Anthony Yarde has no issue with David Benavidez looking past their title bout

British light-heavyweight Anthony Yarde has no problem with WBC champion David Benavidez talking about future opponents before their world title fight next month.

Yarde will take on the undefeated ‘Mexican Monster’ in Riyadh on November 22 and the 34-year-old will hope to make it third time lucky.

Hackney-born Yarde has fought twice before for a world title, but brave efforts against Russia’s Sergey Kovalev and the formidable Artur Beterbiev ended in narrow defeats. Next up is Benavidez, who recently spoke about his desire to face Beterbiev or Dmitry Bivol.

Asked if that bothered him, Yarde told the PA news agency: “Absolutely not. Everyone is different. Maybe that is his positive affirmation that, ‘he’s going to beat this guy, then going to beat this guy’, all that stuff doesn’t matter.

“All that matters is when the bell rings, what both of us do and how we approach the fight. That is all that matters.

“All the other stuff is talk and you’ve seen me throughout my career, I don’t do all this lying stuff or say stuff to make headlines.”

Yarde was equally happy to shoot down suggestions Benavidez is still adjusting to life in the light-heavyweight division after he only stepped up from super-middleweight last year.

Benavidez has been taken the distance in both of his fights in the 175lbs category with Oleksandr Gvozdyk and David Morrell.

“Massive respect. That is all bulls***,” Yarde insisted.

“His first fight was against Gvozduk and he is a former world champion. He is a serious fighter with loads of experience and he beat him. Then he fought Morrell, so he doesn’t look out of sync to me!

“He is fighting world-class opposition and winning the fights fairly. Why would I think he is nothing? That is all nonsense. He is a fully-fledged light-heavyweight.”

Nevertheless, Yarde has total belief ahead of next month’s showdown in Saudi Arabia after a decade in the sport.

He was put through his paces by long-term trainer Tunde Ajayi at Dennis & Dyer Boxing Academy in Essex on Wednesday as his date with destiny in Riyadh edges closer.

Yarde smiled: “I feel like fine wine, I get better with time! That’s the saying isn’t it?! But I feel like it’s shown in my career.

“As I have got experience, you get more comfortable in the ring and you get better performances out of me against better opposition.

“Beterbiev was probably more dangerous than Kovalev at the time because he was undefeated and 18 knockouts and I gave him a better fight than I did Kovalev – even though I almost knocked out Kovalev.

“It’s little things that I have done that have made performances greater over time.

“I just feel within myself I am ready.”