David Morrell says that WBC interim light heavyweight champion David Benavidez will not be able to fight him on February 1 because he will not allow him.
(Credit: Jacob De Leon/Team Morrell)
Benavidez’s Dangerous Style
Morrell (11-0, 9 KOs) says he will slow down Benavidez’s offense by hitting him hard with counters, making him cautious about opening up like he usually does. If Benavidez chooses to fight in his usual, careless way, Morrell warns, it will be a mistake he will live to regret.
Benavidez-Morrell will headline 26 days on PBC on Prime Video PPV at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Morrell, 26, will defend his WBA ‘regular’ light heavyweight title against 28-year-old ‘Mexican Monster’ Benavidez.
It will be interesting to see how much punishment Benavidez can take in this fight before he goes down. If he doesn’t change his aggressive fighting style in this fight, he will definitely be outclassed by Morrell because this guy is one of the biggest boxers in the 175-lb division. He has one punch power, and he can KO Benavidez if he fights like a wild man like he usually does.
“All this is part of the plan. I don’t know if Benavidez has tried twisted mental warfare on anyone else in the past. I’m sharp minded and focused on February 1st,” said David Morrell speaking to Sean Zittel. “I will not play mind games.
“Put your money where your mouth is. It’s one thing to say you’re going to do it, but it’s another thing to get in the ring to actually do it,” said Morrell, reacting to being told that Benavidez says he will pressure him relentlessly in every round.
“Let’s see if he can do everything he says he wants to do. This will be a completely different fight compared to his previous fights. He won’t be able to be aggressive and aggressive like he has been because it won’t be this kind of fight,” said Morrell.
Inside
Benavidez knows one style of fighting: push his opponents inside. Although he is 6’2”, he does not have an outside game. He is 100% an inner fighter and one sided, so he can’t do anything but pressure. If the fight is carried out far, Morrell will cook him.
The difference in power could sink Benavidez because he’s a power puncher and can’t generate any pop in his punches. That is a product of his weak upper body. He was not blessed with the same strength as Morrell or Artur Beterbiev. Inside, Morrell is very strong and knows how to take out his opponents.
The sight of what he did to Radivoje Kalajdzic in the third round of their fight last August was terrifying. Kalajdzic is all over Morrell, hoping to get the better of him inside. Morrell then unleashed a flurry of headshots, all with takedown power, and Kalajdzic was reeling.
Benavidez doesn’t have any kind of power inside, and he could run into trouble if he tries to fight Morrell up close. Once again, Benavidez has no choice but to fight inside because he can’t throw long punches for some reason. It could be some physical problem with his body or a bad experience he had in the past. Whatever it is, he can’t fight outside.
“I’m not going to be the type of enemy that’s going to be right there in the corner when we take over,” Morrell said. “I’ll be doing my own thing, and with that, I’ll have to adjust. It will not be easy for him when he will be able to pressure me and put me down the way he cornered other competitors before.”
Benavidez pinned smaller opponents against the ropes in the past when he campaigned at 168. He was a light heavyweight who fought at super middleweight with a weight and size advantage.
When he finally moved up to 175 last summer against former WBC champion Oleksandr Gvozdyk, he couldn’t dominate him on the inside like he did against his younger foes at 168. That’s why he looks average and not better than any deadline on the team. separation. He didn’t look like a top-five light heavyweight.
Morrell’s Counter Strategy
“I can tell you 100% that I will be able to take a punch, fight on the back foot with whatever is required of me,” said Morrell. “He can be as aggressive as he wants, but he better not make a mistake because at this level, with the type of competitor I am, if he makes a mistake or many mistakes, there will be a high price to pay,” said Morrell.
Benavidez was hit hard by Caleb Plant, hurt twice by Anthony Dirrell, repeatedly nailed by Demetrius Andrade, and dropped by Ronald Gavril. He leaves himself open to counter-shots with his volume and aggressiveness and his decision to fight close. Although we worked on that style for him, it led to him getting hit a lot.
Morrell’s punching power could be too much for Benavidez in the end, and we will likely see a knockout in the sixth round. Benavidez will fight like a wild man and get caught by Morrell.
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