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David Benavidez recovers from dramatic late knockdown to beat David Morrell in classic to earn undisputed title shot
David Benavidez was knocked down for the second time in his career, but defeated David Morrell in a dramatic all-action affair. Benavidez headlined a huge bill at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas against fellow undefeated light-heavyweight Morrell. Premier Boxing ChampionsBenavidez[/caption] ‘The Mexican Monster’ is one of the most feared fighters in the sport, and was looking to set up an undisputed title clash with the winner of Artur Beterbiev’s rematch with Dmitry Bivol, which takes place on February 22. He came into the contest in a true test of his credentials in his second fight at the weight after moving up from the super-middleweight division. Benavidez was knocked down in the eleventh touching the canvas, as things took a dramatic late turn. But fortunately after his rival was immediately deducted the point for a late punch, he picked up the decision win. The scorecards read 115-111, 115-111 and 118-108 and Benavidez earned his stripes as a leading contender for the belts. He is now 30 fights without defeat in his professional career, and could face the biggest outing of his career next. View Tweet: https://twitter.com/hashtag/BenavidezMorrell?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw The fight began with real anticipation and buzz around Sin City, with Benavidez the first to open up in the fast-paced first stanza, landing some ferocious body work early on. Morrell responded with some powerful shots of his own, and it was clear from the opening bell that both fighters carried dynamite in their hands. A raucous crowd roared Benavidez on as he continued to set the tone, but counter work from Morrell continued to come back his way in the second as a real reality check. It quickly became a brutal war in the third round as the pair threw leather, but showed elite levels of defence, with damaging power punches loading up from both fighters. Premier Boxing ChampionsMorrell did drop Benavidez late on in a dramatic penultimate round moment[/caption] Benavidez launched a new onslaught in the fourth round, with the showdown really catching fire, but he was wobbled by his rival and forced to fight back off the ropes in a dramatic period. It was a barnstorming war of attrition developing as the halfway point approached, and Benavidez was this time the one to wobble Morrell with a thunderous uppercut, but the adversity was overcome. The body work continued to be a weapon of choice for Benavidez, who sought to continue to control the fight, but Morrell refused to wilt and tried to get himself going. But things took a dramatic turn as Benavidez was sent to the canvas in the penultimate round with a neat counter, as the referee ruled it a knockdown. Although Morrell faced instant disaster as he hit Benavidez after the bell, which saw a point immediately deducted from Morrell, making his progress short-lived. Benavidez is now the WBC mandatory challenger for the winner of the undisputed sequel, which promises to also once again be a classic later this month. Beterbiev vs Bivol 2 will decide Benavidez’s next opponentTop Rank Saudi boxing chief Turki Alalshikh intends to play the middle man and make the fight for later in 2025, although it is unclear where it will land. Benavidez will fancy his chances given his size, but could be met by two unique and different styles dependent on the victor. He said on the prospect of fighting the winner: “I feel like I’d beat both of them. “I know Bivol really well. I’ve sparred him a lot. I have a lot of respect for him. “Just because I’ve sparred him, [I’m] not saying he’s an easy fighter or none of that. “I know what I can do with him. I want to fight the best. These are the challenges I want. “I’ve had a lot of experience, so now, it’s just time to really push myself and go for greatness so that’s exactly what I’m doing.” Follow talkBOXING on social media talkBOXING is now on Twitter and Facebook. Follow us on social media for big breaking boxing news, exclusive interviews and the best bits from our talkBOXING YouTube show. Like our Facebook page HERE Follow us on Twitter HERE Sign up for our WhatsApp channel HERE
David Benavidez was knocked down for the second time in his career, but defeated David Morrell in a dramatic all-action affair.
Benavidez headlined a huge bill at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas against fellow undefeated light-heavyweight Morrell.
‘The Mexican Monster’ is one of the most feared fighters in the sport, and was looking to set up an undisputed title clash with the winner of Artur Beterbiev’s rematch with Dmitry Bivol, which takes place on February 22.
He came into the contest in a true test of his credentials in his second fight at the weight after moving up from the super-middleweight division.
Benavidez was knocked down in the eleventh touching the canvas, as things took a dramatic late turn.
But fortunately after his rival was immediately deducted the point for a late punch, he picked up the decision win.
The scorecards read 115-111, 115-111 and 118-108 and Benavidez earned his stripes as a leading contender for the belts.
He is now 30 fights without defeat in his professional career, and could face the biggest outing of his career next.
The fight began with real anticipation and buzz around Sin City, with Benavidez the first to open up in the fast-paced first stanza, landing some ferocious body work early on.
Morrell responded with some powerful shots of his own, and it was clear from the opening bell that both fighters carried dynamite in their hands.
A raucous crowd roared Benavidez on as he continued to set the tone, but counter work from Morrell continued to come back his way in the second as a real reality check.
It quickly became a brutal war in the third round as the pair threw leather, but showed elite levels of defence, with damaging power punches loading up from both fighters.
Benavidez launched a new onslaught in the fourth round, with the showdown really catching fire, but he was wobbled by his rival and forced to fight back off the ropes in a dramatic period.
It was a barnstorming war of attrition developing as the halfway point approached, and Benavidez was this time the one to wobble Morrell with a thunderous uppercut, but the adversity was overcome.
The body work continued to be a weapon of choice for Benavidez, who sought to continue to control the fight, but Morrell refused to wilt and tried to get himself going.
But things took a dramatic turn as Benavidez was sent to the canvas in the penultimate round with a neat counter, as the referee ruled it a knockdown.
Although Morrell faced instant disaster as he hit Benavidez after the bell, which saw a point immediately deducted from Morrell, making his progress short-lived.
Benavidez is now the WBC mandatory challenger for the winner of the undisputed sequel, which promises to also once again be a classic later this month.
Saudi boxing chief Turki Alalshikh intends to play the middle man and make the fight for later in 2025, although it is unclear where it will land.
Benavidez will fancy his chances given his size, but could be met by two unique and different styles dependent on the victor.
He said on the prospect of fighting the winner: “I feel like I’d beat both of them.
“I know Bivol really well. I’ve sparred him a lot. I have a lot of respect for him.
“Just because I’ve sparred him, [I’m] not saying he’s an easy fighter or none of that.
“I know what I can do with him. I want to fight the best. These are the challenges I want.
“I’ve had a lot of experience, so now, it’s just time to really push myself and go for greatness so that’s exactly what I’m doing.”
