David Benavidez revealed on Instagram today that his fight against WBA ‘regular’ light heavyweight champion David Morrell is a done deal.
Mike Coppinger reports the Benavidez vs. Morrell fight will take place on January 25th in Las Vegas. It will be on PBC on PPV.
This move by Benavidez could blow up in his face, as the Cuban Morrell is a much bigger puncher, younger, and has superior technical skills. The only thing Morrell lacks is Benavidez’s high punch output and experience. Additionally, Morrell is more suited to fight at 175 than he is. Benavidez still hits like a 168 pounder, but with the size of a light heavyweight.
Benavidez says he had many options, but he wanted to fight the “best” possible opponent, and that was undefeated Cuban Morrell (11-0, 9 KOs). The winner of the fight will be in line to challenge the winner of Saturday’s undisputed championship between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitri Bivol.
Again, this is a risky matchup for Benavidez, 27, as he is already the WBC mandatory for Beterbiev’s 175-lb championship. However, Benavidez needs a win over Morrell to generate interest in challenging Beterbiev or Bivol. Neither of those two fighters mentioned Benavidez, and one reason for that is his poor showing in his debut at 175 against Oleksandr Gvozdyk on June 15th.
Benavidez’s stock plummeted after that fight because he barely won. The judges who worked the fight in Las Vegas gave Benavidez a wide decision, but it looked almost even at the end. In the second half of the fight, Gvozdyk got the better of a weak and tired Benavidez.
Fighting fans, how do we feel about this match?! 🔥@Benavidez300 vs @OsvaryJ#Benavidez Morrell pic.twitter.com/uureKvRvfE
— Premier Boxing Champions (@premierboxing) October 8, 2024
“There were many names on the table, but I wanted to give my supporters the best fight possible. I reached out to David Morrell and his team to make it happen, and we closed the deal. This fight is really going to be a battle. Two of the best in the division and two titles on the line. Date and location will be announced soon.” said David Benavidez Instagram today, revealing that he will next fight WBA ‘regular’ light heavyweight champion David Morrell.
Morrell defeated Radivoje Kalajdzic by a 12-round unanimous decision in his debut at 175 on August 3 in Los Angeles. It wasn’t a good performance from Morrell as he failed to put Kalajdzic away despite hurting him several times in the contest. Still, as bad as Morrell looked in that fight, he put up a much better fight than Benavidez did in his debut at 175 against Gvozdyk.
