By Ian S Palmer
Original article; https://www.sportsbetlistings.com/boxing/david-morrell-vs-sena-agbeko-betting-odds-and-prediction/22438/
Undefeated regular WBA Super Middleweight Champion David Morrell of Cuba will be battling it out with Sena Agbeko of Ghana this Saturday, December 16th. The 12-rounder from Minneapolis, Minnesota can be seen live in America on Showtime on the network’s last-ever boxing broadcast. Morrell last fought in April when he stopped Yamaguchi Falcao in just 142 seconds while Agbeko boxed just a couple of months ago when he halted Bruno Leonardo Romay in the second round.
The 25-year-old southpaw Morrell is well known for his amateur exploits as he reportedly compiled a 130 -2 record and captured gold medals at the 2016 Youth World Championships, the 2017 Cuban National Championships and the India Open International Boxing Tournament in 2018 in the light heavyweight division. Morrell made his pro debut in August, 2019 when he stopped Yendris Rodriguez Valdez in just 65 seconds and has boxed just 40 rounds since.
He stopped Quinton Rankin in the second round three months later before beating Lennox Allen by unanimous decision for the interim title. He’s defended it by stopping Mike Gavronski in the third round and Mario Cazares in the first round before before halting Alantez Fox and Kalvin Henderson in four Aidos Yerbossynuly in 12 and Falcao in one. Morrell now stands at a perfect 9-0 with 8 Ko’s.
It’s obvious that he has excellent power in his punches as he boasts a current knockout ratio of 88.9 per cent but he hasn’t taken on any top-ranked opponents as of yet. Morrell also has good size as he stands 6-feet-1-inch tall with a reach of 78.5 inches. Like most Cuban national champions, Morrell is a polished boxer with plenty of skills and could potentially be offered some big-money fights in the future as he’s hoping to land a bout with David Benavidez or Canelo Alvarez.
As for Agbeko, he’s 31 years old and fights out of Nashville, Tennessee. He enters the contest with a fine mark of 28-2 with 22 Ko’s and has 122 rounds of experience under his belt since making his pro debut in 2011. He measures 6-feet tall with a 74.5-inch wingspan so is an inch shorter than Morrell and gives up four inches in reach. Agbeko also has better-than-average power as 78.6 per cent of his wins have come by stoppage, including four of his past five.
Agbeko’s first defeat came at the hands of Raymond Gatica by fourth-round TKO in 2014 with his second loss coming via a 10-round unanimous decision to Vladimir Shishkin in February, 2021. Since then, he’s won five fights in a row, this includes a ninth-round TKO over Winfred Harris Jr in July, 2022 for the vacant WBC USA Super Middleweight Title. Eatlier in his career, Agbeko captured the vacant West African Boxing Union West Super Middleweight Title and the vacant Ghana Boxing Authority Middleweight Belt.
The first 15 of Agbeko’s fights came in his homeland before moving to America and just two of them entered the ring with a winning record. In fact, just seven of his next 15 opponents have had winning records too, this means just nine of his total 30 opponents have stepped into the ring as winners. Agbeko’s taking a step up in class this weekend against Morrell as his biggest victories have come against George Amuzu, Shannon Miller, Brad Austin, Brian Vera and Isaiah Steen.
Prediction…
Neither boxer has taken on a legitimate contender as of yet but they both have very good power and that’s something Agbeko needs to keep the aggressive Morrell off of him. He’s six years older than the champion though and can’t match him for speed, size and relentlessness. There have been several upsets in the past few weeks in the ring but I’m expecting the bigger Morrell to remain unbeaten and retain his title with a win as he’s a power puncher with a fan-friendly style.
