David Benavidez had to get off the canvas to secure the biggest win of his career.
The former two-time WBC super middleweight champion outpointed David Morrell in a early Fight of the Year contender on Saturday night at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas to secure his position as the mandatory challenger for the Feb. 22 Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol 2 winner.
Benavidez (30-0, 24 KOs) set a ferocious pace from the opening bell and slowly broke down Morrell (11-1, 9 KOs) with body shots. Benavidez started to take over in the middle rounds, dominating long portions of rounds with inside work and combinations, forcing Morrell to respond.