David Benavidez favored to defeat David Morrell Jr. in Light-heavyweight showdown

Dean Etheridge
By , Updated on: Jan 9, 2025 12:00 AM
David Benavidez favored to defeat David Morrell Jr. in Light-heavyweight showdown

David Benavidez and David Morrell Jr. will meet in a Light-heavyweight title fight in Las Vegas on February 1st. Benavidez (-175) is the more established fighter in the professional ranks and is the betting favorite to win. But David Morrell Jr. (+145) is an accomplished fighter with an outstanding amateur record who cannot be underestimated. Read on for our fight preview and boxing betting picks to win the fight.

  • Who: David Benavidez vs. David Morrell
  • What: Light-heavyweight title fight
  • Where: T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada
  • When: Saturday, February 1st, 2025
  • Ring Walks: TBC

The big picture

Interim WBC light-heavyweight champion David BenavĂ­dez will take on WBA light-heavyweight champion David Morrell Jr. on February 1st. Both fighters will put their belts on the lines when the two clash at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

The two fighters have traded insults in recent weeks. And that is set to intensify as the fight gets all the closer. Neither man has much respect for the other, with both promising to make the other eat their words when they finally get in the ring.

Both men are unbeaten. And that adds to the intensity of this fight. But there is a lot more to this fight than just protecting an unbeaten record.

Fellow light heavyweights Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol are rematching on February 22nd. And unless there is a trilogy fight, whoever wins between BenavĂ­dez and Morrell Jr. will be in the prime position to fight whoever wins the undisputed light-heavyweight rematch.

David Benavidez vs. David Morrell betting odds

The bookmakers are favoring David Benavidez to win the fight. The interim WBC light-heavyweight champion is -175 to defeat Morrell and retain his unbeaten record.

David Morrell Jr. is the outsider at +145. Those aren’t massive odds and show how close this fight could be.

Benavidez vs. MorrellBovadaBetOnlineBetUS
David Benavidez-175-175-175
David Morrell+145+145+145
Over 10.5 Rounds-300-300-300
Under 10.5 Rounds+225+225+225

In the total rounds market, over 10.5 rounds is -300, and under 10.5 is +225.

Moving onto the props, the fight is -250 to go the distance, and +175 to be decided without the judges needing to get involved. If you think the fight will end in Rounds 1-6 you can get a massive +600 and for the fight to end in Rounds 7-12, +335 is available.

The latest boxing betting odds on the method of victory props market can be found below:

  • David Benavidez to win by decision +140
  • David Benavidez to win by KO/TKO/DQ +335
  • David Morrell to win by decision +250
  • David Morrell to win by KO/TKO/DQ +550
  • Draw +1400

For our odds, we have only used the best betting sites for wagering on boxing. You can read more about them on our Boxing Betting Online Apps 2025 page.

David Benavidez

David Benavidez is the No.2 ranked light-heavyweight. The 28-year-old American fights out of an orthodox stance. He has a professional fight record of 29-0, with 24 of his wins coming by KO.

The fight against Morrell Jr. will only be the second time Benavidez has fought at 175 pounds. In his one and only fight in this division Benavidez defeated Oleksandr Gvozdyk by unanimous decision to win the vacant WBC interim light heavyweight title.

Prior to that, Benavidez was the WBC interim super middleweight title holder. He won the belt by defeating David Lemieux in May 2022 by a 3rd round TKO.

The American then defended the title twice. First, he defeated Caleb Plant by unanimous decision, and then he forced Demetrius Andrade to retire on his stool at the end of the 6th round.

David Benavidez To beat David Morrell Jr.
BetOnline
-175

David Morrell Jr.

David Morrell Jr. is a 26-year-old southpaw with a professional fight record of 11-0. Nine of his eleven wins have come by KO.

Morrell Jr. is from Cuba. And like many of his fellow countrymen, Morrell has a distinguished amateur career with a record of 130-5.

Highlighting his caliber, Morrell won the vacant WBA interim super-middleweight title in only his third fight as a professional.

Morrell Jr. was upgraded from interim to regular champion shortly after. He successfully defended the belt on six occasions.

Like Benavidez, Morrell Jr. also stepped up to the 175 division in search of more lucrative fights. And like his American rival, this is also Morrell’s second fight at this weight. He won his first by beating Radivoje Kalajdzic by unanimous decision in August 2024.

David Morrell Jr. To beat David Benavidez
BetUS
+145

David Benavidez vs. David Morrell Betting Picks and Predictions

Both these fighters are technically sound and both are knock-out experts. It is strange to see such long odds on the fight going the distance given both men’s professional records.

There is also plenty of animosity between the two. And with this animosity likely to play a role in the fight, we can see the contest finishing early.

David Benavidez is favored to win. But this looks set to be a very close scrap that could go either way. As a result, our betting pick is for the fight to end between rounds 7 and 12 at +335.

Benavidez vs. Morrell Jr. Fight to end Rounds 7-12
Bovada
+335

Make sure you check out our top-rated sportsbooks below. These are our recommended Boxing betting partners that you can read more about on our Best Sportsbook Reviews 2025 page:

Meet the author

Dean Etheridge

Dean is an experienced freelance content writer who honed his skills by writing for his own football betting website for over 15 years. In more recent times, Dean has extended his sports writing portfolio to cover a whole host of other sports including golf, tennis,...

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