David Benavidez’s promoter, Sampson Lewkowicz, is unsure if he will fight the WBA’s ‘regular’ light heavyweight champion David Morrell next in December.
When asked if the Benavidez-Morrell fight is happening next, Lewkowicz said that Morrell (11-0, 9 KOs) is being promoted by his lawyer, and it would be a conflict of interest to represent him. Lewkowicz says he’s unsure if Morrell will be next, and he doesn’t say if Jesse Hart could be the opponent.
It could be that Benavidez isn’t willing to risk his WBC mandatory spot against Morrell because if he loses that fight, he’ll miss out on a good fight, possibly for the undisputed. Morrell would have an excellent chance to beat Benavidez due to his striking power and superior skills. Benavidez is a volume guy who is very average now that he fights in his natural weight class at 175 rather than 168.
Fans were hoping to see Benavidez fight Morrell as it would be a big fight involving two top 175 pounders. The winner will be able to fight for the undisputed or one of the fragmented titles if Artur Beterbiev ends up with the belts. He may move up to cruiserweight if he is victorious in his four-way showdown against Dmitri Bivol on October 12.
“Let me put it this way. The promoter of (David) Morrell has been my lawyer for 30 years. So it would be a conflict of interest to represent me. So I’m out of the deal. I don’t know who he (Benavidez) fights next and who will be next,” Sampson Lewkowicz said YSM Sports Mediawhether David Benavidez fights David Morrell or Jesse Hart next. “For this particular fight I am not involved.”
It seems odd that Lewkowicz doesn’t say if Morrell is a definite possibility for Benavidez or if it’s a 35-year-old fringe. It would be easy enough for Lewkowicz to say whether one of the two possible options is for Benavidez.
Many fans suspect that it will be Hart who will fight Benavidez as he will want to play it safe and not risk his WBC mandatory position against Morrell. Losing a fight to Morrell wouldn’t just ruin Benavidez’s chance for the millions he would fight for the undisputed light heavyweight championship in Saudi Arabia, but that would permanently destroy his chances for a fight against Canelo Alvarez.
Benavidez isn’t going to risk that dough by fighting a talent like Cuba’s David Morrell, who could blow him into the next galaxy with one of his power shots.
If this was a gimme-level guy like virtually all of Benavidez’s previous 29 opponents on his record, it probably would have already been a foregone conclusion. Morrell is too dangerous, a much different kind of fighter than anyone Benavidez has faced during his 11-year career. He actually has talent.
