Unbeaten run ends as ‘Mexican Monster’ eyes undisputed light heavyweight title shot after win

The ‘Mexican Monster’ David Benavidez is set for a shot at the undisputed light heavyweight crown after taking down the previously unbeaten David Morrell in Las Vegas.

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Benavidez claimed a unanimous decision (115-111 x2, 118-108) to move to 30-0 (24 KOs), retaining his WBC light heavyweight interim title and winning Morrell’s WBA light heavyweight “regular” belt.

He is set to earn an undisputed light heavyweight title shot, likely to become mandatory for the winner between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol, who meet in three weeks’ time in Saudi Arabia.

Beterbiev won by majority decision when he and Bivol met in October.

“I thought he was gonna hit harder … he was easier to hit than I expected,” Benavidez said post-fight.

“That little bulls*** a** knockdown, he caught me off balance.”

A dramatic fourth round saw massive bombs thrown by both men and Benavidez threatening a knockdown before Morrell was saved by the bell.

The TV judge had the fight even at 38-all after four.

Some huge rights left Morrell doubled over right at the end of the fifth round, with Benavidez landing 28 body shots to 11 over the fourth to seventh rounds.

A big right uppercut that landed on Morrell’s chin in the sixth also had a major impact, as Benavidez pulled away on the cards.

Morrell was awarded a borderline knockdown late in the 11th round, just the second time Benavidez had ever been knocked down.

But it was almost instantly erased with Morrell deducted a point for punching after the bell just 30 seconds later.

Benavidez had been trying for years to fight super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez but after being rejected moved up in weight. This was his second fight at light heavyweight.

Morrell moved up from the amateur ranks in late 2019 and won nine of his first 10 fights by KO before going the distance vs Radivoje Kalajdzic on the Terence Crawford vs. Israil Madrimov undercard.

Earlier Stephen Fulton upset Brandon Figueroa to win his WBC featherweight title by unanimous decision (116-112 x2, 117-111).

Fulton also beat Figueroa in 2021 by majority decision but that was a junior featherweight title unification match. This was just his second fight at 126 pounds.

Elsewhere on the undercard Isaac Cruz defeated Angel Fierro by unanimous decision (96-95, 97-93, 98-92) in an early fight of the year contender, while Jesus Alejandro Ramos Jr. beat Jeison Rosario by eighth-round TKO.