Veteran Gabe Rosado says David Morrell will have to “trap” him to hurt superstar David Benavidez in their fight at 48 on February 1 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Rosado doesn’t think Morrell (11-0, 9 KOs) can match the high output of Benavidez (29-0, 24 KOs) and he may be knocked out by volume.
Many fans see Benavidez as more experienced than Morrell, and his volume makes him a nightmare. However, Cuban Morrell’s strength, mobility, and boxing skills give him a huge advantage. After one fight at 175, Morrell looks like a better fit in the division than Benavidez.
Morrell will be putting his WBA ‘regular’ light heavyweight title on the line when he faces WBC interim champion Benavidez in their PBC title on Prime Video PPV. The winner of this fight will be able to challenge for the undefeated tournament at 175.
Rosado’s prediction
“David Morrell vs. David Benavidez. “I like Benavidez, but you can’t sleep on Morrell,” Gabe Rosado told Fight Hub TV about the February 1 fight between the two fighters. “Benavidez didn’t have to take this fight. Morrell was the one who needed this fight.
“Morrell hit the jackpot. So, if he can win this fight, he is there, because no one was really calling for Morrell. So, that breed shows what kind of dog Benavidez is. He’s like, ‘Okay, whatever. Let’s run it.’
“Nobody does that to Benavidez,” Rosado said of Morrell trash-talking Benavidez during their fight. “It will be a fire.” They will both collide. It will be a matter of who can take it because both will shoot.
This is Morrell’s biggest fight to prove himself against a guy many fans feel is a star of the future. Benavidez has held back for the past 11 years, choosing to fight at 168 rather than move up to 175, where he has more opportunities for interesting fights. Had he moved up to light heavyweight in 2014, his career would have continued. Benavidez foolishly thought that Canelo Alvarez would finally fight him, and he waited 10 years. Such a mistake.
“I think Morrell is the bigger puncher of the two, but Benavidez puts out the volume,” Rosado said. “So, what will win? Will it be power or will it be volume? That’s what it will come down to because I don’t think Morrell will be able to match Benavidez’s strength.”
There is no guessing who is the bigger puncher between Morrell and Benavidez. Apparently it’s Morrell. Would Benavidez have become a big puncher if he hadn’t focused on hitting volume? Maybe, but he prefers to throw punches in bunches rather than loads.
Strategy: Traps
“He keeps punching you. He doesn’t get tired. So, Morrell will have to step up to have a shot in that fight,” said Rosado.
Benavidez is getting tired. We saw that in his last fight against Oleksandr Gvozdyk on June 15. He was tired after six rounds and took a lot of hard punches from Gvozdyk in the second half of the contest.
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