David Benavidez is a slight favorite against WBA ‘regular’ light heavyweight champion David Morrell for their February 1 fight at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Both fighters recently made their debut at 175, but Morrell looked perfect for the weight class in his win over Radivoje Kalajdzic on August 3rd.
A loss for Benavidez in this fight could be the beginning of the end for ‘The Mexican Monster’ as it will only get worse for him when he faces the other talents at 175.
This fight is a test. If Morrell destroys Benavidez, it could be over for him because he won’t beat the top dogs, Artur Beterbiev or Dmitry Bivol. No one believes it even now, but it will be a clear certainty after losing to Morrell.
Benavidez doesn’t have the pop in his punches, defense or the right style for this weight class. Look closely at the above picture.
Notice the weakened upper body of Benavidez and the head too big for his body, which will be a target for knockout artists like Morrell. The lack of upper body strength will put Benavidez at the mercy of almost anyone in the 175-lb weight class. These are very noticeable physical defects.
Benavidez’s style is not right for 175
Benavidez didn’t look nearly as good, showing no power and fading midway through his close win over Oleksandr Gvozdyk on June 15.
That fight showed everyone that Benavidez’s method of winning, using volume punching, won’t work at 175. This would lead to many defeats for Benavidez and an early retirement. He’s not meant for the light heavyweight division, but he can’t go back to 168. He’s outgrown the weight class, so there’s no going back. This is it.
Benavidez’s first knockout loss could come against Morrell on February 1st as he will not change his fighting style. He can’t. Benavidez is like an old dog who can’t learn new tricks, and he’s stuck in that style.
“It’s not bad blood, but everybody I go up against, I don’t like, and that makes it even easier for me to go in there and do my thing,” David Benavidez said. Premier Bok Champions about whether he has any animosity with David Morrell ahead of their February 1 fight. “I have nothing against him, but I’m going to knock him out.”
The Cuban Morrell has been pushing for this fight for the past two years, and Benavidez has repeatedly held out, not wanting to face him. Fans noticed and attributed it to old fashioned fear.
Benavidez was pushing for a payday against Canelo Alvarez, and it would have been an insane move if he took on Morrell. It’s crazy now, but he has no choice. If he wants the money he can get to fight for the light heavyweight championship against the winner of the Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol rematch, he has to go through Morrell. He is the obstacle in his way.
Morrell (11-0, 9 KOs) has an excellent chance to pull off a minor upset in this fight because he has the strength, natural size, speed and technical skills advantage, along with his mobility. It’s going to be interesting to see the look on people’s faces if things don’t work out for Benavidez.
