The final quarter of 2024 was a triumph for boxing, highlighted by the electrifying clash between Dmitry Bivol and Artur Beterbiev in October. Now, the sport is set to maintain its momentum into the first quarter of 2025, with David Benavidez preparing to face off against David Morrell in a highly anticipated showdown. Adding to the buzz, former five-division champion Floyd Mayweather is stirring excitement as he promotes the February 1st event.

The WBC interim light heavyweight champion and the WBA regular champion will lock horns at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada—the PBC pay-per-view will stream live on Amazon Prime Video worldwide. Benavidez previously defeated Caleb Plant and Demetrius Andrade, wrapping up an impressive 2023, but could not secure a fight against Canelo Alvarez. 

So, he did the next best thing for his career, moved to light-heavyweight to fight Oleksandr Gvozdyk. His performance wasn’t as great as previously, but he secured a unanimous decision victory to claim the interim title. Regardless, he was originally supposed to fight the winner of Bivol vs. Beterbiev, but with that fight heading into a rematch, Benavidez made the next big fight. 

The 26-year-old southpaw, on the other hand, held the secondary version of the WBA super middleweight title for a few years before deciding to move up to light heavyweight in August this year just like Benavidez. Interestingly, his first fight in the division was much like Benavidez’s—far from impressive, as he secured a unanimous decision over Radivoje Kalajdzic.

Whoever gets their hand raised after this bout will have more of a claim against the winner of Beterbiev vs. Bivol rematch—should they fight again. Nonetheless, Floyd Mayweather hopped on his Instagram story earlier today to write, “The best card of 2025” while sharing the poster for the card. 

Floyd Mayweather also shared a post, with the caption, “Starting The New Year Off With Exciting Boxing!” That being said, who else is on the card besides Benavidez and Morrell in the main event, of course? 

David Benavidez vs. David Morrell: Undercard

The undercard of the fight is as thrilling as the main event promises to be. Stephen Fulton and Brandon Figueroa will rekindle their rivalry for the WBC featherweight title. Their initial bout in 2021 saw Fulton edge out a majority decision win. Since the bout, Fulton has rebounded from a loss to Naoya Inoue, while Figueroa recently claimed the title by defeating Mark Magsayo. 

That’s not all, folks. Isaac Cruz will take on Angel Fierro in a lightweight battle, as both boxers look for redemption after recent losses. In the pay-per-view opener, Jesus Ramos Jr. faces former unified junior middleweight champion Jeison Rosario. Ramos, aiming to bounce back, meets Rosario in a pivotal showdown of youth vs. experience.

It appears 2025 is off to a brilliant start for boxing, with heavy hitters colliding in the ring. But the question is, who will come out the victor? Can David Benavidez beat Morrell to secure a potential title shot? Or will Morrell prove too much for David at 175?