David Morrell made a strong statement on a big stage.
The 168-pound contender needed less than a full round to put Yamaguchi Falcao down twice before brutally knocking him out on the Gervonta Davis-Ryan Garcia card Saturday in Las Vegas.
The official time was 2:22 of Round 1.
Morrell (9-0, 8 KOs) began to land hard power shots almost from the opening bell of the scheduled 10-rounder. The beginning of the end came less than two minutes into the fight, when the Minneapolis-based Cuban hurt Falcao (24-2-1, 10 KOs) with a left uppercut. He followed with several more heavy blows, including a right hook that sent the Brazilian into the ropes for the first knockdown.
Falcao was able to continue but another, more brutal right hook put him back onto the canvas, where he didn’t move for several minutes.
.@OsvaryJ's power is nothing to be played with 😱
He scores an emphatic round 1 KO of Falcao.#MorrellFalcao #DavisGarcia
Order: https://t.co/mIiYdmufbG pic.twitter.com/OpgpVlHjAD
— SHOWTIME Boxing (@ShowtimeBoxing) April 23, 2023
Morrell was defending the WBA’s “regular” 168-pound title, which Boxing Junkie doesn’t recognize. Canelo Alvarez is the undisputed champion.
Falcao, who took the fight on Saturday on 10 days notice, had never been stopped.
What’s next for Morrell? He reiterated after the that he wants to face two-time titleholder David Benavidez, who is generally considered the second best super middleweight after Alvarez.
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