David Benavidez is a slight favorite against WBA ‘regular’ light heavyweight champion David Morrell for their February 1st 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 may be the beginning of the end for ‘The Mexican Monster’ because it will only get worse for him if 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 that even now, but it will 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 frail torso 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 flaws.
Benavidez’s Style Not Right for 175
Benavidez didn’t look nearly as good, showing no power and fading at the midpoint of his closely contested win over Oleksandr Gvozdyk on June 15th.
That fight showed everyone that Benavidez’s method for winning, using volume punching, won’t work at 175. It will lead to many defeats for Benavidez and an early retirement. He’s not meant for the light heavyweight division, but he can’t return to 168. He outgrew the weight class, so there is no going back. This is it.
Benavidez’s first knockout loss could come against Morrell on February 1st because he won’t change his fighting style. He can’t. Benavidez is like an old dog that can’t learn new tricks, and he’s stuck in that style.
“It’s not bad blood, but everyone I go up against, I don’t like, and that kind of makes it even easier for me to go in there and do my thing,” said David Benavidez to Premier Boxing Champions about whether he has any animosity with David Morrell ahead of their fight on February 1st. “I don’t have nothing against him, but I’m going to beat the s*** out of him.”
The Cuban Morrell has been pushing for this fight for the last two years, and Benavidez has held off repeatedly, not wanting to face him. Fans have noticed and attributed it to old-fashioned fear.
Benavidez has been campaigning for a payday against Canelo Alvarez, and it would have been an insane move if he’d taken on Morrell. It’s crazy now, but he has no choice. If he wants the money he can get fighting for the light heavyweight championship against the winner of the Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol rematch, he must go through Morrell. He is the obstacle in his path.
Morrell (11-0, 9 KOs) has an excellent chance of creating a minor upset in this fight because he has the power, natural size, speed, and technical skills advantage, along with his mobility. It’s going to be interesting to see the looks on people’s faces if things don’t work out for Benavidez.
