David Morrell Jr. Scores First Round KO, Defends WBA Title

David Morrell Jr. showcased his incredible skills once again, defending his title and finishing Mario Cazares.

Morrell earned the stoppage live on FOX from The Armory in Minneapolis in the first round to defend his WBA super middleweight belt.

“I didn’t expect that to end so quickly,” said Morrell. “I thought it would be more like a five or six round fight. However, once Cazares stepped in the ring, I noticed that he was not ready to fight on my level. He wasn’t ready for this kind of test or this level of fight.”

In the co-main event on FOX, cruiserweight Brandon Glanton (14-0, 11 KOs) defeated Efetobor Apochi (11-1, 11 KOs) by split decision in their 10-round bout. Glanton scored a knockdown to close out the sixth stanza as Apochi fell into the ropes. That knockdown proved the difference as judge Nelson Vazquez scored the bout 96-93 for Apochi, but was overruled by judges Mike Fitzgerald and John Mariano who both scored the contest 95-94 for Glanton. The loss is the first of Apochi’s professional career.

In the FOX telecast opener, All Rivera (22-5, 18 KOs) defeated Omar “El Relámpago” Juárez (11-1, 5 KOs) by majority decision in 10-round attraction, giving Juárez the first loss of his professional career. Rivera scored a knockdown in the ninth frame, which was the difference in the contest as judge Scott Erickson scored the fight a 95-95 draw, but judge Octavio Rodriguez scored the bout 95-94 for Rivera and judge Kyle Shiely scored the fight 95-93 for Rivera.

Dana Becker

The world of MMA is one of the few sports that brings together people from all walks of life. I try my best to tell those stories and also present breaking news to the masses.