Last Saturday’s battle between the two David’s, David Benavidez and David Morrell, has left only one man standing; David Benavidez who was crowned the WBA “regular” and WBC interim light-heavyweight champion after 12 rounds of non-stop action. The Benavidez-Morrell bout headlined a PBC card held at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, on February 1st.
David Benavidez Vs. David Morrell
American former world champion David Benavidez (30-0, 24 KO’s), holder of the WBC interim light-heavyweight (175 lbs) title, and Cuban contender David Morrell (11-1, 9 KO’s), the WBA “regular” champion before he stepped into the ring, appeared fated to meet since both of them held the same respective titles at super middleweight (168 lbs) but were unable to land a fight against then-undisputed champion Canelo Alvarez (62-2-2, 39 KO’s) who held all the titles.
Fortunately, last Saturday offered a glimpse into two fighters who should have had the opportunity to become world champion at 168 lbs but were forced to face each other in a division above for recognition and future glory.
The high-stakes 175-pound bout was exactly as prophesized; competitive. Both Benavidez and Morrell appeared to be in the toughest fight of their careers, characterized by Benavidez’ aggressive body shots and Morrell’s counterattacking abilities. However, it was David Benavidez who appeared to be more efficient, not only through his tactic to target the body but his defensive fundamentals were sound on the night, allowing a large amount of power punches from Morrell to either miss or be blocked.

While Morrell’s own offense was not locking in creativity or power, as defined by a 11th round knockdown that dropped Benavidez, his defense was subpar compared to Morrell’s, and proved to be the one of the underlying reasons why Benavidez landed as much as he did. A further penalty Morrell suffered following the 11th round for hitting Benavidez after the bell further sealed his fate as the American would go on to be declared the winner by unanimous decision (UD) through judges’ scores of 118-108 [a wide scorecard given the competitiveness of the bout], and 115-111 twice.
Just as he was considered the best contender in the 168-pound division, David Benavidez has likely cultivated the same sort of status at light-heavyweight following a pivotal victory over David Morrell. Though Benavidez also won the WBA “regular” title alongside his own WBC interim belt, the jury is still out on whether an opportunity against the future winner of Beterbiev-Bivol II [which will be held later this month on February 22nd] will come knocking on his door given both sanctioning bodies’ well-recorded history in secondary champions not receiving opportunities to fight an incumbent world champion.
Undercard fights:
- Starring in the co-main event was a title bout at featherweight (126 lbs), a rematch between WBC champion Brandon Figueroa (25-2-1, 19 KO’s) and challenger Stephen Fulton (23-1, 8 KO’s). The first match between the two fighters occurred in 2021 and featured Fulton coming out on top in a bout that made him the unified champion of the super bantamweight (122 lbs) division.
Though the circumstances the two met with each other this time were different, with only Figueroa holding a title, their match nonetheless offered a key look into who could potentially become the 126-pound division’s best fighter.
After 12 rounds of a competitive but slightly slower bout than their first match, it would be Stephen Fulton who proved himself the better man. In similar fashion to their 2021 bout, it was Fulton who would secure a UD win by impressively using a combination of counterattacking and the slick boxing he’s known for to win Figueroa’s WBC title and become a two-weight world champion. - At super welterweight (154 lbs), American contender Jesus Ramos (22-1, 18 KO’s) overcame Dominican former world champion Jeison Rosario (24-5-2, 18 KO’s), stopping him in the 8th round of their 10-round contest despite suffering a knockdown in the 7th.
- Mexican contender Isaac Cruz (27-3-1, 18 KO’s) also returned on the card following his title loss to Jose “Rayo” Valenzuela (14-2, 9 KO’s) last year. Continuing his career at super lightweight (140 lbs), Cruz faced and defeated fellow Mexican Angel Fierro (23-3-2, 18 KO’s) by unanimous decision in a solid performance.