David Benavidez says he will use “everything” Cuban David Morrell said about him to “stoke” his fire when they meet Feb. 1 in the PBC light heavyweight tournament on Prime Video PPV at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. .
WBA “regular” champion Morel (11-0, 9 KOs) has just pointed out the obvious, saying that Benavidez has been avoiding him since 2022 and that ““Fat little chicken” And he's not the “Mexican monster” tough guy he tries to make fans think he is. Morell sees Benavidez as a “fake” poser, and a “chicken” person at that.
Loss of control?
“When I get in the ring, I try to do as much damage as possible because if I can't get you, they're trying to get me. So, I take this very seriously,” David Benavidez told The New York Times. Miami Hustle On his fight against David Morrell on February 1st.
“I feel like every fighter I get in the ring with, they're trying to take food off my plate, and I'm not going to let that happen. David Morrell has been talking s*** for a while. Trying to say he's not doing that. He's been keeping my name in his mouth.
“He thought I would never get into the fight. So once we accepted the fight, he tried to act like he wasn't talking dirty and not saying anything about me. I'm using everything he said about me to fuel the fight,” Benavidez said of Morell.
It looks like Benavidez will fight with anger and emotion against Morell and put himself in a position to fall for one of Morell's tough shots. This is Benavidez's problem. He is irritable and has a temper problem.
That may be why he acted and pushed Morel when he refused to shake his head during their media training on Dec. 17 in Miami. He could not bear the humiliation of Morel rejecting his attempt at a handshake. So, pay it. He's lucky Morell didn't mind the heavyweight WBA “regular” belt he threw at him in response because it would have been cut to ribbons if he'd been tagged in the head.
Fighting angrily against a calm fighter like Morell, who acquired technical skills after years of joining the Cuban amateur team, is a mistake.
If Benavidez fights like a wild man against Morell, he will be fired. This guy has one-punch power and has competed with the two-time Cuban Olympic gold medalist Julio Cesar La Cruz and Osley Iglesias. These are fighters superior to, and arguably better than, anyone Benavidez has fought in his 12-year career.
“I can't say that because I haven't been in the ring with him, but on paper, he seems to have it all,” Benavidez said when asked if David Morrell is his toughest opponent yet. “He has the reach, he has the speed, he has the footwork, and he has the power. It doesn't scare me.”
There is no one on Benavidez's resume who matches Morrell's size, youth, technical ability or power. This is easily the best fighter he will face, and if he loses, he will prove it on February 1st. Gvozdyk used to be a good fighter years ago, but when Benavidez fought him, he was 37 years old, fresh off a four-year retirement and a knockout loss to Artur Beterbiev. If Benavidez had fought the same version of Gvozdyk that knocked out Adonis Stevenson, he would have lost to him.
“I've been boxing for 25 years. I like it when I see a strong fighter about to get in the ring with him because what satisfies me the most is silencing the people who think I can't win, who think I'm going to get knocked out. I know what I can do, and that's why That's why I accepted this challenge.”
Boxing fans have doubted Benavidez's ability to beat Morell for years. They also questioned his ability to compete in a division that is natural for his massive cruiserweight frame, at 200 or 175.
Benavidez had already fought Morel years ago, moving up to light heavyweight to face Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol. Furthermore, Benavidez should have already fought at cruiserweight against Jay Obitaya because he has had the size to compete in that weight class for years. Instead of getting any of those fights, Benavidez played it safe, dropped back to 168, enjoyed younger and older fighters, and didn't get the fight he wanted against Canelo Alvarez.
Deferred decision
“This is a challenge that a lot of people don't want to take on at 168, 175 years old. So, the toughest challenges, I accept them. I want to be the most dominant fighter ever. So, I'm just going to keep doing what I have to do,” Benavidez said.
It took Benavidez three years to finally accept the challenge from Cuban Morell, who had been calling for him since 2022. Benavidez did not want to fight Morell, but changed his mind after his less impressive bout against Radivoj Kalajdzic in the tournament. August 3 in Los Angeles.
What that means is that Benavidez is not as brave as he makes himself out to be because if he had no fear, he would have fought Morell in 2022 instead of choosing to fight these guys:
– Oleksandr Gvozdyk
– Demetrius Andrade
– Caleb plant
-David Lemieux
