On Saturday night, February 1st, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, fight fans got to witness a highly competitive and very entertaining grudge match between two undefeated fighters, as David Benavidez (30-0, 24 KOs) defeated David Morrell by way of unanimous decision.
When David Morrell and David Benavidez were competing in the 168-pound division, Morrell had his eye on Benavidez, but Benavidez was focused on an undisputed world title opportunity. After moving up to 175, both boxers scored unanimous decision victories in their debuts at light-heavyweight.
Benavidez and Morrell would finally face each other on the night of February 1st. During the course of the highly anticipated matchup, both fighters had their moments, but Benavidez ended up having more moments as he earned a hard-fought victory.
In the opening round of the contest, Morrell came out utilizing the high guard while establishing the southpaw jab. During the course of the first round, Morrell threw a lot of punches, but Benavidez was more efficient on offense as he threw less but landed more.
For the next few rounds, most of the action took place in close range as Morrell and Benavidez exchanged punches. In the fourth round, Benavidez backed Morrell into a corner and fired multiple shots, but Morrell was able to fight his way out of danger.
In the final seconds of the fourth round, Morrell landed a sharp counter right hook. Morrell continued to land hard shots, and he was able to force Benavidez against the ropes, but Benavidez was able to respond and fight his way out of trouble.
Benavidez was able to consistently press forward and land his shots, but every time he had Morrell in trouble, Morrell fought back. Benavidez was able to distance himself on the scorecards in the second half of the fight by landing the right hand, the uppercut, and going to the body.
Late in the 11th round, Morrell threw a right hook that sent Benavidez down to the canvas. It appeared that Benavidez tripped over Morrell’s foot, but referee Thomas Taylor ruled it as a knockdown.
Benavidez was able to get up and responded by landing a flurry of shots. As the bell sounded to officially end round 11, David Morrell landed a hard right hand well after the bell had already sounded. Referee Thomas Taylor immediately stepped in, called timeout, and deducted a point from Morrell.
In the 12th and final round, Morrell was extremely aggressive as he was trying to go for the knockout, but unfortunately for Morrell, the knockout didn’t happen. At the conclusion of the contest, David Benavidez won by the scores of (115-111, 115-111, and 118-108).
David Morrell (11-1, 9 KOs) put up a valiant effort in a high-level boxing match. Now the question is, what’s next for Morrell? Due to Benavidez winning the fight, he should be in line to face the Beterbiev vs Bivol winner.
With that being automatically put into place, Morrell can patiently wait his turn, or he can make a move that will immediately place him at the top of the food chain. In his third professional fight back in August 2020, David Morrell defeated Lennox Allen and won the vacant WBA (regular) super-middleweight title.
Morrell would go on to defend his WBA (regular) title multiple times as he would keep the belt for a three-year period. As a 168-pounder, Morrell called out Benavidez on multiple occasions. He finally got the matchup he wanted as a light-heavyweight, but unfortunately for Morrell, he fell short.
Now as he contemplates his next career move, should Morrell consider moving back down to 168? When Morrell was competing as a super-middleweight, he was the second-ranked contender in the division. If he moves back down, he’s easily the top-ranked contender at super-middleweight.
Morrell could go back down to challenge IBF super-middleweight champion William Scull, or he can shake up the division and challenge WBA, WBC, WBO unified world champion Canelo Alvarez. A Canelo Alvarez vs. David Morrell matchup would be the most intriguing bout Canelo has participated in since facing Dmitry Bivol back in 2022.
During his reign as the WBA super-middleweight (regular) champion, David Morrell was one of Canelo’s mandatories, but he never called out Canelo due to the fact that he believed Canelo would never fight him.
Since losing to Bivol, Canelo has consistently avoided the high-level competition and settled for opponents who were considered to be the softer touch. Despite the loss to Benavidez, it appears as if Morrell’s stock has risen due to his participation in a fight that’s being categorized as an instant classic.
David Morrell has momentum on his side, and now is the time to go back down to 168 and callout Canelo Alvarez. Morrell is a worthy opponent to Canelo due to the fact that Morrell is better than any boxer currently ranked in the top 10 at super-middleweight.
A drop down in weight and a callout could lead to another big fight for David Morrell. Hypothetically speaking, if Morrell returns to super-middleweight to call out Canelo, will Canelo avoid him like he did David Benavidez, or will he step up to the challenge and fight the best competition available?