Leonard Ellerbe says a light heavyweight match between David Benavidez and David Morrell will “settle scores” from their years of trash-talking when they meet in the main event of their “50-50” fight on February 1 at T-Mobile Arena. in Las Vegas.
(Credit: Esther Lin and Ryan Hafey / Premier Boxing Champions)
Why Is Benavidez Avoiding Morrell?
Benavidez (29-0, 24 KOs) appeared upset during Tuesday’s press conference, upset that he dared to be questioned by Cuban Morrell (11-0, 9 KOs) and the fans for choosing not to hold the fight until about three rounds. years after the first application.
It is believed that Benavidez avoided Morrell because he was afraid of losing and thus wasting his chances against Canelo Alvarez. He wanted the Canelo fight but wasn’t willing to sacrifice himself to get it by facing Morrell.
After Benavidez’s last fight against Oleksandr Gvozdyk on June 15th, he had no choice but to fight the ‘regular’ WBA light heavyweight champion Morrell because he looked so bad in his debut at 175. In order to get an undisputed championship fight, Benavidez had to fight Morrell. It wouldn’t work if he was compared to another old guy because he’s been fighting those guys for most of his career.
There was no one Benavidez could face to take the sting out of his disappointing performance against the 37-year-old Gvozdyk, who outboxed him and wrestled him throughout the second half of their contest.
“I expect to see two young heroes who will do it. It’s two guys in their prime who are ready to settle scores,” said Leonard Ellerbe speaking to KO Artist Sports about the February 1 fight between David Benavidez and David Morrell.
“It’s been a long time since there’s been a back-and-forth between these guys, and I think they’re both excited to go in there and show who’s the best.” They are there. “Everybody knows that when it comes to guys at the top of the weight class, you’ve got two top guys getting ready to go on February 1,” Ellerbe said of the Morrell vs. Benavidez.
There was no back and forth between Benavidez and Morrell. It was mostly in one direction of Morrell, who has been calling out Benavdiez for two years but was determined to chase Canelo Alvarez.
If he can read between the lines, he would know that Canelo will NEVER fight him. Benavidez could move on and save two years of facing middle-of-the-road opposition by fighting Morrell. He won’t have to worry about that as he fights at 175 because the top fighters in this weight class don’t move their opponents like he did at 168.
If Morrell defeats Benavidez, it will show many fans that they have been misinformed all these years, fooled by his victories over lighter opponents in a weight class he shouldn’t be fighting in due to his large light heavyweight frame.
“I think no player wants to look forward. From the business side, management is looking forward, but not fighting [Benavidez and Morrell],both know that both of these young men have their hands full. It’s a real 50-50 fight in my opinion,” Ellerbe said.
There is no way Benavidez and Morrell can look ahead, as they see this as the toughest fight of their career on paper. If one of them loses, he can forget about fighting for the undisputed light heavyweight champion who won the Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol in Saudi Arabia.
It’s a big step for Morrell, 26, but it’s also a tough one for Benavidez. ‘Mexican Monster’ Benavidez’s best win came against 37-year-old Oleksandr Gvozdyk on June 15th, and he didn’t look good. That fight showed that Benavidez would no longer be able to dominate as he had done at 168 against the younger, weaker, and older.
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