Benavidez overwhelms Morrell to win decision in slugfest
David Benavidez might have taken the final step toward an undisputed light heavyweight title shot Saturday night, defeating David Morrell via unanimous decision (115-111, 115-111, 118-108) in a thriller at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
The highly anticipated fight headlined a PBC on Prime Video pay-per-view event. Benavidez retained the WBC interim 175-pound title and added the WBA "regular" title.
Benavidez, on the cusp of being a top-10 pound-for-pound boxer, will likely be next in line for the winner of the Feb. 22 rematch between undisputed light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol. Benavidez is the mandatory challenger for Beterbiev's title.
Benavidez overwhelmed Morrell with pressure and heavy shots throughout Saturday's back-and-forth bout. He outlanded his opponent 224-165 in total punches and 181-136 in power shots. Benavidez was also the more accurate boxer, landing 40.5% of his punches. Morrell landed 27.5% of his punches.
Morrell scored a flash knockdown in the final seconds of the 11th round. However, the referee deducted a point from Morrell for landing a heavy shot after the bell, negating the knockdown.
Benavidez remains undefeated, lifting his professional record to 30-0. The 28-year-old Phoenix native is now 2-0 since moving up to light heavyweight.
Morrell, a 27-year-old Cuban, suffered his first career loss, falling to 11-1.