Dalton Smith Dazzles in KO Performance, Diego Pacheco Outpoints Steven Nelson, David Benavidez vs. David Morrell Fight Week!

Dalton Smith (17-0-0) participated in the first major DAZN double-header in some time. His fight with Walid Ouizza was the talk of the town, bringing out many of his hometown fans. The Sheffield native sparked Ouizza cold.

Ouizza (19-3-0), a very low-ranked name in comparison to Smith, put up a fight as best he could. Unfortunately, the contest was not as promising as some people believed. Ouizza was dealt with swiftly by way of a buzzer-beater knockout, just at the three-minute mark of the first round. It is unfortunate in Ouizza's case, considering he was on an 11-fight winning streak.

Although this streak was built against some questionable opponents, Ouizza's hard work in the pro ranks cannot be entirely discredited. On the winner's end, many people were happy that Smith was able to get back in the ring and capture the EBU title, bringing him one step closer to challenging for a world title.

In fact, television presenters for DAZN and Matchroom consistently pushed Smith in the direction of current WBC Super-Lightweight World Champion, Alberto Puello. This is because Smith is ranked 1st in the WBC's rankings, and currently carries the WBC Silver 140-lb title. Puello is scheduled to defend the “Big Green Belt” on the undercard of Gervonta Davis vs. Lamont Roach, but if he wins, Matchroom will make a serious effort to squeeze Dalton Smith in as a credible name for Puello's next title defense.

Smith's fanbase has backed him thoroughly across his career, confident that he would be able to break into the world stages. The issue was that Smith's career was very slowly moved in order to maximize financial negotiating power. By moving Smith slowly and growing him in the domestic UK market, his collection of accomplishments at home would give him higher claim to world honors.

An example of the opposite would be Conor Benn, who was pushed onto the big stage very early in his career. Benn never won the English, Commonwealth, or EBU titles, yet he was able to snag a WBA regional belt with the help of Eddie Hearn and Matchroom. Now, Benn is scheduled to face Chris Eubank Jr., potentially for Eubank's recently-won IBO Middleweight Championship. Smith, unlike Benn, has picked up minor belts with the intention to break out eventually.

The common theme for Smith's post-victory was that the leash on his career would finally be released, free to test the waters in the international market. There was talk of Smith being in attendance for Puello’s title defense against Spanish national Sandor Martin in Brooklyn in March 1st, referred to by Smith during an interview as “A little scouting job.” Dalton Smith had been inactive since stopping Jose Zepeda in March 2024 and then watched his domestic rival Adam Azim enhance his reputation.

It was with victory over Zepeda that he won the lightly regarded WBC silver title, and after defending it against Ouizza he said: “I’m hoping Mauricio is watching tonight – I’m sure he was – and I hope I made him proud. I’m number two with the WBC and I wanted to have a busy year, so shout out to Mauricio. I want to be a part of the WBC family with a world title.” Should Smith go on to challenge the winner, it is sure to be an impressive fight.

[David Benavidez vs. David Morrell Go to War on Saturday!]

We’ve reached fight week for David Benavidez and David Morrell. The “Battle of the Davids” is more than just a cultural clash between Mexico and Cuba. It marks the first time interim world championships will be unified in the 175-lb division.

There is very little information surrounding interim world championship unifications in the past, so it is also relatively safe to say that David Benavidez vs. David Morrell will be the first time any two interim titles in any two weight classes will be unified in the history of the sport. Until records contradict this, Morrell and Benavidez hold claim to an incredible feat.

To get the sanctioning bodies to work together in what has previously been rejected multiple times is impressive, despite what many detractors of both fanbases say. Some individuals believe the unification is for “fake” belts, but fail to realize that this fight sets up the winner to face the winner of the Beterbiev vs. Bivol rematch on February 22nd. If interim belts are fake, then why is this fight being prioritized over a fight like Joshua Buatsi vs. Callum Smith? A question for people who hate the sanctioning bodies and the number of belts in the sport to reflect on- but a valid question nonetheless.

Benavidez and Morrell will both enter the ring this Saturday with undefeated records, each man having numerous knockouts. Benavidez, dubbed the “Mexican Monster” by Mike Tyson, is known as one of the most fearsome volume punchers in the heavier weight classes. His punch selection is truly amazing to watch in real-time.

Against Caleb Plant and Oleksandr Gvozdyk, he wowed the crowd with consistent combination punching after catching his rhythm around the midpoint of each fight. On his best day, he can crush opponents with pressure that is suffocating, making the ring feel small. On his worst, he burns too much energy trying to find the correct punches to break his opponent down.

Morrell, only 11 fights deep into his career, is similar to Benavidez in the sense that his volume punching and shot selection are key features of the offensive effort. However, what separates Morrell from Benavidez is his footwork. Benavidez prefers to stand in front of his opponent and trade if necessary. Morrell uses the Cuban style to his advantage, cutting angles to the left and right to destroy the guard with laser-like precision.

On a card loaded with quality fights, Benavidez-Morrell already is contentious, given the verbal exchanges between the two. It continued Thursday at the pre-fight press conference in Las Vegas.

Benavidez has become adept at turning media events and appearances with his opponents into a war of words and admitted he thrives on animosity toward an opponent.

“I told you all I was going to break David Morrell’s face and that’s exactly what I’m going to do on Saturday," Benavidez said at his workout Wednesday in Las Vegas. “Everyone is gonna see a great fight. I’ve prepared extremely well for this fight. Don’t blink, because this fight is gonna end early.

Morrell exuded confidence similar to the man that will be opposite him in the ring on Saturday night. The WBA Light-Heavyweight World Champion didn't seem to be intimidated by his opponent's words. “Inside of the ring, nobody can stop what we’re gonna do to each other, just the referee," Morrell said. "I promise that I’m here to knock him out."

The four-fight main card, headlined by David Benavidez vs. David Morrell Jr., can be purchased through Amazon Prime's Prime Video service. Brandon "Heartbreak Kid" Figueroa (25-1-1, 19 KOs) vs. Stephen "CoolBoy Steph" Fulton (22-1, 8 KOs) for Figueroa's WBC featherweight title, Isaac "Pitbull" Cruz (26-3-1, 18 KOs) vs. Angel Fierro (23-2-2, 18 KOs), and Jesús Ramos (21-1-0, 17 KOs) vs. Jeison Rosario (24-4-2, 18 KOs) help round the card out on February 1st.

[Diego Pacheco Gives Steven Nelson His First Loss!]

Diego Pacheco put his undefeated record on the line against Steven Nelson, a fighter who also boasted an undefeated record. Nelson, known around the boxing community for being one of Terence Crawford's longest-tenured sparring partners, stepped in with confidence that should not be ignored.

Many people, including Crawford, believed Nelson could upset the world-championship destined Pacheco. The hype around Pacheco was certainly legitimate, but Nelson was no slouch either. Nelson, sharing Coach Brian “BoMac” McIntyre with Crawford, had big plans to advance to the world stage after upsetting Pacheco. Unfortunately, he would not be the victor of the spectacular clash between himself and world title hopeful Pacheco.

Pacheco (23-0, 18 KOs) won a wide unanimous decision over the previously unbeaten Steven Nelson (20-1, 16 KOs) at the Chelsea Ballroom at The Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas, with all three judges scoring the 12-round contest 117-111, all in favor of Pacheco.

Nelson started the fight well on the front foot, pushing Pacheco back with an educated jab to the head and body. Many people were surprised that Nelson was mounting such a powerful offensive effort at his age. Pacheco took some time to figure out what Nelson's plan was and adjusted accordingly.

While many of the exchanges were initiated by Nelson in the first three rounds, the tide turned in the fourth round when Pacheco opened up a cut over Nelson's left eye with a powerful right hand. Pacheco then put together a dominant spell from rounds five to 10, landing numerous right hands and uppercuts on Nelson and buzzing him on multiple occasions.

Nelson displayed great heart and chin, weathering the storm. At the age of 36, Nelson managed to stand up to the power of Pacheco. He finished the fight well, taking the final two rounds and hurting Pacheco in the 12th round with the left hook. The left hook has been the punch to rock Pacheco in previous fights, most famously against Marcelo Esteban Coceres, who landed at least a dozen power left hooks on Pacheco in their November 2023 clash.

Diego Pacheco made it very clear in his post-fight interview last Saturday night that he'll fight anybody put in front of him. But Pacheco's promoter, Eddie Hearn, made it clear that the 23-year-old is still one or two fights away from being ready for boxing's superstar unified super middleweight champion, Saul "Canelo" Alvarez.

Pacheco undoubtedly showcased that he is ready for some of boxing's bigger names at 168 pounds. The Californian is the WBO's No. 1-ranked contender for Alvarez after Berlanga fell to him late last year and is firmly in the mix to face him in May. Names that were mentioned for Pacheco going into the spring during the post-fight interview were Edgar Berlanga, Jaime Munguia, and Christian Mbili.

All three men are now under the DAZN banner but are separated by two promotions. Mbili and Munguia are signed to Top Rank, while Berlanga is signed to Matchroom. Turki Al-Al-Sheikh's monopoly over these promotions will significantly lessen the blow of a co-promotion for any of these fights, which increases the likelihood of Pacheco getting a step-up fight against any of them.