David Benavidez vs. David Morrell Jr.: Judges' Scorecards, Punch Stats and Highlights

David Benavidez defended his interim WBC light heavyweight title fight while gaining the WBA "regular" light heavyweight championship and a shot at the unified world title down the line with a unanimous decision win over David Morrell Jr.

The battle of the previously unbeated light heavyweights served as a title eliminator. Benavidez now has an even bigger fight on his horizon with the winner of Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol 2 which is slated for February 22 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

For now, Benavidez deserves major kudos for coming away with a strong victory in a great fight.

The two set a fast pace with both fighters looking for a strong start to the bout. Benavidez, usually known for slow starts, came out swinging and his Cuban opponent had no issue firing back.

While Morrell was definitely a game opponent, it became apparent that Benavidez was the more efficient fighter. He was able to buzz Morrell with a straight right, attack to the body with ease and come out of most exchanges as the winner.

That being said, there was no shortage of analysts and fighters who were willing to give Morrell his props. Benavidez may have won more rounds, but they were competitive rounds.

Morrell's competitiveness and willingness to trade briefly paid off in Round 11. He knocked down Benavidez with a counter punch that caught his opponent off balance. However, Benavidez quickly recovered and the advantage was wiped away when Morrell was deducted a point for a punch that landed after the bell.

Compubox shared the punch stats for the fight. The numbers told the story of Benavidez's body punching and power shots playing the deciding role in the bout.

There's no doubt that this performance takes Benavidez's star even higher. After campaigning for a Canelo Alvarez fight that never materialized he's starting to blaze his own trail as a pound-for-pound threat.

A collision with either Beterbiev or Bivol next could really see the 30-0 fighter take off to a new level of stardom.