David Benavidez vs. David Morrell Jr. fight results, highlights: 'El Monstruo' battles past foe in epic fight

Benavidez outworked his Cuban opponent in a back-and-forth battle

When you put two great fighters in the ring, great things happen. That was the case on Saturday night when David Benavidez and David Morrell shared the ring with a potential shot at the undisputed light heavyweight championship on the line. Benavidez ultimately scored the unanimous decision victory, but it was not a win that came without a series of difficult obstacles.

Benavidez and Morrell both moved from super middleweight to light heavyweight after failing to secure a shot at super middleweight king Saul "Canelo" Alvarez. With no bigger challenge to face than each other, the two entered the ring on Saturday with both chasing a shot at undisputed glory.

Benavidez came out with heavy pressure from the jump. Both men had plenty of moments, but it was Benavidez fighting off the front foot who landed more frequently and with the more meaningful impact.

Benavidez piled up rounds by keeping Morrell off balance and working to the body to open powerful shots to the head. Morrell was more than up to the task to continue trying to return fire, including scoring an 11th round knockdown, but the advantage in that round was quickly wiped away after Morrell landed a punch well after the bell and suffering a point deduction.

In the end, Benavidez held a 224-165 advantage in punches landed across 12 rounds. As a result, Benavidez would win the fight on official scorecards of 115-111, 115-111 and 118-108.

.@benavidez300 punches hurt more when you watch in slow-motion. #BenavidezMorrell pic.twitter.com/hTJhaTXYGA

— Premier Boxing Champions (@premierboxing) February 2, 2025

"He knows whose world this is, this is 'The Monster's' world," Benavidez said after his win. "... I prepared for everything, I was on my Ps and Qs. ... This was the biggest win of my career so far. Look at all the people who came to support me."

With the victory, Benavidez not only handed Morrell the first defeat of his professional career, but likely locked up a shot at the undisputed light heavyweight championship. Undisputed champion Artur Beterbiev will rematch former champion Dmitry Bivol on Feb. 22. The winner of that fight will have no more legitimate challenger than Benavidez.

"I just want to be the best of my era," Benavidez said. "I want to unify all four titles. Whoever is next, is next."

CBS Sports was with you throughout the entire way on Saturday with the live results and highlights below. 

Fight card, results

• David Benavidez def. David Morrell via unanimous decision (115-111, 115-111, 118-108)
• Stephen Fulton def. Brandon Figueroa (c) via unanimous decision (116-112, 116-112, 117-111)
• Isaac Cruz def. Angel Fierro via (96-94, 97-93, 98-92)
• Jesus Ramos def. Jeison Rosario via eighth-round TKO

Benavidez vs. Morrell scorecard, live coverage

Round	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	Total
Benavidez	10	10	9	9	10	10	10	10	10	10	9	10	117
Morrell Jr.	9	9	10	10	9	9	9	9	9	9	9	9	110

[Feb 2, 2025 at 12:12 am ET · Brent Brookhouse]

Official result: David Benavidez def. David Morrell via unanimous decision (115-111, 115-111, 118-108)

[Feb 2, 2025 at 12:09 am ET · Brent Brookhouse]

David Benavidez vs. David Morrell -- Round 12: Morrell tried to press hard as the final round started. Benavidez landed heavy punches, seemingly hurting Morrell before Morrell fired back. Morrell continued firing big shots and Benavidez fired right back. Their heads clashed late in the round but the fight continued.Morrell tried to showboat late but there seems to be no way he won the fight, especially after the point deduction on Round 11. Unofficial scorecard: 10-9 Benavidez (117-110)

[Feb 2, 2025 at 12:05 am ET · Brent Brookhouse]

David Benavidez vs. David Morrell -- Round 11: Benavidez cracked with two jabs and a heavy right hand. Morrell fired back with a good combination but none of those punches landed cleanly. Benavidez again landed to the body and then came upstairs with a right hand. Morrell fired away but it was Benavidez picking off punches before a good right hand. Morrell tried to fire away but Benavidez kept a good guard that prevented shots from landing cleanly. Morrell landed a winging left hand as Benavidez was off balance and Benavidez's gloves touched the canvas, resulting in a knockdown. Benavidez beat the count and stormed away with a series of punches as the round came to a close. Morrell then landed a punch well after the bell and Morrell was deducted a point, eliminating the 10-8 round. Unofficial scorecard: 9-9 (107-101 Benavidez)  

[Feb 2, 2025 at 12:00 am ET · Brent Brookhouse]

David Benavidez vs. David Morrell -- Round 10: Benavidez's pressure continued to seemingly bother Morrell, forcing him to fight going backward. Morrell had moments, letting his hands go and connecting with shots but Benavidez ripped body shots to open up the head. Benavidez connected with a few good jabs and a chopping right hand and then another late. This fight is closer than our scorecard may indicate. Unofficial scorecard: 10-9 Benavidez (98-92)

[Feb 1, 2025 at 11:56 pm ET · Brent Brookhouse]

David Benavidez vs. David Morrell -- Round 9: Benavidez popped a few good jabs early. Benavidez kept staying responsible with his defense, picking off shots from Morrell. Benavidez connected with a series of body shots and uppercuts to the head. Morrell connected with a solid hook. Morrell landed a hook to the body but Benavidez cracked back with a body shot and another punch the head. Morrell connected with a hook to the head. Unofficial scorecard: 10-9 Benavidez (88-83)  

[Feb 1, 2025 at 11:52 pm ET · Brent Brookhouse]

David Benavidez vs. David Morrell -- Round 8: Again, Benavidez pushed forward, forcing Morrell to fight off his back foot. Morrell tried to use a bit more lateral movement to find openings for his thots but Benavidez landed a good right. Morrell then landed a heavy left hand bounter. Morrell landed a good short left hand. Benavidez again pushed Morrell to the ropes and landed a good left to the body and one to the head. Benavidez landed two right hands to one jab from Morrell. It feel like Morrell has to figure out some way to shift the flow of the fight. Unofficial scorecard: 10-9 Benavidez (78-74)

[Feb 1, 2025 at 11:48 pm ET · Brent Brookhouse]

David Benavidez vs. David Morrell -- Round 7: Benavidez landed a good straight right hand. Benavidez dipped downstairs with a good right hand and then a hard jab to the head. Benavidez connected with a short uppercut and a left hook around the guard. Benavidez cracked with an uppercut but Morrell came back with a right hand around the guard. A hook landed for Benavidez but Morrell came back with a two-punch combination. Benavidez kept firing uppercuts and they kept landing. Benavidez ripped two hard body shots late. Unofficial scorecard: 10-9 Benavidez (68-65)

[Feb 1, 2025 at 11:44 pm ET · Brent Brookhouse]

David Benavidez vs. David Morrell -- Round 6: Benavidez started the round trying to walk Morrell down again. Morrell was too willing to accept going backward, allowing Benavidez to get off with good punches to the body and head. Benavidez landed a hard left uppercut and another seconds later. Feeling the pressure, Morrell fired back with a few hard left hands. Another uppercut landed for Benavidez. Benavidez led with a jab before another uppercut. Benavidez landed a good flurry late in the round. Unofficial scorecard: 10-9 Benavidez (58-56)

[Feb 1, 2025 at 11:40 pm ET · Brent Brookhouse]

David Benavidez vs. David Morrell -- Round 5: Benavidez was again on the front foot, landing a good right hand. Benavidez landed a good jab. Benavidez started relying on the jab a bit more in the middle stages but Morrell pushed him to the ropes where both fighters landed good punches. Benavidez landed a short hook and a right hand upstairs and one to the body. Morrell tried back with a good combination. Unofficial scorecard: 10-9 Benavidez (48-47)

[Feb 1, 2025 at 11:36 pm ET · Brent Brookhouse]

David Benavidez vs. David Morrell -- Round 4: Benavidez pushed forward, trapped Morrell in the corner and landed a few good shots before Morrell responded with a hard left hand. The fighters traded good shots as the action continued at a high pace. Benavidez landed a sharp jab and a left hand to the body. Benavidez landed a good left hand before dipping to the body and landing another hard left. Morrell landed a heavy shot when backed into the corner and Benavidez's legs buckled griefly. Both fighters let their hands go as the seconds ticked down and Benavidez landed a few heavy punches late. A great fight is cooking now. Unofficial scorecard: 10-9 Morrell (38-38)

[Feb 1, 2025 at 11:32 pm ET · Brent Brookhouse]

David Benavidez vs. David Morrell -- Round 3: Benavidez landed a good jab and pushed Morrell to the corner. Morrell came back with a hard flurry to force his way out of the corner. Morrell landed a good left hand and briefly backed Benavidez up. Morrell taunted a bit but ate a good right hand at the same time. Morrell started to get a bit loose and threw some good shots before Benavidez fired back with good combinations of his own. Benavidez glanced a shot off Morrell's chin and Morrell came back with a combination. Morrell landed a good jab before missing with a follow-up. Great action through three rounds. Unofficial scorecard: 10-9 Morrell (29-28 Benavidez)

[Feb 1, 2025 at 11:28 pm ET · Brent Brookhouse]

David Benavidez vs. David Morrell -- Round 2: Morrell continued to be the busier man, even if not landing everything he threw. Benavidez landed a nice right hand. Morrell fired back with a pair of good punches but then got trapped in the corner and took several punches from Benavidez. Benavidez continued to push forward and land good punches, forcing Morrell to cover up. Once Morrell got distance, he let his hands go again but Benavidez uncorked a pair of hard right hands that landed cleanly. These first two rounds have been good and close but Benavidez has landed the more meaningful shots. Unofficial scorecard: Benavidez 10-9 (20-18)