Lonnie Thompson is leaning towards a win for David Benavidez over David Morrell in their fight in 30 Days on February 1 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Thompson sparred with Benavidez (29-0, 24 KOs) and was impressed with his motor and how he attacked his body.
Lonnie B believes interim WBC lightweight champion Benavidez will break WBA “regular” champion Morel (11-0, 9 KOs) with pressure and knock him out at some point in the fight.
Underestimating Muriel
He sees Benavidez as a knockout for a reason, but he clearly isn't, especially at 175, finally facing guys his size after years of campaigning against younger fighters at 168. Morel is a true knockout artist, and if there was a KO in this fight, he would be the one to do it.
The real picture is that Benavidez is very weak in the upper body and is forced to use big punches as a way to win his fights. His strength falls on the lower end of the spectrum for light heavyweight contenders. That's why he was ineffective in his 175-year-old debut against Oleksandr Gvozdyk last summer. Benavidez's lack of upper body strength reminds me of the arms of a T. rex. No force, like the vestigial mark of the withered arms of a long-extinct creature.
“You've got David Benavidez. David Morrell is a really accomplished player, but he's got the kind of style where you can pressure him. If you pressure him and go to his body, you're going to get him. David (Benavidez) specializes in that,” Lonnie Thompson said. Professional boxing fansBelieving Benavidez would defeat Morell.
Given that Morrell was not beaten, Thompson's comment about how he was overcome is based on conjecture and not on a comment he has seen before. No one has bettered or come close to Morell in the professional ranks.
“He (Benavidez) has to be careful with the slick counters because David Murrell has a little bit of pop, and he has slick counters. I think the way David fights, he's going to cause problems for David Murrell because he won't allow him to be slick,” Thompson said. “And he does all the brilliant things he does with his feet.”
There's more to Muriel than just “a little pop.” He is arguably the biggest player in the light heavyweight division. So, for Lonnie to say that Morel only has “a little” strength indicates that he hasn't watched him fight properly and has no idea what he's talking about. He is clearly more familiar with Benavidez than Morel, which is understandable as he has been a professional for 12 years since 2013 and has a lot of miles on the odometer.
“He's going to have to keep working and working. There's going to come a time when he's going to have to fight David because David (Benvidez) is good at coming in and letting his hands go,” Lonnie B said. “So, if David Morrell can catch him in between and hurt him, that's the only chance I'm giving him to win.” “.
Nah, Thompson is wrong. Morel has a greater chance of winning this fight than knocking out Benavidez. He can beat him by decision by hitting or hitting him. His boxing skills are superior to Benavidez's due to his long amateur career, where he has fought top fighters in Cuba and on the world stage.
Benavidez wasn't having it. He turned pro instead of going the amateur route and has always been a pure baseball player, mostly due to fighting at a weight class below the massive light heavyweight frame at super middleweight.
“David Benavidez has shown me a lot. “After his (Oleksandr Gvozdyk) last fight, no, he's real,” Thompson said of Benavidez's last fight against 37-year-old former WBC light heavyweight champion Oleksandr Gvozdyk on June 15.
“I don't think he's going to take a lot of knockdowns, but that kid hit him with some shots. That kid, Oleksandr (Gvozdyk), hit him with some shots, and he can hit. He (Benavidez) took them good and came back and left his hands,” Lonnie B said.
Looks like Looney didn't watch the Benavidez-Gvozdyk fight. Benavidez did not “come back.” He farted and got beat up the entire second half of the fight and was getting the tar out of him at the hands of Gvozdyk in rounds 9 through 12. He got hit with shots that would put a hole in the wall.
Yes, Benavidez took punches, but he didn't come back. He was a punching bag the last four rounds. Lonnie B may have seen YouTube highlights for Benavidez, but that's not how the fight played out in rounds six through 12. David looked exhausted and weak, being beaten by the stronger Gvozdik.
Thompson predictions
“David Murrell hasn't been tested that way. I'm leaning more towards David Benavidez because I've sparred with him,” Thompson said. “He punches well to the body. Just from my observation, I don't think David Morrell will be able to do that over 12 rounds.
It would be a mistake for Benavidez to try to go to Muriel's body because it would leave his head open for powerful shots. He could end up coming out like Senna Agbeko and Yamaguchi Falcao. These men attempted to attack Morrell's body and were quickly driven off. Benavidez would be a sitting duck if he lowered his hands to target Morel's midsection.
“Yes, but I could be wrong but I think David Benavidez will stop him,” Lonnie B said. “David has one of those ways. When you look at him, you say 'OK', but when you get into it, it's a lot harder than I thought it would be.”
Benavidez is not a knockout player, and certainly not at 175 years old. The men he took down at 168 were young and old, like Demetrius Andrade, Romer Alexis Angulo, David Lemieux, and Anthony Dirrell. All of these men were younger than Benavidez and were 35 years old.
“I thought he was going to be there in that shot, but he wasn't. Hands up, takes a good punch, and comes back. His work rate is high. You've got to be in better position to keep up with him. It'll be a good fight, but I'm leaning more toward David,” Lonnie B said. Benavidez.”
Benavidez will have problems using power punches against Morel because he moves and chooses when he wants to engage his opponent. His slow feet will make it difficult for him to reach Morel and get his size. Unfortunately, he moves like a Frankenstein's monster and can only land his shots against stationary fighters.
