An explosive brawl awaits the boxing community on February 1st at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. ‘Interim’ WBC light heavyweight champion David Benavidez will go toe-to-toe with Cuba’s WBA (Regular) light-heavyweight champion David Morrell in what is shaping up to be one of the biggest bouts of 2025. So, the question is, who’s more likely to bring home the win?

On the one hand, Benavidez clearly has more professional experience, but Morrell has an amateur record a lot of pros can only hope for. Despite the disparity in their resumes, the upcoming battle will be closer than one may think. Here’s a breakdown of their resume and stats to help you make the winning bet.

Predicting David Benavidez vs. David Morrell Jr.: Who has the better record?

David Benavidez boasts an impressive professional boxing record of 29-0-0, with 24 victories coming by knockout. The ‘Mexican Monster’ dominated the super middleweight division, securing notable wins against fighters like David Lemieux, Caleb Plant, and Demetrius Andrade. His dominance was so pronounced that even Canelo Alvarez reportedly demanded $200 million to avoid a fight against him.

Frustrated by Canelo’s refusal to face him, the Phoenix, Arizona native made the jump to the light heavyweight division last year, with a fight against Oleksandr Gvozdyk. While his performance wasn’t as commanding as usual, he still managed to secure a unanimous decision win against the Ukrainian Olympic Bronze medalist. However, the fight raised concerns among fans about his ability to excel in the higher weight class—something he will aim to address in his upcoming bout.

Despite his reputation as a knockout artist, Benavidez’s KO ratio has slightly dipped in recent fights. Against Caleb Plant, he delivered a largely one-sided performance but couldn’t secure the stoppage, and the same was true in the Gvozdyk fight. These results have brought his knockout ratio down to 82.76%.

Shifting focus to David Morrell, the Cuban sensation is no stranger to accolades. With an exceptional amateur record of 130-5, Morrell has collected gold medals at the 2016 Youth World Championships, the 2017 Cuban National Championships, and the 2018 India Open International Boxing Tournament. While his professional record of 11-0-0 with 9 knockouts may seem modest compared to Benavidez’s, Morrell’s extensive amateur experience makes him a formidable opponent.

In the professional ranks, Morrell has risen swiftly, defeating notable contenders such as Radivoje Kalajdzic, Sena Agbeko, and Yamaguchi Falcao in his last three fights. Before his unanimous decision win against Kalajdzic, Morrell was on a seven-fight knockout streak, maintaining a knockout ratio of 81.82%, nearly identical to Benavidez’s.

However, like Benavidez, Morrell has limited experience in the light heavyweight division, making their upcoming fight a closely matched contest. With both fighters bringing unique strengths to the table, the bout is expected to be a back-and-forth battle, with each likely to edge certain rounds. That said, Benavidez’s experience and proven resilience may give him a slight advantage, potentially leading to a hard-fought decision victory.

Benavidez and Morrell: Age, height, weight, reach comparison, and more

While David Benavidez may hold a slight edge over Morrell based on their past performances, other factors like height, weight, and reach could play a pivotal role in determining the outcome of their upcoming fight. At 28 years old, David Benavidez is slightly older than David Morrell, who recently turned 27 in January.

When it comes to physical attributes, Benavidez has a clear size advantage, which could tilt the fight in his favor. Standing at 6′ 2″ (188 cm), Benavidez is slightly taller than Morrell, who stands at 6′ 1″ (185 cm). However, with 78½″ (199 cm) to Benavidez’s 74½″ (189 cm), Morell has a reach advantage over the former Super middleweight champion. This discrepancy in reach gives Morell a better chance at keeping a pressure-fighter like the Mexican Monster at a distance with his well-timed jabs. 

For David Benavidez, success will hinge on his ability to close the distance without exposing himself to counterattacks, while David Morell will aim to keep the Interim champion at bay using his reach and movement. In terms of weight, the official weigh-ins will ultimately determine how the fighters measure up, but their history offers some insight into their ability to make weight. 

Benavidez weighed 174¼ pounds in his light heavyweight debut against Oleksandr Gvozdyk, while he came in at 167 and 166¾ pounds in his two previous super middleweight bouts—both within the limit. However, it’s worth noting that Benavidez has faced weight-related issues in the past, including being stripped of his WBC super middleweight title in 2020 for missing weight against Roamer Alexis Angulo.

Morrell, on the other hand, weighed in at 174¾ pounds for his fight against Radivoje Kalajdzic at light heavyweight. In his two prior super middleweight bouts, he tipped the scales at 167½ and 167¾ pounds, comfortably making weight. Based on this track record, both fighters appear well-positioned to hit the mark without any major complications.

That said, even though David Benavidez has the upper hand on paper and will most likely edge out Morrell next month, the fight is the definition of a very close encounter. Moreover, the winner of this fight may get the opportunity to face the winner of Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol, which will go down later next month. Who do you think will win?