The WBC has confirmed that the winner of next month’s fight between David Benavidez (29-0, 24 KOs) and David Morrell (11-0, 9 KOs) will be the “mandatory challenger” to the winner of Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol 2.
WBC authority
If Bivol wins his rematch with the undisputed light heavyweight champion, Beterbiev, they could be fighting the next trilogy. That means the Benavidez-Morrell winner has to wait until after the third Beterbiev-Bivol fight before he gets a crack at four belts.
It will depend on what Turki Al-Sheikh wants to do. If he wants to see a third fight soon between Beterbiev and Bivol, that will happen.
“Undisputed champion Artur Beterbiev will rematch Dmitry Bivol on February 22 in Riyadh. Interim champion David Benavidez will fight David Morrell on February 1. The winner will become the mandatory challenger in the division to fight the winner of Beterbiev vs. Bivol,” per WBC.
Power at 175?
“I hope it will happen. I don’t think it will happen, no,” said David Benavidez on the PPV channel about his hope to fight Canelo Alvarez. “Many people ask me this question, ‘When are you going to fight?’ I don’t know.
“It’s up to Canelo. If he wants to fight, we can win. Everyone knows it’s the biggest fight in boxing. So, I’m ready whenever that time comes.
This is the same reason I took up this fight [David Morrell]. I was already preparing for a tough fight in my head, thinking that there is no better experience than facing these fighters. This will prepare me for whatever comes next.
“I want to be one of the most dangerous players in boxing. I want to be one of those fighters you remember, like them [Gennadiy] Golovkin and Julio Cesar Chavez. Those are the type of fighters I want to be. I don’t back down from anyone. I’m not afraid of anyone, and this is how I can prove it,” said Benavidez.
Benavidez will never be in the league of Gennadiy Golovkin or Julio Cesar Chavez Jr because he has no power. Morrell is a better fighter than Benavidez. The ‘Mexican Monster’ is a volume puncher, and he won’t be a strong guy at 175 years old. At the age of 28, he will not suddenly gain unprecedented power.
Every fighter wants to be blessed with Beterbiev-level power, but those are the special people who come around occasionally. Benavidez is still a good base volume guy and can make a living, even if he is knocked out by the big shot Morrell on February 1st. You have to be born with genetic strength, and Benavidez was not blessed in that department.
Limited Skills?
“I feel like I have different parts of my game that are underestimated. IQ is one of them. Defense is one of them. The third is my strength. People, I don’t know what it is about them. They just think because I like to eat and I get a little off-season that, I don’t have the energy.
“All that changes when they enter the ring with me. So, I think everything I do is limited. “I don’t think I’m a good fighter until they get in the ring with me and they see, ‘Well, this guy is a problem,'” said Benavidez.
Unfortunately, he doesn’t give examples of fighters who didn’t think he was good until they got in the ring with him. Benavidez’s resume is weak, and he hasn’t fought any top fighters during his 12-year professional career. So, when he talks about fighters saying, ‘This guy is a problem,’ it doesn’t mean anything because he’s faced B- and C-level opposition throughout his career.
Benavidez’s best wins:
– Oleksandr Gvozdyk: 37 and just retired for 4 years
– Demetrius Andrade: 36
– Caleb Plant
– Anthony Dirrell: 38
– David Lemieux
– Traveler Alexis Angulo
– Ronald Ellis
– Ronald Gavril
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