02/05/2025

Photo Credit: Esther Lin/Premier Boxing Champions
David Benavidez wins via Unanimous Decision over David Morrell
Details:
Benavidez gets his best win to-date over the Cuban standout David Morrell. David got to work early and looked the best of his career in the first 3 quarters of this fight. Morrell’s durability was definitely his best quality during the fight, but his offense shined as well. Benavidez was dropped in the 11th, but it looked to be to called incorrectly. Morrell had a point taken in the 11th, due to punching Benavidez after the bell.
Takeaways:
Benavidez’s defense and technical ability is severely underrated
Benavidez’s gas tank was an issue in the 2nd half of the fight for the 2nd fight in a row
Benavidez won clearly, but this was a great fight
Morrell’s stock went up, even after the loss
Morrell is a gifted athlete, but he needs to fine tune his game
Performance Grades:
Benavidez: A
Best he’s looked in his career vs. the best opponent he has ever been in the ring with. The gas tank is the biggest concern with David going forward. Benavidez has power, but it is not one-shot, game-changing.
Morrell: B
Great durability with explosive offense. His game lacks the subtleties of the boxing game. Everything is big shots and big movements. He probably beats every light heavyweight not named Bivol, Beterbiev, and Benavidez.
Fight Grade: A
Benavidez won clearly, but Morrell had big moments spread throughout the fight to keep you at the edge of your seat. Further proof that two guys can fight early in their physical primes and both the winner and loser can raise their stock.

Photo Credit: Esther Lin/Premier Boxing Champions
Stephen Fulton wins via Unanimous decision over Brandon Figueroa
Details:
Stephen Fulton may have had his best performance, while Brandon may have had his worse. Fulton outboxed Figueroa and landed clean work, while Brandon was stuck in the mud in front of him.
Takeaways:
Fulton is still a top fighter in boxing and might currently be the best guy at 126
Figueroa needs to move up in weight, but his style really relies on him being stronger than his opponent. As he moves up, that advantage starts to go away
Naoya Inoue is REALLY amazing
Performance Grades:
Fulton: A
Looked as sharp as he did vs. Danny Roman. Definitely silenced some critics. The defense and offense were all very consistent.
Figueroa: F
Looked like a shell of himself here and very similar to how his brother Omar looked when things started to go south for him.
Fight Grade: C+
The performance of Fulton is the thing that makes this fight worth watching, but Figueroa had so little to offer, that the fight could never really get interesting.

Photo Credit: Esther Lin/Premier Boxing Champions
Isaac Cruz wins via Unanimous Decision over Angel Fierro
Details:
Cruz started quick and landed pretty much everything he wanted to on Fierro. When Isaac Cruz had full energy, Fierro couldn’t keep up, but his durability got him through the Cruz storm. Fierro’s consistent offense, once Cruz slowed down, got him back in the fight. I scored the fight a draw, but there were many swing rounds, so no issue with Cruz winning. Isaac Cruz was rocked bad in the 3rd.
Takeaways:
Isaac Cruz stock has been on a downward spiral
Cruz power at 140 is not game changing
Cruz vs. the Sandor Martin-Alberto Puello winner would be a horrible style matchup for him
Performance Grades:
Cruz: B-
Very good offense to start the fight, but because Fierro was so easy to land on, he never showed any patience. All of Cruz’s offense is big shots that take a lot out of his gas tank. He was drained in most of the 2nd half of the fight.
Fierro: B-
The durability and gas tank were very impressive. He lacks physical talents, besides the durability and cardio, to compete at a high level in boxing. This performance is the best it gets, but it can lead to some entertainment.
Fight Grade: A
Pure fun and action. Very good matchmaking to get these two styles in the ring. Not the highest skill level, but definitely fireworks. Please give us a rematch.
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