Benavidez-Morrell: Can ‘The Mexican Monster’ conquer his first A-level test?

David Benavidez is counting on his professional experience to carry him to victory against undefeated David Morrell on February 1st in their 12-round fight at PBC on Prime Video PPV.

The ‘Mexican monster’ Benavidez predicts he will soon be the “face of boxing” and sees this fight as his “takeover”. He obviously doesn’t lack confidence for the Morrell fight.

Benavidez’s confidence

David Benavidez (29-0, 24 KOs) says he can’t wait to add Morrell’s WBA “regular” light heavyweight title to his collection. He currently holds the interim WBC 175-pound belt, a title that guarantees him a shot against champion Artur Beterbiev if he is victorious against Morrell.

Benavidez-Morrell headlines the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. This is a fight that many boxing fans see as a 50-50, but not Benavidez. He sees it as a sure win for him, but it is.

If he were to fight Beterbiev, Jai Opetaia or even Daniel Dubois, he would probably be just as confident of victory. He’s one of those guys who has a huge ego molded by years of campaigning at 168, and he has yet to fight an A-level fighter in his career.

Morrell is the closest thing to being that type of fighter. Here’s what makes it interesting: Benavidez will have to prove if he’s as good as he thinks he is. I don’t think he is because his brother, José Benavidez Jr., is the same way. He’s lost every time he’s faced A-level opposition. This will be Benavidez’s first time, and he can lose, too.

PBC PPV Undercard Fights

Brandon Figueroa vs. Stephen Fulton
Yoenli Hernandez against Angel Ruiz Astorga
Isaac Cruz vs.
Jesus Alejandro Ramos Jr. vs. Jeison Rosario
Mirco Coll vs. Christian Olivo

Experience vs. power

“I don’t see the fans as any (advantage). This is not a fight for fans”, said David Benavidez to the media asked about the experience advantage David Morrell has over him from his days as an amateur star in Cuba.

“This is a 12-round championship fight. He might have the advantage for three rounds because of his experience (experience), but other than that, three rounds don’t mean anything. I’ve been with the best fighters, and the bigger venues and bigger fights.This is my third or fourth PPV.

“So I have experience on my side. I don’t think I’ve ever been through anything like this, and I’m going to show why I’m on a different level. I knew he bit off more than he can chew,” he said Benavidez on Morrell.

Amateur experience matters when a fighter has the kind of success Morrell had in Cuba. As an amateur, he was 130-2, and that could affect this fight if he can withstand Benavidez’s pressure. Morrell cannot move for 12 rounds.

He will have to hold his own and fight Benavidez for the win because if he tries to move like he did in his debut at 175 on August 3rd against Radivoje Kalajdzic, he will lose a decision. Benavidez will have the upper hand on the punch line, but Morrell can take it away by knocking him out. This is what you will have to do.

Benavidez has a thick skull and seems to take shots like they’re nothing. The punches that Oleksandr Gvozdyk was throwing at him with full force had no effect, and were more powerful than the ones he was connecting. He took them. However, Morrell hits harder and won’t tire with the move like Gvozdyk did. The 37-year-old looked tired and old in that fight with Benavidez last June.

“I know what I can do. All the high-caliber fighters say the same thing, but once they get in the ring with me they say, “David Benavidez is on a different level.” I am very motivated. I’m excited to get in there and get the WBA belt. I don’t have any. So I’m really excited to get one of these in my collection,” said Benavidez.

‘The Mexican Monster’ has yet to fight a “high caliber fighter” during his career. I also don’t know that Morrell is a “high caliber” fighter, but he is fighting at a higher level than the best Benavidez has fought.

Morrell’s power and technical skills make him a threat, especially with the way Benavidez focuses on charging with everything he throws. He is reckless with the way he fights, and will eventually get knocked out fighting like this. Will Morrell be the one to do it? We don’t know, but I wouldn’t be surprised.

So it’s not clear who he’s talking about. His best wins have come against 37-year-old Oleksandr Gvozdyk, 36-year-old Demetrius Andrade and Caleb Plant. These are NOT “high caliber” fighters.

Andrade was a good fighter years ago at 154, but he was too old and small to fight the undersized Benavidez at 168. David looked huge as he rehydrated for Andrade and didn’t look like a super middleweight. There was no way Demetrius was going to beat Benavidez with him that much bigger. If things had been the same and Andrade was young and the fight stayed at 154 in 2012, he would have had a chance, but not at 168 against a much younger lightweight Benavidez.

Gvozdyk had been retired for four years after being knocked out by Artur Beterbiev in 2019. He came back and beat a couple of tomato cans before being drafted by Benanvidez’s management. This was not the prime version of Oleksandr who had lost to Beterbiev and knocked out Adonis Stevenson.

Boxing face?

“That’s my takeover. Watching fighters in Las Vegas, I feel like I could handle that. I really entertain and put on great fights. I want that for myself. I want to show people that I’m the best. When I go in, everyone sees the level now. I’m excited to make my dreams come true and become the face of boxing,” said Benavidez.

It will be difficult for Benavidez to become ‘The Face of Boxing’ without beating Morrell or the winner of the Artur Beterbiev rematch against Dmitry Bivol 2. The way Benavidez charges every time, putting everything into it, he will have trouble against Morrell or Beterbiev if it goes so far

The way Benavidez fought Oleksandr Gvozdyk last June will hurt him badly. Fortunately for him, Gvozdyk was mostly pushing his punches and not putting full power into them. When he started to load up with his shots in the second half, he was lighting up Benavidez with shots to the head.

In the last 30 seconds of the 12th, he hurt Benavidez with a right hand to the body. Morrell is much faster, younger and more powerful than Gvozdyk. He will hurt Benavidez. I don’t think the ‘Mexican Monster’ can change because he’s always fought like that, and he’s incapable of trying to box. When he’s on the outside, he loads up with wild hooks, and that will be a problem against Morrell. He’ll counter him, and we could see a one-punch knockout win for Morrell.