David Morrell Jr. retained his WBA super middleweight title with the quick disposal of Sena Agbeko this past Saturday night at The Armory in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The referee stopped the fight at 1:43 of the second round.
“This is the first time my dad and my mom came to watch me fight, so it’s really special to have them here,” said Morrell (10-0, 9 KOs). A native of Cuba, Morrell was elated to have his parents, Rafael Sr. and Betty, allowed to emigrate to the U.S. from the island nation on November 2.
“In 2024, I want to fight Benavidez,” said Morrell Jr., referring to interim WBC super middleweight champion David Benavidez. Agbeko is now 28-3 (22 KOs).
The match was marred by controversy as Agbeko, who is from Ghana, accused Morrell of using performance enhancing drugs. He claimed Morrell did not want to fight in Las Vegas where drug testing is conducted and instead sought to have their clash in a state where testing is not required. Morrell settled in Minneapolis when he came to the U.S. from Cuba in 2019.
In the co-main event, Jose Valenzuela became an instant candidate for knockout of the year with a brutal knockout of Chris Colbert in the sixth round. Colbert (17-2, 6 KOs) narrowly defeated Valenzuela (13-2, 9 KOs) earlier this year by decision but Valenzuela did not leave the outcome in doubt the second time around.
“As soon as I went home I went straight to work,” Valenzuela said. “I want to thank Chris, he’s a hell of a fighter. If it wasn’t for him I wouldn’t be here. It takes two to tango, so I’m grateful for him.”
In a rematch that took over 11 years to happen between two former world champions, Robert Guerrero (38-6-1, 20 KOs) defeated Andre Berto (32-6, 24 KOs) for the second time, this time by a 98-92, 99-91, 98-82 unanimous decision after 10 rounds of welterweight action.
“I felt great in the ring,” the 40-year-old Guerrero said. “Berto is a tough character. He’s fast, he’s strong. He tied me up a lot. I’m pumped, I’m excited. Let’s see what’s next after this.”
“I came off a long layoff to try to avenge one of my losses and I was really trying tonight,” Berto said. “My timing was off, but I tried my best. I love this game, but I came up short.”
This Saturday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, former unified heavyweight world champion Anthony Joshua takes on Otto Wallin and former WBC heavyweight world champion Deontay Wilder will battle Joseph Parker. If Joshua and Wilder both emerge with wins, they are expected to meet up sometime in 2024 in their next matches.
WBA light heavyweight world champion Dmitry Bivol will defend his title against Lyndon Arthur on Saturday’s card. Bivol is best known for handing boxing superstar Canelo Alvarez his second career loss last year.
The day after Christmas, WBC and WBO junior featherweight world champion Naoya Inoue and IBF and WBA junior featherweight world champion Marlon Tapales will face off in a highly anticipated fight that could lead to an undisputed champion in the featherweight division.