Ever since the fight between David Morrell and David Benavidez was announced on February 1, the question has been: Why at this weight? The winner of this fight will probably never be able to defeat Artur Beterbiev, let alone Dmitry Bivol, at light heavyweight.
Even though Bivol and Beterbiev are close to 40 years old, I don't think Morel or Benavidez can beat either Russian. In my opinion, the logical thing would have been to have that fight at super middleweight between them, and the winner would put him up against Canelo Alvarez at a huge event in Las Vegas.
Later, the winner of 168 will face Canelo at a catchweight against the winner of the Beterbiev-Bivol II fight, possibly at 170 pounds, in a fight that would determine the best of the five.
The economic factor may not be decisive in any of these battles; Turki Al-Sheikh has money to give to everyone. But I wanted to see Canelo vs. Bivol again or Morel or Benavidez again. The possibility of seeing Beterbiev against any of these three Americans was a plus.
The answer to the initial question can be linked to the interests of Mexican Saul Alvarez. It's no secret that Morell and Benavidez, while fighting at super middleweight, called in Canelo and his team to arrange a fight that would still appeal to real fans. For a time, Muriel and Benavidez were Canelo Alvarez's mandatory challengers.
From another angle, Munguia's crushing defeat against Suraschi put another hurdle in the plans drawn up on the desks of those handling the boxing strings. The Frenchman left us with the feeling that Jaime Munguia is not what he seems and that Canelo did not have the ability to defeat him in such a strong way. This leaves Canelo Alvarez with a problem to solve, even at super middleweight.
When the boxing fan set aside the interest of seeing the best versus the best, money came in to help keep that from happening. What's worse is that fans thought their fights were the best. And if that's not a little, the temporary graduates made matters worse. Today, the fan knows little about the rankings in each weight class. All that matters is seeing the current boxer not only winning fights, but millions as well.
There is still good boxing and great fights to be seen. Of course yes and in all weight categories! What must be done is for each one to take his place as before. Give the fans the fight they want to see, and if that happens, the event is sure to be a success. We can't say that athletes don't deserve what they earn, but they should do it the way they're supposed to. Show the title the respect it deserves, not just for the title, but for those who sacrificed their lives to earn it.
We do not mean that this is not a commercial sport. It has been since its inception. The sweet art of science can become a brothel where money is exchanged for place if we persevere and keep it.
Morell and Benavidez will have the opportunity to face each other at the weight they should have ended their careers at. However, middle interests forced them to migrate to a weight category where two giants like Beterbiev and Bivol do not allow anyone to pass. They are the best in their class and have to compete against each other.
Meanwhile, in other ways, they are making notes on some websites where a super middleweight who has spent most of his career at middleweight wants to face a welterweight because, according to them, that is the fight everyone wants to see, . …meaningless and irrelevant.
This is the answer to the question: boxing fights in this era were out of time or no longer meaningful. The fans don't seem to care, and if they do, boxing's governing bodies are responsible for keeping the stale and uncool, because they are part of the business, not the sport.
I don't want to say I'm not interested in this fight at this weight, and I won't predict the outcome before February 1st. Like many others, I am a fan and look forward to seeing what Morell and Benavidez can accomplish at this weight class.
