Fighting for a place among the greats – World Boxing Association

David Morrell Jr. promises to be relentless in his next bout. He’s confident he’ll defeat David Benavidez, perhaps the biggest challenge of his career.

His goal: to defend his WBA Light Heavyweight title. But with every round and every punch, he’s fighting for his reputation, his dream of becoming one of the greatest boxers of today, and, why not, earning his rightful place among the greatest Cuban boxers of all time.

Morrell’s journey has been nothing short of extraordinary since he left his native Cuba. By then, he had already built an impressive amateur career, with a record of 53 fights, 48 wins, and just five losses. In 2016, he became the AIBA Youth World Champion.

After a stint in Mexico, he arrived in the United States to begin his professional career. He quickly proved his worth, achieving his dream of becoming a champion by claiming the WBA Super Middleweight title in just his third professional fight. On August 8, 2020, he defeated Guyana’s Lennox Allen by unanimous decision.

Leaving his family in Santa Clara to pursue his boxing dreams was a personal sacrifice that has started to pay off.

Since then, Morrell Jr. has only improved. He dispatched all his opponents with spectacular knockouts, except for Kazakhstan’s Aidos Yerbossynuly, whom he outlasted throughout the entire fight before delivering a devastating KO.

Last year, he moved up in weight and, in August, claimed the WBA Light Heavyweight title in Los Angeles with his second unanimous decision victory, defeating Serbia’s Radivoje Kalajdzic.

In his own words, his upcoming fight against Benavidez “is the fight that will change everything.” Not bad for an ambitious and efficient boxer destined for the elite with just 11 professional fights, 9 of which ended in knockouts.

Known for his power, speed, and skill in the ring, a victory over Benavidez would position Morrell Jr. alongside the two titans of the division: Dmitry Bivol, former WBA Super Champion, and the undefeated Artur Beterbiev, the current king of the category.

Regardless of the outcome, echoes of legendary Cuban boxers resonate in Morrell Jr.’s career: Mario Kindelán, Teófilo Stevenson, Félix Savón, as well as Guillermo “El Chacal” Rigondeaux and Joel “El Cepillo” Casamayor, Ultiminio “Sugar” Ramos, José “Mantequilla” Nápoles, Kid Gavilán, and Kid Chocolate, the first Cuban world champion—all-time greats of the WBA.

These are echoes from another era. On Saturday, we’ll see how close David Morrell Jr. is to joining them.

The fight will headline the PBC program at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, broadcast via PBC PPV on Prime Video. The card will also feature Argentina’s Mirco Cuello and Mexico’s Christian “Kiki” Olivo in a WBA Featherweight world title eliminator.