WBC Special preview: Benavidez vs. Morrell
WBC STATISTICS
WBC Interim Light Heavyweight World Championship
February 1, 2025 / Las Vegas, Nevada / T-Mobile Arena
TGB PROMOTIONS & SAMPSON BOXING PRESENT:
DAVID “El Monstruo” BENAVIDEZ (USA)
· WBC Interim Light Heavyweight Champion, 1st Defense
· Former WBC Super Middleweight World Champion (2-time), 1 defense
Age: 28 / Date of birth: December 17, 1996
Residence: Seattle, Washington / Birthplace: Phoenix, Arizona
Record: 29-0, 24 KOs / Total rounds: 148 / World championship fights: 4-0, 2 KOs
Height: 6’0.5” – 184cm / Reach: 74.5” – 189cm / Stance: Right-handed
Promoter: Sampson Lewkowicz / Manager, trainer: Jose Benavidez Sr.
DAVID MORRELL JR. (Cuba)
· WBA Light Heavyweight World Champion
Age: 26 / Date of birth: January 18, 1998
Residence: West Palm Beach, Florida / Birthplace: Santa Clara, Cuba
Record: 11-0, 9 KOs / Total rounds: 54
Height: 6’1” – 185cm / Reach: 77” – 195cm / Stance: Left-handed
World championship fights: 7-0, 6 KOs
Manager: Ned Abdul / Advisor: Al Haymon / Trainer: Ronnie Shields
WBC LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT WORLD CHAMPIONS:
1. Harold Johnson (US) 1963
2. Willie Pastrano (US) 1963 – 1965
3. Jose Torres (P. Rico) 1965 – 1966
4. Dick Tiger (Nigeria) 1966 – 1968
5. Bob Foster (US) 1968 – 1974
6. John Conteh (GB) 1974 – 1977
7. Miguel Angel Cuello (Arg) 1977 – 1978
8. Mate Parlov (Yugoslavia) 1978
9. Marvin Johnson (US) 1978 – 1979
10. Matthew Saad Muhammad (US) 1979 – 1981
11. Dwight Muhammad Qawi (US) 1981 – 1983
12. Michael Spinks (US) 1983 – 1985
13. J.B. Williamson (US) 1985 – 1986
14. Dennis Andries (GB) 1986 – 1987
15. Thomas Hearns (US) 1987
16. Don LaLonde (CAN) 1987 – 1988
17. Ray Leonard (US) 1988
18. Dennis Andries (GB) 1989 *
19. Jeff Harding (Australia) 1989 – 1990
20. Dennis Andries (GB) 1990 – 1991 *
21. Jeff Harding (Australia) 1991 – 1994 *
22. Mike McCallum (Jamaica) 1994 – 1995
23. Fabrice Tiozzo (Fra) 1995 – 1996
24. Roy Jones Jr. (US) 1996 – 1997
25. Montell Griffin (US) 1997
26. Graciano Rocchigiani (Ger) Interim 1998
27. Roy Jones Jr. (US) 1997 – 2003 *
28. Antonio Tarver (US) 2003
29. Roy Jones Jr. (US) 2003 – 2004 *
30. Antonio Tarver (US) 2004 *
31. Tomasz Adamek (Poland) 2005 – 2007
32. Chad Dawson (US) 2007 – 2008
33. Adrian Diaconu (Rom/Can) 2008 – 2009
34. Jean Pascal (Haiti/Canada) 2009 – 2011
35. Chad Dawson (US) Interim 2009 – 2010 *
36. Bernard Hopkins (US) 2011 – 2012
37. Chad Dawson (US) 2012 – 2013*
38. Adonis Stevenson (Haiti/Can) 2013 – 2018
39. Oleksandr Gvozdyk (Ukraine) 2018 – 2019
40. Artur Beterbiev (Russia) 2019 –
41. David Benavidez (US) Interim 2024 –
* Regained
WBC TOP 10 LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONS
1. Roy Jones Jr. (US)
2. Bernard Hopkins (US)
3. Bob Foster (US)
4. Michael Spinks (US)
5. Adonis Stevenson (Haiti/Canada)
6. Mike McCallum (Jamaica)
7. Jose Torres (Puerto Rico)
8. Dick Tiger (Nigeria)
9. Matthew Saad Muhammad (US)
10. Chad Dawson (US)
GENERAL INFORMATION ON THE LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT DIVISION IN WBC HISTORY:
33 light heavyweight world champions have been recognized by the WBC, of whom only five have regained the title: Dennis Andries (GB) two times, Jeff Harding (Australia), Roy Jones Jr. (US) two times, Antonio Tarver (US), and Chad Dawson (US) two times.
125 light heavyweight world championship fights have been held in WBC history.
Bob Foster (US) holds the record for light heavyweight world title defenses with 14.
MEMORABLE WBC LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP FIGHTS:
Oct. 12, 2024 Artur Beterbiev W12 Dmitry Bivol – Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
June 15, 2024 David Benavidez W12 Oleksandr Gvozdyk (Interim) – Las Vegas, Nevada
Jan. 13, 2024 Artur Beterbiev TKO7 Callum Smith – Québec City, Québec
Jan. 28, 2023 Artur Beterbiev TKO8 Anthony Yarde – London, England
June 18, 2022 Artur Beterbiev TKO2 Joe Smith Jr. – New York, New York
Dec. 17, 2021 Artur Beterbiev KO9 Marcus Browne – Montréal, Québec
Mar. 20, 2021 Artur Beterbiev TKO10 Adam Deines – Moscow, Russia
Oct. 18, 2019 Artur Beterbiev TKO10 Oleksandr Gvozdyk – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Dec. 1, 2018 Oleksandr Gvozdyk KO11 Adonis Stevenson – Québec City, Québec
May 19, 2018 Adonis Stevenson D12 Badou Jack – Toronto, Ontario
May 24, 2014 Adonis Stevenson W12 Andrzej Fonfara – Montréal, Québec
June 8, 2013 Adonis Stevenson KO1 Chad Dawson – Montréal, Québec
Apr. 28, 2012 Chad Dawson W12 Bernard Hopkins – Atlantic City, New Jersey
May 21, 2011 Bernard Hopkins W12 John Pascal – Montréal, Québec
Dec. 11, 2009 Jean Pascal W12 Adrian Diaconu – Montréal, Québec
Apr. 12, 2008 Chad Dawson W12 Glen Johnson – Tampa, Florida
May 21, 2005 Tomasz Adamek W12 Paul Briggs – Chicago, Illinois
May 15, 2004 Antonio Tarver TKO2 Roy Jones Jr. – Las Vegas, Nevada
Nov. 22, 1996 Roy Jones Jr. W12 Mike McCallum – Tampa, Florida
July 23, 1994 Mike McCallum W12 Jeff Harding – Bismarck, North Dakota
Nov. 7, 1988 Sugar Ray Leonard TKO9 Donny Lalonde – Las Vegas, Nevada
May 29, 1988 Donny Lalonde TKO5 Leslie Stewart – Port of Spain, Trinidad
Mar. 7, 1987 Thomas Hearns TKO10 Dennis Andries – Detroit, Michigan
Sep. 10, 1986 Dennis Andries TKO9 Tony Sibson – London, England
Mar. 18, 1983 Michael Spinks W15 Dwight Muhammad Qawi – Atlantic City, New Jersey
Dec. 19, 1981 Dwight Muhammad Qawi TKO10 Matthew Saad Muhammad – Atlantic City, New Jersey
Apr. 22, 1979 Matthew Saad Muhammad TKO8 Marvin Johnson – Indianapolis, Indiana
Oct. 9, 1976 John Conteh W15 Yaqui Lopez – Copenhagen, Denmark
May 24, 1968 Bob Foster KO4 Dick Tiger – New York, New York
Dec. 16, 1966 Dick Tiger W15 José Torres – New York, New York
Aug. 15, 1966 José Torres W15 Eddie Cotton – Las Vegas, Nevada
June 1, 1963 Willie Pastrano W15 Harold Johnson – Las Vegas, Nevada
Benavidez vs. Morrell
World Boxing Council interim light heavyweight champion David “The Monster” Benavidez will face David Morrell Jr. in the main event of a card that will take place this Saturday, February 1, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The fight is organized by Premier Boxing Champions and will be televised by PBC PPV on Prime Video. In Latin America, it will be available on ESPN KO.
This card includes a group of the best talents in the sport, all crowned by a confrontation that has been brewing for years, in which Benavidez and Morrell face each other with the opportunity not only to establish themselves as the future of the light heavyweight division, but also as a potential force on the pound-for-pound lists and one of the faces of the sport in the years to come.
In his most recent fight, “Red Flag” Benavidez beat Oleksandr Gvozdyk at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas at 175 pounds. He raised his record to 29-0, with 24 knockouts.
It was his first victory at light heavyweight and he was crowned interim WBC light heavyweight champion.
In 2023, Benavidez beat Caleb Plant in March and Demetrius Andrade in November.
Morrell, meanwhile, has a record of 11-0, with 9 knockouts. He won the WBA light heavyweight title in June 2021, scoring a first-round knockout over Mario Abel Cazares, and since then, he has won six fights in a row.
Morell stresses that a victory over Benavidez would project him as a world star. On Saturday’s card, WBC featherweight world champion Brandon “The Heartbreaker” Figueroa will defend his world title against former unified world champion Stephen Fulton Jr.
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