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Benavidez Beats Morrell Jr. With Will and Skill
David Benavidez and David Morrell Jr. delivered a thrilling battle for fans Saturday at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, living up to the high expectations as an early Fight Of The Year candidate.
Benavidez of Phoenix (30-0, 24 KOs) proved too experienced and too determined for Morrell Jr. of Minneapolis (11-1, 7 KOs), winning a unanimous decision. Scores were 118-108, and 115-111 on two cards.
“He knows whose world this is. It’s El Monstruo’s world. You know what it is,” said Benavidez after the victory.
“Shout out to Morrell, he took a tough test. I knew he was going to be a tough fighter. That’s why I prepared so hard for this fight. I’m happy we were able to give a good show tonight,” thanking his fans in Phoenix, Los Angeles, Seattle, and Cuba in Spanish.
“Too close, I know. It was a good fight. Some days, you win, and some days, you lose. It’s OK. I’m only 27 years old. I’m younger.” Addressing the fans, he declared, “David Morrell is not done, hell no, hell no!”
Team Benavidez Gets The Game Plan Right
The fight demanded the highest skills from both men. Benavidez had the right game plan in place. He got out to a stronger start than fans are used to seeing, unleashing his offense behind a body attack against Morrell Jr.
Morrell Jr. dealt with it well in the early rounds. He has slickness and speed, and he changes levels nimbly. He showed he was not afraid of Benavidez. Morrell caught Benavidez with hard left hooks. After four rounds, many scorecards had the fight even.
But as he does so often, the intense pressure Benavidez puts on his opponents both physically and mentally began to wear Morrell Jr. down. He gave Morrell Jr. more to cope with, and Morrell Jr. found himself fighting on the back foot.
Benavidez continued to invest in the body, and per his game plan, Morrell Jr.’s high guard opened just enough for Benavidez to land vicious uppercuts. After the sixth round, trainer and father Jose Benavidez Sr. said, “Beautiful uppercuts you’re landing!”
The offensive firepower showed Benavidez at full strength after having injuries to his hands surgically repaired. Morrell Jr. can take a shot, which made for an exciting contest as he hung in.
As the fight reached the second half, Benavidez was rolling up rounds. Credit to Morrell Jr., he never gave up and didn’t hold back. After the seventh round, trainer Ronnie Shields could see the story of the fight being written and told Morrell Jr. “I want you to back him up … You gotta suck it up!”
Morrell Jr. increased his work rate, but his punches didn’t have enough steam on them to threaten Benavidez, who kept the pressure on the Cuban. He was on his way to closing the show.
Late Knockdown Keeps Morrell Jr.’s Hopes Alive
In the 11th round, the only question was whether Benavidez had done enough to break Morrell Jr. down for a late TKO. But Morrell Jr. had other ideas. In a surprise to everyone, Morrell Jr. caught Benavidez off balance with a left hook. Benavidez stumbled and put his glove on the canvas for a knockdown. Benavidez was rattled, although he didn’t seem hurt.
The fight resumed, and Morrell Jr. did what he could to capitalize. In his frenzy, he hit Benavidez after the bell. Referee Thomas Taylor immediately took a point from Morrell Jr., erasing the advantage he gained from the knockdown.
Benavidez said he wasn’t hurt later but agreed it was after the bell. “He got that bullshit little knockdown, though; he caught me off balance. It is what it is.”
All that was left was for Benavidez to make it through three more minutes without any mistakes or surprises, and he did to get the victory.
“I prepared for everything. I knew he was a great fighter. I had to be on my Ps and Qs. Head movement was good, defense was good. To be honest, I thought he was going to hit harder, but he didn’t,” said Benavidez.
“He was easier to hit than expected. Every opportunity I seen, I took. I went for it,” said Benavidez.
Benavidez called the fight the biggest win of his career so far, “Because look at all the people who came out to support me. This is amazing! This is a dream come true for me. At 20 years old, I never thought I would fill up the T-Mobile Arena. And look at all these people who came to support me. I love you guys. Thank you so much.”
Benavidez landed more punches than any other opponent to date on David Morrell Jr. He landed twice as many body punches and reached an impressive 48% accuracy rate for his power punches.
Morrell Jr. Vows To Return; Benavidez Heading for Unification
Morrell Jr. said there is no bad blood, and the two fighters warmly embraced after the final bell sounded in the ring. “I’m good, I’m good. I feel great, a good show for everybody here … for me, everything is good.” Morrell Jr. said he would go home, watch the fight, and come back. Morrell Jr. said he’s like a rematch with Benavidez. “I’d like to fight him again, I can win.”
Benavidez didn’t name a future opponent, only stating he wanted to be the best of his era and unify all four belts at light heavyweight. It will rest on the outcome of the Riyadh Season rematch between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitriy Bivol on February 22.
If Beterbiev wins, Benavidez may have an opening. If Bivol evens the score, a trilogy fight is more likely, and Beterbiev will be looking for another opponent.
Morrell Jr. delivered a good performance, but his lack of experience showed. He will learn from the fight, and there is a path back to contention if he continues to apply his skills and gain more experience. Many fighters benefit when stretching themselves in a challenging fight like Morrell Jr. did on Saturday.
Fulton Becomes Two-Division Champion With Decision Over Figueroa
Fans hoped they would see round 13 between WBC Featherweight World Champion Brandon “The Heartbreaker” Figueroa (25-2-1, 19 KOs) and former unified world champion Stephen Fulton Jr. (23-1, 18 KOs) in the co-main event. But Saturday’s fight in no way resembled the 2021 Fight Of The Year candidate.
It didn’t matter to Fulton Jr., who heard the magic words “And The New!” with the win he badly needed by unanimous decision, 117-111 and 116-112 X 2.
“It feels good, you know. I’m champion again. For those who doubt me, just keep on supporting me, whether negative or positive,” said Fulton as he held the belt.
Figueroa was motivated by defending his title and avenging the only loss on his record to Fulton. But it failed to manifest itself in the ring as Figueroa wasn’t the aggressive fighter he showed in the first fight.
Fulton knew he needed a win to keep his career viable at the top levels after the devastating loss to Naoya Inoue and a lackluster decision against Carlos Castro. Fulton employed his boxing skills and did whatever it took to neutralize Figueroa’s offense, which was the key to victory.
“I feel like he didn’t let enough shots go like he normally would,” said Fulton. “I feel like he kind of slowed down when he moved up to the 126-pound division. His punch output lowered from when he was at 122. I feel like I capitalized off of that. I used my jab. I listened to my corner. I feel like his power was the same.
It didn’t matter to Fulton that the crowd at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas booed the lack of action. The performance might be forgettable, but the belt is in Fulton’s hands. Credit trainer Bozy Ennis for creating the right game plan and getting Fulton ready for the fight.
Figueroa left the ring without any comment. Asked what comes next for Fulton, he said he would enjoy the victory, live in the moment, and consider his options next month.
