‘Dream come true’: Benavidez survives late drama to unify titles — PHOTOS
Updated February 1, 2025 - 10:51 pm
David Benavidez put on a clinic on his way to handing David Morrell the first loss of his career and unifying the WBC interim and WBA light heavyweight titles in the main event of a boxing card Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena.
Benavidez (30-0, 24 knockouts), a Las Vegas resident, pressured the power-punching Morrell (11-1, nine KOs) at every turn on his way to a unanimous decision. The judges scored the fight 115-111, 115-111 and 118-108.
“This is the biggest win of my career so far because of all the people who came out here to support me,” Benavidez said. “This is a dream come true for me.”
A wild sequence at the end of the 11th round nearly changed the trajectory. Morrell scored a brief knockdown, and Benavidez responded with a huge flurry in the closing seconds before Morrell unleashed a nasty right hand that dazed Benavidez after the bell.
Morrell was docked a point, heightening the drama for the 12th, but he couldn’t find another magical moment in the final three minutes.
“It was a good fight,” Morrell said. “This is boxing, some days you win and some days you lose. Tonight was my turn (to lose).”
Body blows
Morrell was feeling himself early on and even showboated a bit after a couple of big shots in the second round, but he often had to take two to land one. Several of the Benavidez combinations included at least one body blow, and those started to take their toll on Morrell in the later rounds.
“He was easier to hit than I expected. Every opportunity that I saw, I went for it,” Benavidez said. “I wasn’t surprised by anything he did because I knew he was a great fighter and that I had to prepare for everything. I knew my defense had to be good. I actually thought he’d hit harder once we were in here.”
Morrell’s knockdown was a bit fluky as it came when Benavidez appeared to be off balance, but he did land some hard shots late in the fight.
While he knew he didn’t do enough to win, he vowed he would one day avenge the result.
“I’m young and I’ll keep pushing for another opportunity,” Morrell said. “We’ll watch this fight and learn from what I didn’t do well. We’ll practice more and train harder and earn another fight against Benavidez.
“I know I can beat him.”
Undercard results
The featured undercard bout saw Stephen Fulton (23-1, eight KOs) win a world title bout over Brandon Figueroa (25-2-1, 19 KOs) just like he had in 2021, though this time there was less controversy and less action.
Fulton completely stifled Figureroa’s offense, creating several lulls in the action that were met with boos and jeers. Fulton, however, stayed the course and cruised to a unanimous decision to capture the WBC featherweight championship.
He had won the WBC super bantamweight title over Figueroa in their first meeting when he narrowly earned the favor of two of the judges in a more entertaining bout.
“I feel like he didn’t let enough shots go like he normally would,” Fulton said. “I think he slowed down in this division. His punch output was down from our first fight. I capitalized off of that, used my jab and listened to my corner. His power wasn’t anything different from the first fight.
“It feels good. I’m a champion again, and for everyone who doubted me, just keep supporting me how you’ve been supporting me, whether it’s negative or positive.”
Also on the main card, former WBA super lightweight champ Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz (27-3-1, 18 KOs) got back in the win column with a thrilling unanimous decision over Angel Fierro (23-3-2, 18 KOs).
The Mexico natives earned the favor of the crowd as they elected on several occasions to take the center of the ring and exchange wild punches, including in the final minute of the fight with time ticking away.
“I’m so happy I gave a great fight to my fans and brought a lot of pressure like I always do,” Cruz said. “I’m proud to do it with my family here watching. I came here to fight and show the world the best of what I can do, and I think I did that. I entertained the crowd and gave them a show.”
Rising light middleweight contender Jesus Ramos Jr. (22-1, 18 KOs) bounced back from his first defeat by stopping Jeison Rosario (24-5-2, 18 KOs) in the eighth round to kick off the pay-per-view card.
Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on X.