David Benavidez relies on his professional experience to carry him to victory against undefeated David Morrell on February 1st in their 12-round fight on PBC on Prime Video PPV.
“The Mexican Monster” Benavidez predicts that he will soon become the “face of boxing” and he sees this fight as his “grab.” It's clear he doesn't lack self-confidence going into the Morel fight.
Benavidez's confidence
David Benavidez (29-0, 24 KOs) says he can't wait to add Morrell's “regular” light heavyweight title to his collection. He currently holds the interim WBC 175-pound belt, a trinket title that guarantees him a title shot against champion Artur Beterbiev if he defeats Morel.
Benavidez-Morrell headlines at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. This is a fight that many boxing fans view as 50-50, but not Benavidez. He sees this as a sure win for him, but that's the way it is.
If he were to fight Beterbiev, Jay Obitaya, or even Daniel Dubois, he would probably be certain of victory. He's one of those guys who has a huge ego that was shaped by years of campaigning when he was 168 and had yet to fight a top-level fighter in his career.
Morell is the closest to being that type of fighter. That's what makes it interesting: Benavidez will need to show if he's as good as he thinks he is. I feel like he's not because his brother, Jose Benavidez Jr., is the same way. He lost every time he went up against a top-tier opponent, but he was always completely sure that he would win. This will be Benavidez's first time, and he might as well lose.
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Experience versus power
“I don't see amateurs having any (advantage). This is not an amateur fight,” David Benavidez said Media When asked about the advantage of experience David Morrell has from his days as an amateur star in Cuba.
“This is a 12-round championship fight. He may have a three-round advantage because of his amateur (experience), but other than that, three rounds mean nothing. I've been with better fighters, bigger venues and bigger fights. This is my third or fourth PPV.”
“So, I have experience on my side. I don't think he's ever been involved in anything like this before, and I'll explain why I'm on a different level. He knew he bit off more than he could chew,” Benavidez said of Morell.
Amateur experience is important when a fighter achieves the kind of success Morell had in Cuba. As an amateur, he was 130-2, and that could impact this fight if he can handle Benavidez's pressure. Morell cannot move for 12 rounds.
He'll have to hang in there and fight Benavidez to win because if he tries to make a move like he did in his 175 debut on August 3 against Radivoje Kalajidzic, he'll lose a decision. Benavidez will have the advantage in knockouts, but Morel could take that away by knocking him out. This is what he will have to do.
Benavidez has a thick skull and seems to take shots like they're nothing. It has a front like a movie theater. The punches that Oleksandr Gvozdyk was hitting him with at full force had no effect, and were stronger than the ones he was connecting with. He took them. However, Morell hits harder, and won't tire himself out with the movement the way Gvozdik did. The 37-year-old looked tired and old in that fight with Benavidez last June.
“I know what I can do. All the high-caliber fighters say the same thing, but as soon as they get in the ring with me, they say, ‘David Benavidez is on a different level.’ I’m really excited. I’m excited because I’m going to go out there and get the WBA belt. I don’t have “So, I'm very excited to have one of these in my collection,” Benavidez said.
“The Mexican Monster” has yet to fight a “caliber fighter” during his career. I don't know that Morell is a “heavy caliber” fighter either, but he fights at a higher level than the best guys Benavidez has fought.
Morel's strength and technical skills make him a threat, especially with the way Benavidez focuses on loading everything he throws. He's reckless with the way he fights, and he'll eventually get knocked out of a fight like that. Will Morel be the one to do it? We don't know, but I wouldn't be shocked.
So, it is not clear who he is talking about. His best wins have come against 37-year-old Oleksandr Gvozdyk, 36-year-old Demetrius Andrade, and Caleb Plant. These are not “high caliber” fighters.
Andrade was a good fighter years ago at 154, but he was too old and too young to fight light heavyweight Benavidez at 168. David looked bulky while pinning Andrade and didn't look like a super middleweight champion. Demetrius couldn't have outdone Benavidez with him much more. If things had been even and Andrade had been young and the fight had taken place at 154 in 2012, he would have had a chance, but not at 168 against a much younger Benavidez at light heavyweight.
Gvozdyk had been out of retirement for four years after losing to Artur Beterbiev in 2019. He came back and beat two cans of tomatoes before being picked up by Benanvidez's management. This was not the main version for Oleksandr, who lost to Beterbiev and knocked out Adonis Stevenson.
The face of boxing?
“This is my grab. When I see the fighters in Vegas, I feel like I can take this on. I'm really having fun and having great fights. I want this for myself. I want to show people that I'm the best. When I go there, everyone sees the level now. I'm the best,” Benavidez said. : “I am excited to achieve my dreams and become the face of boxing.”
It will be difficult for Benavidez to become the “face of boxing” without beating Morel or the winner of the rematch between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol II. With the way Benavidez takes every punch, putting everything into it, he will be in trouble against Morel or Beterbiev If it gets this far.
The way Benavidez fought Oleksandr Gvozdyk last June will hurt him badly. Fortunately for him, Gvozdyk was mostly pushing his punches and not delivering maximum force to them. And when he started to increase his shooting in the second half, he was torching Benavidez with headers.
In the last 30 seconds of the 12th, he hit Benavidez with a right hand to the body. Morel is faster, younger and much stronger than Gvozdyk. It will hurt Benavidez. I don't think the “Mexican Beast” can change because he always fights like this, and he's unable to try boxing. When he's outside, he loads up with wild hooks, and that will be a problem against Morel. He'll counter him, and we could see Morrell win by one-punch knockout.
