Sunday, 2 February 2025
I KNOW I CAN BEAT HIM - WHAT DAVID AND DAVID MORRELL HAD TO SAY AFTER THEIR LAS VEGAS CLASSIC
David Benavidez is in pole position to challenge for a world title at 175lbs after a grueling points win over David Morrell in Las Vegas .
The Arizona man had to climb off the canvas in round 11 to secure his win, but his superior work in the previous stages were enough to give him the nod on all three scorecards.
Benavidez will now turn his attention to Feb 22 when Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol clash for a second time with Benavidez likely to declare his interest in facing the winner.
Here’s what both fighters had to say after the bout.
David Benavidez
"This is 'El Monstro's' world. Shout out to Morrell, I knew he'd be tough and that's why I prepared so hard for this. I'm happy we were able to give the fans a great show tonight.”
"I wasn't surprised by anything he did because I knew he was a great fighter and that I had to prepare for everything. I knew my defense had to be good. I actually thought he'd hit harder once we were in here. He was easier to hit than I expected. Every opportunity that I saw, I went for it.
"I just want to be the best of my era. Whoever I need to fight next, I'll be ready for them. I want to unify all four titles, so if that's next, then that's next.”
David Morrell
"It was a good fight. This is boxing, some days you win and some days you lose. Tonight was my turn. I'm young and I'll keep pushing for another opportunity.
"It was never bad blood for me. This moment feels great because we were able to give everyone a good show. I'm going to work my way back. We'll watch this fight and learn from what I didn't do well. We'll practice more and train harder and earn another fight against Benavidez. I know I can beat him.”
- Christopher Walker
'THE REF CHEATING ': COMBAT SPORT WORLD REACTS TO DAVID BENAVIDEZ AND DAVID MORRELL'S FIGHT OF THE YEAR CONTENDER
David Benavidez showed David Morrell exactly what “The Mexican Monster” is all about.
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| David Benavidez Photo by Steve Marcus/Getty Images |
On Saturday, Benavidez successfully defended his interim WBA light heavyweight title and claimed the WBC light heavyweight title, winning a unanimous decision over Morrell in their battle in Las Vegas.
Though the bout was competitive, Benavidez won a majority of the rounds with his trademark pressure and pace, hammering Morrell repeatedly to the body and out-working him for most of the fight. There were a few dodgy moments for Benavidez though as Morrell badly hurt him early in the fight and then scored a knockdown in the 11th round. However, at the end of that very round, Morrell had a point controversially deducted after landing a punch well after the bell sounded, functionally negating his knockdown advantage.
In the end, it wouldn’t have mattered as Benavidez won a clear-cut decision, but the bout and the controversy drew a variety of responses from the combat sports world who were all tuned in to this Fight of the Year contender.
- Jed Meshew
Thursday, 2 January 2025
Wednesday, 9 October 2024
DAVID BENAVIDEZ GETS DAVID MORRELL NEXT ON 175-POUND BOUT
David Benavidez will meet David Morrell in a high-stakes light heavyweight bout, Benavidez announced Tuesday on Instagram.
The 175-pound bout will headline a PBC pay-per-view card and is expected to take place Jan. 25 in Las Vegas, sources tell ESPN.
Benavidez (29-0, 24 KOs) was in talks to fight fringe contender Jesse Hart on Dec. 14 on the undercard of the Gervonta Davis-Lamont Roach title bout, according to sources, but he secured a far more compelling bout.
Benavidez has chased boxing's top star, Canelo Álvarez, for years. Álvarez hasn't shown any interest in such a matchup, so Benavidez made the jump from 168 to 175 pounds this summer with a decision win over Oleksandr Gvozdyk.
Benavidez, 27, who fights out of Miami, is a former two-time titleholder at 168 pounds. He's rated No. 3 at 175 pounds.
Now, Benavidez is prepared for the toughest test of his career. Cuba's Morrell (11-0, 9 KOs) also made the move to light heavyweight this summer. He encountered the most-challenging fight of his career with a unanimous decision over Radivoje Kalajdzic in August.
Morrell, 26, is ESPN's No. 4 light heavyweight. ESPN's top two 175-pounders, Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol, fight Saturday on ESPN+ for the undisputed light heavyweight championship.
The winner of Benavidez-Morrell will be positioned for a fight with the winner.
- Mike Coppinger, ESPN Boxing Insider