Demetrius Andrade questions whether ‘regular’ WBA light heavyweight champion David Morrell has long enough arms to get around David Benavidez’s guard when they meet on February 1 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Benavidez access
Andrade had trouble getting shots out of Benavidez’s guard due to his long hands in their fight last week, which ended in the sixth round. He was surprised by the size of Benavidez, and he was too big for him.
Cuban Morrell has a longer reach than Benavidez, at 78″ compared to his 74,” so he shouldn’t have the same problems as Andrade. Demetrius began his professional career at the age of 154 and rose to 168 in 2023. He had only fought once in the weight class against Demond Nicholson before facing Benavidez.
Benavidez’s reach, weight, and youth seemed to give Andrade problems. He looked very heavy, like a light heavyweight or a cruiserweight fighting a middleweight.
“Because he was a big, strong person, he was able to absorb it. He’s a heavier weight than me,” said Demetrius Andrade speaking to Hub TV about his loss to David Benavidez on November 25, 2023.
“After that fight [Benavidez vs. Oleksandr Gvozdyk at 175]he said, ‘I can still do 168,’ because he could feel the weight difference. He [Benavidez] he couldn’t do what he can do when he’s not a weight abuser.
“Now, he has a good chance to face David Morrell. They are two equal boys. I think David Morrell is talented. I don’t know if he has the experience to beat David. [Morrell] it’s a big kid. He has decent speed, but he’s clumsy with his punches. That comes with experience, of course. “
Benavidez didn’t look good in his debut at 175 against Oleksandr Gvozdyk last summer on June 15 and lost the entire fight to the powerful fighter. His strength seemed to be weakened by the weight, and he was lucky to get the decision. If Gvozdyk was a more popular fighter, he would win because he landed better shots.
Can Morrell Adapt?
“David [Benavidez] he has long arms. Morrell is bigger than me,” Andrade said. “If you throw punches at him [Benavidez]his arms are so long that it is difficult to hit him. You have to point your gun at him. I don’t know if Morrell has that in him.
“I’m a sharpshooter, and David was able, with his height, to block a lot of shots from me. So, you have to trap him with clean, pedestrian bullets,” Andrade said
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