David Benavidez has confirmed his next fight against David Morrell. The pair is scheduled to square off in a light heavyweight bout with two belts on the line. The event date and location, however, are yet to be determined.
In September, it was reported that former two-time super middleweight champion Benavidez (29-0, 24 KOs) would face Philadelphia’s Jesse Hart (31-3, 25 KOs) in the co-feature to Gervonta Davis vs Lamont Roach Jr. The latter bout has been formally announced this week for December 14 at Toyota Center in Houston.
Benavidez (29-0, 24 KOs) was in action in June in Las Vegas, where he landed the interim WBC 175 lbs belt by unanimous decision against Oleksandr Gvozdyk. On Wednesday, the unbeaten 27-year-old Phoenix native announced his next fight against the division’s WBA “Regular” champion David Morrell (11-0, 9 KOs). The unbeaten 26-year-old Cuban southpaw is coming off the win by unanimous decision against Radivoje Kalajdzic in August in LA.
“There was a lot of names on the table, but I wanted to give my fans the best fight possible,” David Benavidez wrote in a post on social media. “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.”
According to reports, the Benavidez vs Morrell showdown could take place in Las Vegas and join the boxing schedule for January.
Meanwhile, the undisputed four-belt light heavyweight title is at stake on October 12 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The bout features unified WBC, WBO and IBF champion Artur Beterbiev (20-0, 20 KOs) up against WBA titleholder Dmitry Bivol (23-0, 12 KOs). The winners could potentially square off at some point in 2025.