David “El Monstro” Benavidez defeats David Morrell Jr.
In a battle of unbeaten fighters within the primes of their careers, Mexican star David “El Monstro” Benavidez continued his rise to the highest of the game with a bruising unanimous resolution victory over Cuban sensation David Morrell Jr. headlining a PBC Pay-Per-View occasion on Prime Video Saturday evening from T-Cellular Enviornment in Las Vegas. With the victory, Benavidez retains his Interim WBC Mild Heavyweight Title and picks up the WBA Mild Heavyweight Title.
“That is ‘El Monstro’s’ world,” stated Benavidez. “Shout out to Morrell, I knew he’d be powerful and that’s why I ready so exhausting for this. I’m completely happy we had been capable of give the followers an important present tonight.”
“It was an excellent combat,” stated Morrell. “That is boxing, some days you win and a few days you lose. Tonight was my flip. I’m younger and I’ll hold pushing for one more alternative.”
With each fighters promising fireworks all through the promotion, Benavidez (30-0, 24 KOs) and Morrell (11-1, 9 KOs) backed up their phrases from the soar, participating in a high-octane contest that noticed every fighter present the opposite with the stiffest competitors of their careers thus far. The early Combat of the 12 months frontrunner featured over 1000 mixed punches thrown and ended with Benavidez incomes the judges favour by scores of 118-108 and 115-111 twice.
After a back-and-forth begin, Benavidez took management punch by punch, by no means letting Morrell breathe together with his trademark sequence of thundering hooks and uppercuts. Whereas the 2 fighters put forth an analogous output of punches thrown (601 for Morrell vs. 553 for Benavidez), it was Benavidez who held a definite edge in accuracy (40.5% vs. 27.5%) and photographs landed (224 vs. 165) in line with CompuBox.
“I wasn’t stunned by something he did as a result of I knew he was an important fighter and that I needed to put together for all the things,” stated Benavidez. “I knew my defence needed to be good. I really thought he’d hit more durable as soon as we had been in right here. He was simpler to hit than I anticipated. Each alternative that I noticed, I went for it.”
Morrell proved his championship mettle in defeat, and almost put the momentum again in his favor in spherical 11 as he caught an off-balance Benavidez with a counter proper hand that put him down for simply the second time in his profession. Nevertheless, Morrell linked on a punch that was thrown after the bell ended spherical 11 and was deducted some extent by referee Thomas Taylor.
After one more motion packed spherical within the twelfth, the 2 rivals who had shared heated exchanges and altercations all through the lead as much as combat evening, embraced and confirmed the mutual respect gained after sharing the ring.
“It was by no means dangerous blood for me,” stated Morrell. “This second feels nice as a result of we had been capable of give everybody an excellent present. I’m going to work my means again. We’ll watch this combat and be taught from what I didn’t do nicely. We’ll observe extra and practice more durable and earn one other combat towards Benavidez. I do know I can beat him.”
After applauding Morrell’s efforts, Benavidez then set his sights on his continued rise at 175-pounds.
“I simply wish to be one of the best of my period,” stated Benavidez. “Whoever I must combat subsequent, I’ll be prepared for them. I wish to unify all 4 titles, so if that’s subsequent, then that’s subsequent.”
Within the co-main occasion, former unified champion Stephen Fulton Jr. (23-1, 8 KOs) captured the WBC Featherweight World Championship with a powerful unanimous resolution (117-111 and 116-112 twice) victory over two-division world champion Brandon “The Heartbreaker” Figueroa (25-2-1, 19 KOs) of their championship rematch.
“It feels good,” stated Fulton. “I’m a champion once more and for everybody who doubted me, simply hold supporting me the way you’ve been supporting me, whether or not it’s adverse or optimistic.”
“He gained truthful and sq.,” stated Figueroa. “I’d like to combat him once more, however proper now I simply have to return to the drafting board and get the following one.”
Figueroa and Fulton met for a second time after their 2021 tremendous bantamweight championship unification match stood out as one of many 12 months’s greatest fights, gained by Fulton by way of resolution. Within the rematch, the fighters returned to their acquainted kind, with Figueroa stalking Fulton and Fulton proving a deft counterpuncher.
This time, Fulton gave the impression to be the sharper fighter all through, cleanly touchdown to the pinnacle and physique persistently, even throughout moments the place Figueroa would seem to have a bonus when pushing Fulton to the ropes. In his second combat with coach Derek “Bozy” Ennis in his nook, Philadelphia’s Fulton turned a two-division world champion on the power of a 35% join charge on energy punches and by out touchdown Figueroa 214 to 143.
“I really feel like he didn’t let sufficient photographs go like he usually would,” stated Fulton. “I believe he slowed down on this division. His punch output was down from our first combat. I capitalized off of that, used my jab and listened to my nook. His energy wasn’t something completely different from the primary combat.”
Fulton’s quick begin proved to be the distinction on the scorecards, as he gained the primary 4 rounds in line with all three judges. With a brand new world title reign underneath means, Fulton said his intention to take his time earlier than specializing in his subsequent goal.
“I’m simply gonna benefit from the victory and stay within the second,” stated Fulton put up combat. “Then we’ll weigh our choices.”
Pay-per-view motion additionally noticed former world champion Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz (27-3-1, 18 KOs) edge out all-action contender Angel Fierro (23-3-2, 18 KOs) by way of unanimous resolution (98-92, 97-93, 96-94) after 10 rounds of tremendous light-weight motion immediately 2025 Combat of the 12 months contender that noticed the fighters mix to throw 1,410 punches.
“I got here right here to combat and present the world one of the best of what I can do and I believe I did that,” stated Cruz. “I entertained the gang and gave them a present. I’m so completely happy that I gave the followers an important combat with quite a lot of strain like I all the time do and I’m proud to do it with my household right here watching.”
“I got here right here to provide the followers an important combat and depart all of it within the ring,” stated Fierro. “I don’t care concerning the judges, I care concerning the followers. However I do hope that ‘Pitbull’ provides me a rematch, as a result of I believe I deserve it.”
Cruz and Fierro lived as much as their promise to provide the followers an “all-out Mexican struggle” as they went toe-to-toe from the opening bell, throwing highly effective photographs proper from the outset. Mexico Metropolis’s Cruz set the tone with an enormous first spherical, touchdown over 50% of his photographs, together with a career-best 39 energy photographs.
Tijuana’s Fierro struck again in spherical three, touchdown a strong proper hook to the temple that knocked Cruz off steadiness and grabbed his consideration, ultimately resulting in a wild remaining minute of the spherical that noticed each fighters land enormous blows. With the back-and-forth nature of the combat set early, each continued to combat in shut vary till the ultimate bell.
Fierro was capable of sustain his spectacular exercise all through the combat, throwing 786 punches to Cruz’s 624, whereas Cruz out landed Fierro 248 to 238. True to kind, the 2 combatants spent the ultimate two rounds in a pitched toe-to-toe battle that ended with the gang on its toes in appreciation for what that they had witnessed.
“I educated for eight weeks and labored actually exhausting to depart all the things within the ring,” stated Fierro. “My title will stand perpetually, as a result of Angel Fierro did his factor tonight. I went into the ring with willpower and I fought with my coronary heart. We confirmed all the things that Mexican boxing is all about tonight.”
“Fierro deserves all of the respect on this planet and I take my hat off to him,” stated Cruz. “Thanks to all of the followers who got here to help me, as a result of that’s who I combat for.”
Opening up the pay-per-view, rising Mexican star Jesus “Mono” Ramos (22-1, 17 KOs) placed on a powerful show of physique punching on his method to an eighth-round stoppage of former unified world champion Jeison Rosario (24-5-2, 18 KOs) of their middleweight attraction.
“This feels nice,” stated Ramos. “I hoped to get the knockout as a substitute of a TKO, however this works for me too. I’m simply glad we had been capable of each come out of the ring wholesome.”
The 23-year-old Ramos established a constant physique assault early and sometimes, stalking his opponent across the ring on his method to touchdown 54 physique photographs throughout the primary 4 rounds. With Rosario weary of the physique photographs, Ramos appeared to have him damage early in spherical six when he combined in a flurry of uppercuts that pushed Rosario to the ropes.
“Attacking the physique was an necessary technique,” stated Ramos. “I wished to interrupt him down. He’s a giant man, so I wished to take my time in there.”
Again on the assault in spherical seven, Ramos despatched Rosario to the canvas late with a blistering straight left that wobbled Rosario earlier than he hit the mat. Rosario was capable of rise to his toes and stayed within the combat, however was in the end unable to gradual Ramos’ onslaught.
Because the combat moved into spherical eight, Ramos continued to maneuver ahead and ultimately broke by means of once more with a large proper hook that seemed to have Rosario damage moments earlier than referee Robert Hoyle jumped in and ended the combat at 2:18. After the emphatic victory, Ramos plans to renew his request for a 154-pound world championship.
“I wish to return right down to 154 kilos and combat one of the best within the division,” stated Ramos. “There’s quite a lot of expertise at tremendous welterweight and we’re trying to make all the large fights.”
Previous the pay-per-view, a three-fight PBC on Prime Video lineup was topped by unbeaten Argentine Olympian Mirco Cuello (15-0, 12 KOs) delivering a dramatic remaining spherical stoppage over Christian Olivo (22-2-1, 9 KOs) of their WBA Featherweight Title Eliminator.
Bouncing again from the primary knockdown of his profession in spherical two, Cuello returned the favor within the tenth spherical, placing Olivo down with a vicious left hook to the physique. Whereas Olivo rose to his toes, Cuello dropped him once more with a physique shot, ultimately inflicting referee Chris Flores to cease the motion 2:01 into the spherical. Cuello trailed on all three scorecards on the time of the stoppage (88-82, 87-83, 86-84).
The streaming presentation additionally featured WBA No. 1-rated middleweight Yoenli Feliciano Hernandez (7-0, 7 KOs) making an announcement to the 160-pound division by controlling the motion from begin to end towards a sport Angel Ruiz (19-3-1, 13 KOs) on his method to a fifth-round TKO (1:06).
Opening up the present, high prospect Curmel Moton (7-0, 6 KOs) scored a dominating third-round TKO over Frank Zaldivar (5-2, 3 KOs) of their light-weight battle. Preventing out of the Mayweather Promotions secure, Moton earned his fourth-straight stoppage with a flurry in spherical three that halted the combat 1:51 into the body.
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