Edgar Berlanga is mocking the haircut of WBA ‘regular’ light heavyweight champion David Morrell, calling him “Michael Myers” and begging David Benavidez not to lose to him.
WBC interim 175-lb champion Benavidez is fighting Morrell on February 1st at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The winner will be the WBC mandatory for the Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol 2 victor.
Financial Incentives
It’s unclear why it should matter to Berlanga that Benavidez (29-0, 24 KOs) beats Morrell (11-0, 9 KOs) because he fights at 168, and they’re both at 175. Berlanga may be hoping to fight Benavidez because of the money he can make. It wouldn’t matter if Berlanga lost.
He’d still get a big purse, and they could promote it as a Mexican vs. Puerto Rico match, even though neither fighter is from those countries. Berlanga can make more money fighting Benavidez than he can the Cuban, Morrell. So, it makes sense for him to root for Benavidez to win. However, if Benavidez does win, his plan is to fight for the undisputed light heavyweight championship against the winner of the Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol 2 rematch.
Benavidez won’t waste his time against a low-level fighter like Berlanga, with his inflated resume filled with mediocre opposition. Berlanga’s record was mostly created by Top Rank, whose matchmakers gave him poor opposition. Berlanga lost to Canelo Alvarez on September 14th, and he’s expected to take a confidence booster against 39-year-old journeyman Gabe Rosado next in Puerto Rico.
“I will be trying to knock him out. That’s what I do. I go in there and break them down, beat them up,” said David Benavidez to Fight Hub TV about his goal for his fight against David Morrell.
Morrell has better power, speed, technical skills, mobility, and athleticism than Benavidez. It would be better for Benavidez to fight smart rather than slug. The last performance from Benavidez against Oleksandr Gvozdyk at 175 showed that he’s not going to do well at 175 if he continues to try and brawl with his opponents because he doesn’t possess power.
Standing in front of his opponents and trying to bury them with volume is going to get Benavidez knocked out at 175, beginning with his fight against Morrell.
“I’m ready to continue to be a dominant force in this weight class. Hopefully, I get the winner,” said Benavidez, wanting to fight the winner of the Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol rematch. “Not if I’m successful. When I’m successful, that’s what I’m going to be trying to get.
“I was kind of preparing myself mentally for a fight against Beterbiev or Bivol. That’s why when I called my promoter and asked for the [Morrell] fight, I was already mentally ready. This fight is coming at the perfect time. He’s young; he’s a champion.”
It’s good that Benavidez chose to fight Morrell because it gives him a chance to REALLY earn a title shot against the Beterbiev-Bivol 2 winner rather than having it given to him. Benavidez’s recent win over 37-year-old Gvozdyk in a WBC title eliminator was unfair. Gvozdyk had only recently come out of a four-year retirement, and he’s not young. That was Beterbiev’s first fight at 175 and he was immediately put in a WBC title eliminator. Benavidez should have had to fight Joshua Buatsi.
“I’m young; I’m a champion [correction: Benavidez is an interim champion, NOT a champ]. He has confidence, and I have confidence. So, this is going to be a throwback fight. This is what we all want to see,” said Benavidez.
“Morrell has the WBA belt. Once I get that belt, there’s nothing stopping me from getting that fight [Beterbiev vs. Bivol winner], because I rightfully earned those shots from winning both belts,” said Benavidez about what he would have going for him to justify fighting the Beterbiev-Bivol winner if he’s victorious against Morrell.
