WBA ‘regular’ light heavyweight champion David Morrell and rather thick in the middle David Benavidez came face-to-face today and traded words for their February 1st match on PBC on Prime Video PPV.
(Credit: Esther Lin and Ryan Hafey/Premier Boxing Champions)
One thing that stood out in the face-off was the size of Benavidez’s midsection. He looked like he was training to work as Santa Claus because he’s got a late Elvis Presley paunch going from some good eating. He’s going to have to lose that pendulous belly before February 1st because Morrell is going to punch his lights out if he waddles into the ring in that delicate condition.
Benavidez (29-0, 24 KOs) looked like the more irritated one of the two, still feeling the sting of two years of taunts by the Cuban Morrell (11-0,9 KOs), who has been steadily pushing the Mike Tyson-named ‘Mexican Monster’ to step in the ring and fight him.
He didn’t want to for obvious reasons. Morrell was a threat, but now he’s finally agreed, and the two will meet in a 12-round match at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
“He’s a great Cuban fighter from that system. He can fight his butt off,” said Leonard Ellerbe to Fight Hub TV, talking about David Morrell. “He’s a very good boxer, very heavy-handed, and that’s something that Benavidez is going to have to be aware of, especially early in the fight.
Boxing fans unfamiliar with Morrell’s career and his many years in the Cuban amateur system are predicting an easy win for Benavidez. That’s not going to be the case. Morrell is bigger, stronger, faster, and the more skilled fighter of the two. Benavidez has a higher work rate, but that style isn’t suited for the light heavyweight division.
It worked for him at 168 against the weak opposition his management fed him, but at 175, he will get worn down rapidly and likely knocked out soon, perhaps as early as February 1ast by Morrell.
“It’s going to come down to who can take the best shot. Will David [Morrell] be able to inflict the kind of damage that will slow that locomotive down, and will the other guy be able to take his shot? This is what you want. Two top guys in the division, giving the fans exactly what you want to see,” said Ellerbe.
Morrell punches harder, much harder, and if he lands on Benavidez as often as he did in his last fight against Radivoje Kalajdzic on August 3rd, this fight is not going to last long. He had Kalajdzic hurt many times in that fight, and could have finished him as early as the third if he’s flurried.
“I think it’s going to be a war in my eyes in a 50-50 fight. I know some might say, ‘What do you think it’s a 50-50 fight? We’ve definitely seen a lot of Benavidez over the years. When it comes to Morrell, we’ve seen spots of him, but I know what he brings to the table. That’s why I think this is going to be a tough fight for both guys,” said Ellerbe.
