David Benavidez revealed today on social media that he could next face “regular” WBC lightweight champion David Morrell. Benavidez (29-0, 24 KOs) initially said he was “cooking up something big,” and when pressed, said it was a fight against Morrell (11-0, 9 KOs).
Capturing the secondary WBA belt from Morrell would give Benavidez more credibility as a challenger for the Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol winner.
If Morrell is victorious, Benavidez will have lifelong regrets for taking this risky matchup. All the money he thought he was going to get as the WBC binding on Beterbiev would be up in smoke.
I can see Benavidez as an old man one day, saying to himself: “Why did I do it? Why did I fight Morrell? It would be torture for Benavidez to second guess himself for the rest of his life if the Cuban talent Morrell destroys it.
It’s a very winnable fight for Morrell, who is stronger and better suited to the 175 lb division than Benavidez.
Benavidez is finally showing interest in facing Cuban talent Morrell, and his recent lackluster performance against Radivoje Kalajdzic on August 3 could be the reason. Benavidez-Morrell would be an excellent fight if it can be made. He would be a great addition to the upcoming Gervonta Davis undercard in December.
Despite injuring Kalajdzic multiple times and winning a 12-round wide decision, Morrell looked tentative in the fight. Morrell would have KO’d him if he threw sustained combinations,
After that performance, it’s no surprise that Benavidez came out of the woodwork, eager to fight Morrell. If Morrell solves this problem by throwing combinations, Benavidez will be in trouble.
“I’m cooking something big for you for my next fight. Stay tuned. If everything goes well and accept, (David) Morrell,” said David Benavidez on social media for his next fight in December.
Benavidez floated a vision he had cooked up, saying that if he beats the winner of Beterbiev-Bivol to capture all four belts, he could defend against Canelo Alvarez at a catchweight. It was a wild dream because Benavidez’s chances of beating Beterbiev or Bivol would be practically zero.
Benavidez’s power at 168 was absent at 175, and it was clear that he was not the same fighter in this division. In other words, Benavidez cannot dominate against fighters his size and will need to find a different way to win. If Benavidez continues to fight like he did at Super Middleweight, it’s only a matter of time before he gets knocked out.
If the fight with Morrell, 26, goes through, it is unclear whether Benavidez’s mandatory WBC spot will be up for grabs. If Benavidez loses that one, he could forget about getting the October 12 winner of the undisputed championship fight between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol.
If Morrell can get his hands on the WBC mandatory spot, he would be the one to take the winner of that fight if he could defeat Benavidez. That ruins Benvidez’s plans for the mega-payday he’s counting on fighting the winner of the Beterbiev-Bivol fight.
