Saturday night, February 1, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Fight fans had to see an extremely competitive and very entertaining resentment match between two unbeaten fighters, as David Benavidez (30-0, 24 COs) David Morrell defeated by way of unanimous decision.
When David Morrell and David Banavidez competed on the 168 -pound division, Morrell had his eye on Benavidez, but benavidez was focused on an undisputed world title event. After moving up to 175, both boxers achieved unanimous victories in their debut on lightweight.
Banavidez and Morrell would eventually face each other on the night of February 1. Over the course of the extremely expected match, both fighters had their moments, but Banavidez eventually had more moments because he achieved a hard win.
In the opening round of the competition, Morrell came out with the High Guard while establishing the Southpaw Jab. During the first round, Morrell threw many bumps, but benavidez was more effective on offense when he threw less but ended up more.
For the next few rounds, most of the action took place from close, while Morrell and Benavidez exchanged bumps. In the fourth round, Banavidez Morrell supported a corner and fired several 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 justice. Morrell continued to land hard shots, and he was able to force Benavidez against the ropes, but Benavidez could respond and fight out of trouble.
Benavidez could consistently push 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 upper hood and to the body.
Late in the 11th round, Morrell threw a right hook that Banavidez sent to the canvas. It appeared that Benavidez stepped over Morrell’s foot, but referee Thomas Taylor decided it as a Knockdown.
Benavidez could stand up and respond by landing a spate of shots. While the clock sounds to officially finish around 11, David Morrell landed a hard right hand after the bell had sounded. Referee Thomas Taylor immediately stepped in, named Timeout and pulled a point from Morrell.
In the twelfth and final round, Morrell was extremely aggressive because he tried to go out, but unfortunately for Morrell the knockout did not happen. After the competition, David Banavidez won by the scores of (115-111, 115-111 and 118-108).
David Morrell (11-1, 9 COs) made a brave effort in a high-level boxing match. The question now is, what is the next for Morrell? Since Benavidez won the battle, he must be in line to oppose the Betterbiev vs Biscvol winner.
If it is automatically put in place, Morrell may wait patiently in turn, or he can make a move that will place him immediately on the food chain. In his third professional battle in August 2020, David Morrell Lennox Allen defeated and won the vacant WBA (ordinary) super-middleweight title.
Morrell would continue to defend his WBA (ordinary) title several times as he would hold the belt for a three -year period. As a 168-pound, Morrell called Banavidez on several occasions. Eventually he got the game he wanted as a lightweight weight, but unfortunately he was lacking Morrell.
Should Morrell consider moving back to 168 when considering his next career movement? When Morrell competed as a super-middleweight, he was the second selected contender in the division. When he moves back, he is easily the top-ranked contender for super-middle weight.
Morrell could go back to challenge IBF super-middleweight champion William Scull, or he could shake the division and challenge WBC, WBC, WBO Unified World Champion Canelo Alvarez. A Canelo Alvarez against David Morrell match would be the most interesting attack that Canelo has participated since facing Dmitri Biscuit in 2022.
During his reign as the WBA super-middle weight (ordinary) champion, David Morrell was one of Canelo’s mandators, but he never cried Canelo because he believed that Canelo would never fight against him.
Since Canelo lost, Canelo has always avoided the high-level competition and they have established itself for opponents who are considered the softer touch. Despite the loss of benavidez, Morrell’s stock seems to have risen due to his participation in a fight that is categorized as an immediate classic.
David Morrell has momentum on his side, and now is the time to go back to 168 and Callout Canelo Alvarez. Morrell is a worthy opponent for Canelo due to the fact that Morrell is better than any boxer currently ranked in the top 10 on Super Middleweight.
A waste in weight and an exclamation can lead to another big battle for David Morrell. Hypothetically speaking, if Morrell returns to super-middleweight to call out Canelo, will Canelo avoid him as he did David Banavidez, or will he enter the challenge and fight the best available competition?
