WBA super middleweight champion David Morrell (10-0, 9 KOs) sent a message tonight, knocking out Sena Abeko (28-3, 22 KOs) by a second round knockout at The Armory in Minneapolis, in Minnesota.
Live boxing results of tonight’s event will be shown below starting at 9:00 p.m. ET.
Jose “El Rayo” Valenzuela (13-2, 9 KOs) avenged his previous defeat, stopping Chris Colbert (17-2, 6 KOs) by a sixth round knockout in a WBA lightweight title eliminator in their rematch. The hard-hitting Rayo dropped Colbert with a beautiful right hook in the sixth round. The fight was then halted at 1:46 of the round.
Former two-division world champion Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero (38-6-1, 20 KOs) beat 40-year-old former welterweight champ Andre Berto (32-6, 24 KOs) by a ten round unanimous decision in a rematch. The judges scored it 98-92, 98-92, and 99-91. This was a rematch of a fight the two fighters had in 2012, which was one by Guerrero. Before tonight, the two fighters had been retired, but they returned because this was Showtime’s final boxing broadcast.
Unbeaten light welterweight contender Alberto Puello (22-0, 10 KOs) easily defeated previously undefeated Ector Madera (11-1, 6 KOs), winning an eight round unanimous decision. The judges scored it 80-72, 80-72, and 79-73. Puello was fighting for the first time since August of last year.
Middleweight Kyrone Davis (18-3-1, 6 KOs) picked up his second consecutive victory, defeating Cruse Stewart (8-3, 6 KOs) by a narrow eight round unanimous decision. The scores were 77-75, 77-75, and 77-75. Davis was stopped by David Benavidez in 2021 by a seventh round knockout.
Light heavyweight Lawrence King (14-1, 12 KOs) defeated journeyman Alex Theran (23-13, 15 KOs) by a fourth round knockout in a scheduled six round fight. Referee Mark Nelson stopped the fight at 0:18 of round four.
Middleweight Joey Spencer (17-1, 10 KOs) bounced back from his loss earlier this year against Jesus Ramos by defeating Marcelo Fabian Bzowski (11-25-4) by a six round unanimous decision. The scores were 60-54, 60-54 and 60-54.
David Morrell will defend his WBA ‘regular’ super middleweight title tonight against Sena Abeko in a showcase fight on Showtime Boxing’s curtain call in their final broadcast in Minneapolis.
The 25-year-old Cuban Morrell (9-0, 8 KOs), a fighter that not even David Benavidez wants to tangle with, has got an opponent that will come to fight in 31-year-old Agbeko (28-2, 22 KOs), and it should make for an interesting match for as long as it lasts.
Morrell could be the next star of the 168-lb division, and ready to move past ‘The Mexican Monster’ Benavidez to grab the baton from Canelo Alvarez. Tonight, he intends to show why he’s viewed as the guy to take over for Canelo by making easy work of his opponent Agbeko.
Morrell targeting reluctant fighter
“If Benavidez fights like he did against Andrade, he will lose,” said David Morrell to 210BoxingTv, talking about what will happen to David Benavidez if he fights him. “Come on, man. He’s 26, and I’m 25, so it’s perfect. Everybody is talking before that Benavidez is the boogeyman of the division.”
Morrell vs. Agbeko prediction: David Morrell wins by seventh round knockout against an overmatched Sena Agbeko, who doesn’t possess the skills or talent to hang in there with the talented Cuban fighter.
Benavidez is there to be hit due to his style of fighting, and it’s not possible for him to change the way he fights because he lacks the mobility, jab, or long gain to box. Morrell would take advantage of Benavidez’s one-dimensional style of fighting to hammer out a decision or score a knockout.
“No, you have the boogeyman of the division here. You’re NOT the boogeyman of the division,” Morrell continued about Benavidez. “I called you for a fight, and you said nothing. Your father says, I say no to Bivol. He talks like I don’t fight anybody with big names. You too.
“You only fight Plant, Boo Boo, and one more guy [David Lemieux?]. So, you’re talking s***. It’s crazy. His fighting Boo Boo is like easy money for him. For some reason, he doesn’t want to fight me.”
Benavidez’s best wins have come against Caleb Plant, Demetrius Andrade, and David Lemieux. That’s a weak bunch of fighters, and not in the class of Morrell or Canelo.
“I don’t care. Right now, I’m focused on this fight on December 16th,” said Morrell when asked if Benavidez should fight Canelo Alvarez. “After I get the win, my main vision will be on him [Benavidez], but now, I’m focused on this fight [Agbeko].
“If Canelo don’t want to fight him, I don’t care. After December 16th, I’m ready for everybody,” said Morrell.
Canelo appears to have made his mind up that he’s not going to fight Benavidez, likely due to all the trash-talking he’s done in the past, and the size of him. He looks like a guy who rehydrates to cruiserweight, and why would Canelo want to fight someone from that division?
Morrell could be the one that Canelo fights in the future, possibly next year, which would obviously infuriate Benavidez, but oh well.
“Sometimes you win and lose, and we’re here. I’m still working with him. He asked me to help him in the corner,” said Jose Benavidez Sr. to K.O. Artist Sports, talking about Jose ‘Rayo’ Valenzuela, who is taking on Chris Colbert in a rematch in a WBA lightweight title eliminator tonight.
“He has all the tools to beat Colbert, and I think we’re going to see another great fight. I think Rayo has all the tools to become a world champion. He’s bigger, he’s stronger. I think he had a great camp. I wasn’t in his camp this time, but I got him the rematch.”
Rayo Valenzuela (12-2, 8 KOs) needs to focus on trying to score a knockdown or knockout of Colbert (17-1, 6 KOs) because he doesn’t posses the skills to win a decision against this guy.
Hector Garcia dominated Colbert with his power and pressure, dropping him and hurting him. That’s what Rayo should be focusing on tonight.
“He trained really hard, and I believe he’s going to have a great fight. He’s going to come victorious, and after this fight, we’ll see if he’s ready for a world title,” said Benavidez Sr.
“A lot of people were talking a lot of s*** about David was going to get exposed and that he’s never fought a person like this guy, who has been waiting for his opportunity,” said Jose. Sr. talking about his son, David Benavdiez’s recent win over Demetrius Andrade.