tough-as-nails Noakes to become the current youngest champion in boxing with his WBO lightweight title win. Mason, 21, went 12 rounds for the first time in his career and had to dig deep when Noakes refused to fade away.
This kind of win will go a long way in Mason’s development as a fighter. He still has holes in his game where opponents are able to break through his defense because he can be a little too offensive-minded in his approach. Dominating early and often can make a young fighter a little too comfortable in their ability to finish the opposition. But against Noakes, Mason, who was carrying a nine-fight KO streak entering the bout, learned that every fighter won’t fold like clean laundry when he goes on the offensive. As a champion, that’s an important lesson that will go toward becoming a better defensive fighter. He’s young enough to learn new tricks to offset his defensive deficiencies. And in a division that has a wide range of styles, Mason will have to rely more on his will than his skill against opponents who may be just as talented as he is. Don’t be surprised if five years from now this fight with Noakes is what helped him turn the corner from good to great.