David Benavidez Triumphs Over Light Heavyweight Rival

David Benavidez (30-0, 24 KOs) had the last laugh over David Morrell Jr. (11-1, 9 KOs), winning a unanimous decision in their light heavyweight clash.

Scores for the fight were 118-108 and 115-111 (x2). With the win, Benavidez remains on course to challenge for a light heavyweight world title. All belts are currently held by Artur Beterbiev, who will be rematching Dmitry Bivol on February 22.

The fight headlined a Premier Boxing Champions card at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV. Boxing fans could catch the action as a pay-per-view with either Prime Video, PPV.com or TrillerTV (Note: availability of the pay-per-view on each platform was dependent on location).

Be sure to check out our recap of the undercard which included a unanimous decision win for Stephen Fulton in his rematch against Brandon Figueroa.

David Benavidez Triumphs Over David Morrell Jr.

David Benavidez vs. David Morrell Jr. Fight Recap

The early rounds saw plenty of tit-for-tat when both men let their hands go. Benavidez would press forward and land a number of hard shots, but Morrell’s ring IQ allowed him to avoid the very worst of them. The action picked up in round four. Benavidez was able to get close and land a number of hooks and uppercuts that had Morrell stunned. Despite this, the Cuban did return fire. Benavidez was cut over his left eyebrow due to an accidental clash of heads, but it did not appear to bother him for the entirety of the bout.

The back-and-forth exchanges continued into the middle rounds, but it was Benavidez who was having greater success and outlanding his opponent. Although Morrell continued to keep things somewhat competitive, he was still getting outworked.

.@Benavidez300 cracks Morrell with an uppercut in RD6, stopping him momentarily.

Order #BenavidezMorrell NOW on PPV: https://t.co/9aI7AJEcHx pic.twitter.com/cYBwh4twR6

— Premier Boxing Champions (@premierboxing) February 2, 2025

The eleventh proved to be a wild round. Benavidez continued to outwork his opponent, but in a shocking turn of events in the final minute of the round, he was knocked down by a right hook. After the bell rang to end the round, Benavidez landed punches and Morrell also landed in response. However, referee Thomas Taylor only took a point away from Morrell.

In the final round, the Cuban fighter went for broke but was unable to sustain the offence. Benavidez took advantage of that and continued landing on his exhausted opponent. In the end, the judges saw him winning comfortably and awarded him the unanimous decision.

.@benavidez300 punches hurt more when you watch in slow-motion. #BenavidezMorrell pic.twitter.com/hTJhaTXYGA

— Premier Boxing Champions (@premierboxing) February 2, 2025

Post-fight Interview

David Benavidez

“He [Morrell] knows whose world this is,” said Benavidez. “This is ‘Monstro’s’ world. You know what it is. But, big shout out to Morrell. He took a tough test. Yeah, I knew he was going to be a tough fighter. That’s why I prepared so hard for this and just happy that we were able to get a good show tonight. [Switches to Spanish] I want to say thank you to all my people, everyone in Mexico, all my people in Phoenix, AZ, Los Angeles, CA, Seattle, WA. As well as the people of Cuba. I love you all.”

“Not really [surprised by anything in this fight] because I prepared for everything. I knew he was a great fighter so I had to be on my P’s and Q’s. Hand movement was good, defence was good. To be honest, I thought he was going to hit harder, but he didn’t.

David Morrell Jr.

“Too close, you know,” said Morrell. “This was a good fight…It’s boxing, the life. Some days you win. Some days you lose. This night, it was my turn…I’m only 27 years old. I want more, a second opportunity. Thank you team Benavidez for this opportunity. Hey guys [to the crowd] David Morrell is not done. Hell no!”

“For my part it was never about bad blood. I’m good. I’m good. Every time I feel happy. Every time I feel great. This moment feels great. It was a good show…For me? Everything is good.”