David Benavidez says his experience will be too much for “regular” WBA lightweight champion David Morrell, and he expects to knock him out in the next few rounds in their February 1 headliner.
Benavidez (29-0, 24 KOs) believes he has the advantage against Morrell (11-0, 9 KOs) because of the superior opposition he has faced during his 11-year professional career in many” 50-50 fights”. He doesn’t say who he fought during his career in fights that were considered money, but that’s what he says.
Morrell has a slight advantage in youth, power, technical skills and mobility over Benavidez. It also has less wear and tear. Benavidez gets hit a lot because he is a volume puncher who gets in front of his opponents and overwhelms them with shots.
He’s gotten away with that style because he melts down to compete at 168 against smaller, older fighters. Now that Benavidez is fighting where he should be all along, at 175, he’s getting hit hard, and he’ll have to change his style to avoid getting knocked out.
Benavidez vs. Morrell will headline PBC on Prime Video PPV on February 1 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
“I want to show that I’m the best in the world, and the only one there besides Bivol and Beterbiev is David Morrell. It was the best fight I could see. It’s not the easiest fight. It’s probably the toughest besides Beterbiev and Bivol,” said David Benavidez to Tobin.
“He had a couple of words for me, saying that I had run away from him. I had to test his temperature and let him know that I will be there all night. I did not run away from anyone, and when this fight is finished, he’s going to know who’s the best David,” Benavidez said about Morrell.
“Canelo was kind of blocking my chance to get greatness. I think now everyone is protecting their O. For me, if you want to get the right money, you have to go through the hardest fights . You have to show people what you’re made of. That’s what I’m doing with this fight.”
Canelo was doing the same thing Benavidez was with Morrell. Benavidez was not lenient. If he had fought the best opposition to build his fan base, Canelo would have fought him. The guys that Canelo fights are the ones with fans, that bring something to the table. We saw how Benavidez couldn’t sell when he fought on PPV against Demetrius Andrade on a loaded card, and the event did poor numbers.
“Every fight I’ve taken, they’ve been tough, competitive fights where it seems like it’s 50-50. But I go in and do my thing and show why I’m the best in the world,” said Benavidez.
Benavidez’s fights have not been 50-50 during his 11-year career. He’s always been the favorite in his fights, and that’s the problem. He’s taken risks so far with his bout against Morrell, and he’s only taking them because he’s had enough.
Benavidez’s best wins:
– Demetrius Andrade: 35 years old
– Caleb Plant
– Oleksandr Gvozdyk: 37
– Anthony Dirrell: 38 years old
– Ronald Gavril
“That’s the difference between me and him. He fought against people who weren’t really good. That’s why he finished them first,” Benavidez said about Morrell. “I fought against experienced people, veterans, and I finished it late.”
Morrell’s recent opponent, Radivoje Kalajdzic, is better than anyone Benavidez has fought against. Gvozdyk was a good fighter before retiring in 2019, but was out of the game for four years before making a comeback in 2023. This wasn’t the first version of Gvozdyk that Benavidez fought.
Gvozdyk had beaten three second-tier fighters before facing Benavidez on May 15 and went the 12-round distance with him in a fight that appeared to be a draw. It was a poor performance from Benavidez, who didn’t look as good as Artur Beterbiev in his fight against Gvozdyk on October 18, 2019.
“It will be my experience against him going in and trying to score a quick knockout. I’m 100% focused. I know this fight won’t be easy, but it will probably end in the next rounds,” said Benavidez about his match against to Morrell.
