Benavidez’s body attack and pressure are too much for Morrell, Thompson says

Lonnie Thompson leans into David Benavidez defeating David Morrell in their fight in 30 days on February 1 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Thompson fought Benavidez (29-0, 24 KOs) and was impressed with his motor and how he attacked his body.

Lonnie B believes Interim WBC Light Heavyweight Champion Benavidez will wear down “regular” WBA Champion Morrell (11-0, 9 KOs) with pressure and knock him out at some point in the fight.

Underestimating Morrell

For some reason he sees Benavidez as a KO puncher, but he clearly isn’t, especially at 175, where he’s finally facing guys his size after years of campaigning against smaller fighters at 168. Morrell is a true knockout artist, and if he will. be a KO in this fight, he’ll be the one to do it.

“I’ve got David Benavidez. David Morrell is very crafty, but he has the type of style where you have to press him. If you press him and go to his body, you’re going to get him. David (Benavidez) specializes in that,” he said Lonnie Thompson Professional boxing fansguessing that Benavidez will defeat Morrell.

Considering Morrell hasn’t been hit, Thompson’s comment on how to beat him is based on guesswork rather than one he’s seen before. No one has beaten Morrell in the professional ranks or come close.

“He (Benavidez) has to be careful with slick counters because David Morrell has some pop, and he has slick counters. I think the way David fights, he’s going to give David Morrell problems because he’s not going to let him be polished, doing everything he does with his feet,” Thompson said.

Morrell has more than a “little pop.” He is arguably the biggest puncher in the lightweight division. So for Lonnie to say that Morrell only has a “little” power suggests that he hasn’t seen him fight and has no idea what he’s talking about. He’s obviously more familiar with Benavidez than Morrell, which is understandable because he’s been a pro for 12 years since 2013 and has a lot of miles on the odometer.

“He’s going to have to keep working and working. There’s going to come a time when he’s going to have to fight David because David (Benvidez) is good at coming and letting his hands go,” said Lonnie B. “So if David Morrell can catch him in between and hurting him, that’s the only chance I’m giving him to win.”

No, Thompson is wrong. Morrell has a better chance of winning this fight than knocking out Benavidez. He can beat him by decision by outboxing him or hitting him. His boxing skills are superior to Benavidez’s due to his long amateur career, fighting the best fighters in Cuba and on the world stage.

Benavidez didn’t have that. He turned pro instead of going the amateur route and has always been a pure slugger, mostly because he fought a weight class below his massive lightweight and super middleweight frame.

“David Benavidez showed me a lot. After his (Oleksandr Gvozdyk) last fight, no, it’s for real,” Thompson said of Benavidez’s last fight against former WBC light heavyweight champion Oleksandr Gvozdyk, 37, on June 15.

“I don’t think he has many knockouts, but that guy hit him with some shots. That kid, Oleksandr (Gvozdyk), beat him with some shots, and he can punch. He (Benavidez) got a good hold on them and came back and let his hands go,” Lonnie B said.

Looks like Lonnie didn’t see the Benavidez-Gvozdyk fight. Benavidez did not “come back”. He gassed and took a beating throughout the second half of the fight and was tarred by Gvozdyk in rounds 9 through 12. He was hit with shots that put a hole through a wall.

Yes, Benavidez took the punches, but he didn’t come back. It was a punching bag in the last four rounds. Lonnie B may have seen highlight clips on YouTube that favored Benavidez, but that’s not how the fight played out in rounds six through twelve. David looked exhausted and weak, being pummeled by the stronger Gvozdyk.

Thompson’s prediction

“David Morrell hasn’t proven himself like that, though. I lean more toward David Benavidez because I fought him,” Thompson said. “He hits the body really well. Just from my observation, I don’t think David Morrell can go more than 12 rounds.”

It would be a mistake for Benavidez to try to go to Morrell’s body because it will leave his head open for power shots. He could end up knocked out like Sena Agbeko and Yamaguchi Falcão. Those guys tried to attack Morrell’s body and were quickly knocked out. Benavidez will be a sitting duck if he lowers his hands to target Morrell’s midsection.

“Yeah, but I could be wrong, but I think David Benavidez is going to stop him,” said Lonnie B. “David has one of those styles. When you look at him, you’re like, ‘OK,’ but when you get in with him , it’s a lot harder than I thought.”

Benavidez is no knockout, and definitely not at 175. The guys he knocked out at 168 were young and old, like Demetrius Andrade, Roamer Alexis Angulo, David Lemieux and Anthony Dirrell. All those guys were younger than Benavidez and 35 years old.

“I thought he’d be there for that shot, but he’s not. He’s got his hands up, takes a good punch and comes back. His work rate is high. You’ve got to be in the best position to keep up with him. It’s going to be a good fight, but I’m leaning more towards David Benavidez,” said Lonnie B.

Benavidez will have trouble with his volume striking against Morrell because he moves and chooses when he wants to engage his opponent. His slow feet will make it difficult for him to get to Morrell and land his bulk. Unfortunately, he moves like Frankenstein’s monster and can only land his shots against stationary fighters.