Interim WBC light heavyweight champion David Benavidez won't be able to fight him offensively on February 1 because he won't let him, David Morrell says.
(Credit: Jacob de Leon/Morrell Team)
Benavidez's risky style
Morell (11-0, 9 KOs) says he will neutralize Benavidez's attack by hitting him hard with counters, making him cautious about opening up like he usually does. Morell warns that if Benavidez chooses to fight in his natural, reckless way, it will be a mistake he will regret.
Benavidez-Morrell will headline a 26-day PBC on Prime Video PPV event at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Morell (26 years old) will defend his WBA “regular” light heavyweight title against the 28-year-old “Mexican Monster” Benavidez.
It will be interesting to see how much punishment Benavidez can take in this fight before he goes down. If he doesn't change his extremely aggressive fighting style in this fight, Morell will definitely knock him out because this guy is one of the biggest punchers in the 175 pound division. He has one-hit power, and he could take down Benavidez if he fought like a wild man like he usually does.
“This is all part of the show. I don't know if Benavidez has tried some twisted psychological warfare on anyone else in the past. I'm sharp-minded and focused on February 1,” David Morrell said. Shawn Zettel. “I won't play any mind games.
“Put your money where your mouth is. It's one thing to say you're going to do it, but another thing is to get in the ring to actually do it,” Morell said, responding to being told Benavidez says he will pressure him non-stop in every round.
“Let's see if he's able to do everything he says he wants to do. This will be a completely different fight compared to his previous fights. He won't be able to be as attack-minded and aggressive as he was because this won't be that kind of fight,” Morrell said. “.
inside
Benavidez only knows one fighting style: pressing his opponents from the inside. Even though he's 6'2″, he doesn't have any outside game. He's a 100% inside fighter and one-dimensional, so he has no choice but to press. If fought from a distance, Morel will cook him.
The difference in power could overwhelm Benavidez as he is just a big player and can't create any pop with his punches. This is a product of his weak upper body. He was not as powerful as Morel or Artur Beterbiev. On the inside, Morel is much stronger and more capable of defeating his opponents.
Watching what he did to Radivoje Kalajidzic in the third round of their fight last August was scary. Kalajdžić overtook Morell, hoping to get the better of him on the inside. Morrell then unleashed a flurry of head shots, all with the force of a knockout, and sent Kalajdzic retreating.
Benavidez doesn't have any kind of power on the inside, and he could get into trouble when he tries to fight Morell up close. Once again, Benavidez has no choice but to fight on the inside because he can't throw punches much longer for some reason. It could be a physical problem in his body or a bad experience he had in the past. No matter what, he couldn't fight outside.
“I'm not going to be the type of opponent that's going to be there in the right corner of the attack,” Morrell said. “I'm going to get things done on my own, though, and I'm going to have to adapt. It's not just going to be a shot for everyone as he's going to be able to pressure me and pin me the way he's pinned other opponents in the past.
Benavidez has pinned opponents who were younger than him to the ropes in the past when he was 168 years old. He was a light heavyweight and fought at super middleweight to gain a weight and size advantage.
When he finally moved up to 175 last summer against former WBC champion Oleksandr Gvozdyk, he couldn't control him on the inside like he did against his younger opponents at 168. That's why he looked so average and no better than any fringe contender in the division. He didn't look like a top five light heavyweight.
Morell's counter strategy
“I can tell you 100 percent that I will be able to counterattack and defend whatever is asked of me,” Morrell said. “He can be as aggressive-minded as he wants, but it's better that he doesn't make a mistake because at this level, with the kind of opponent I am, if he makes a mistake or multiple mistakes, there will be a heavy price for him.” “He has to pay,” Morrell said.
Benavidez was hit often by Caleb Plante, was hit twice by Anthony Dirrell, was hit repeatedly by Demetrius Andrade, and was taken down by Ronald Gavriel. He leaves himself open to counter shots with his powerful punches and decision to fight at close range. Although this approach worked for him, it also resulted in him taking a lot of hits.
Morel's punching power may be too much for Benavidez in the end, and we are likely to see a knockout in the sixth round. Benavidez will fight like a wild man and be captured by Morel.