WBA ‘regular’ light heavyweight champion David Morrell and WBC interim 175-lb champion David Benavidez will meet tomorrow, Tuesday, November 19, for their kick-off press conference to promote their February 1st clash.
Muriel will give Benavidez a piece of his lip, telling him what he thinks of the ‘Mexican Monster’ that he has avoided all these years. The Cuban talent has grown frustrated with Benavidez ducking him, calling him a “coward” for not choosing to fight him until now.
Many believe that Benavidez finally relented simply because Morel didn’t look hot enough in his debut at 175 on August 3 against Radivoje Kalajdzic.
Former two-time WBC super middleweight champion Benavidez is looking to rebuild at 175 after leaving the 168-lb division. He should have moved up to light heavyweight five years ago, but was trying to tie himself up in a title fight against Canelo Alvarez.
Benavidez (29-0, 24 KOs) and Morel (11-0, 9 KOs) are viewed as the two best fighters at 175, outside of the undisputed champ. Arthur Betterbeef and former WBA title holder Dmitri Biol. Whoever wins the Benavidez vs. Muriel fight could fight either of them in the first half of 2025.
Morrell-Benavidez will meet Tuesday at LA Live at The NOVO at 1:00 pm PT. [9:00 p.m. UK]. The two will headline the PBC on Prime Video pay-per-view at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
In a co-feature on the card, WBC World Featherweight Champion Brandon Figueroa faced Stephen Fulton in a rematch. This is a fight that could steal the show from the main event.
The two met on November 27, 2021, with Fulton (22-1, 8 KOs) defeating Figueroa (25-1-1, 19 KOs) by a 12-round majority decision. Fulton neutralized Figueroa’s power by outboxing him.
Since that fight, Fulton’s chin has been knocked down by Naoya ‘Monster’ Inoue, who lost by eighth-round knockout on July 25 of last year. In Fulton’s last match, he was hurt by Carlos Castro, but managed to survive and win a 10-round split decision.
Fulton hasn’t looked like the same fighter that Inoue once was, and there are questions about whether that’s a consistent threat for him. If Fulton can’t land a hard shot with the drop now, he won’t do well against Figueroa, who will be nonstop at him.
Other undercard fights
Isaac ‘Pitbull’ Cruz vs. Angel Farrow
Jesus Ramos Jr. vs. Jason Rosario
