Smith’s Summer Fight: Yarde Or Benavidez?

Callum Smith is in negotiations with Anthony Yarde and David Benavidez for a fight in the summer. WBO interim light heavyweight champion Smith revealed that talks with WBC and WBA ‘regular’ champ Benavidez are further along.

Smith’s Summer Fight Options

If the fight doesn’t get made, a clash against Yarde is a possibility for Callum. There’s more for Smith (31-2, 22 KOs) to gain from fighting Benavidez, but it’s a much tougher fight for him. If his promoter, Eddie Hearn, has any input on his decision, it wouldn’t be a surprise if he chose the easier fight against Yarde rather than tangle with ‘The Mexican Monster.”

The Ring reports that Smith is in negotiations with Yarde for a summer fight. This fight will likely get made, leaving Benavidez high and dry. He’s bad news for either of these Brits.

Smith is already in the catbird seat, holding the WBO interim 175-lb title. He can sit and wait for an eventual crack at the winner of the Dmitry Bivol vs. Artur Beterbiev trilogy match, which he will do. The chances are high that the winner of that fight would rather fight Callum than face Benavidez. Yarde is a soft pick for Smith in comparison to taking on Benavidez. He’ll surely take Yarde over ‘The Mexican Monster’ any day of the week.

Smith has put himself in a position for a massive payday against the Bivol-Beterbiev 3 winner, and Hearn isn’t going to want him to ruin that age by fighting Benavidez.

Benavidez: Bivol’s Kryptonite?

Bivol isn’t crazy. He knows that Benavidez is kryptonite for his defensive fighting style, and would chase him down and end his reign as the champion. Turki Alalshikh could set up as many rematches as he wants, but Bivol will never beat Benavidez. That’s why he’ll choose Callum Smith over him, and never fight him unless he’s offered ridiculous money.

Yarde (27-3, 24 KOs) has won his last four fights since being knocked out in the eighth round by former IBF, WBC, and WBO light heavyweight champion Beterbiev in 2023.

Callum is coming off a grueling 12-round unanimous decision win over Joshua Buatsi on February 22nd in Riyadh. That was a tough fight for Smith, 35, but he got through it with his power and constant pressure against the worn-down-looking Buatsi. Going from that fight straight into a war with Benavidez wouldn’t be the smartest thing for Callum to do.