At the beginning of 2024, David Benavidez and David Morrell were considered as the two who could halt the super-middleweight reign of Canelo Alvarez and thus the pair were also linked to a fight with one another in a clash deemed as one of the sport’s most salivating. Now, the pair have surprisingly agreed to a deal, and their scrap may be joined by a world title affair as the co-main event on fight night.
Regardless of the fact that Benavidez and Morrell were portrayed as 168lb contenders at the beginning of the calendar, both men now campaign at light-heavyweight and are in hot pursuit of the world titles – which are expected to become fragmented shortly after the Beterbiev-Bivol undisputed showdown.
The hard-hitting and front-footed duo debuted at 175lbs in arduous battles against Oleksandr Gvozdyk and Radivoje Kalajdzic respectively and both scored unanimous-decision victories, their punch power appearing slightly less effective at the higher weight.
Still, both are expected to bank world titles at light-heavyweight in the near future and David Benavidez’s WBC interim title sees him well poised to capitalize when belts become vacant, as does Morrell’s WBA (Regular) trinket.
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On Instagram, Benavidez confirmed that a deal is in place for him and Morrell to fight and also that his belt will be on the line, assuring fans that more official details will be announced imminently.
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“There was a lot of names on the table but I wanted to give my fans the best fight possible . I reached out to David Morrell and his team to make this happen and we got the contract done.
“This fight really gonna be a banger!!! 2 of the best in the division and 2 titles on the line, LFG!!!!!
“Date & Location to be announced shortly.”
As for the undercard, it has recently emerged that Jose ‘Rayo’ Valenzuela could rematch Isaac ‘Pitbull’ Cruz in an attempted first defence of his WBA super-lightweight title, just months after their first encounter.
Valenzuela pulled off the upset win over ‘Pitbull’ on the Crawford-Madrimov undercard back in August, registering a surprise split-decision victory. Although, Cruz’s rematch clause meant that a second instalment was almost inevitable and Fernando Sabatini told social media that Benavidez’s father has admitted it could fall on his son’s bill.
No acaba de confirmar, en una entrevista, José Benavidez Sr. que están trabajando para que la coestelar de @Benavidez300 vs. @OsvaryJ sea la revancha entre @rayoboxing y @IsaacPitbull98
🔥 #BenavidezMorrell
🔥 #PitbullRayo 2#Boxeopic.twitter.com/V8isSEkA7y— Fernando Sabatini (@FerSabatiniBox) October 9, 2024
“In an interview, José Benavidez Sr. has just confirmed that they are working so that the co-main event of @Benavidez300vs. @OsvaryJ will be the rematch between @rayoboxing and @IsaacPitbull98”
Reports suggest that Benavidez-Morrell will take place on January 25th as a PBC pay-per-view event in Las Vegas, with the winner expected to challenge the victor of Beterbiev-Bivol during 2025.
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