A potential fight between David Benavidez and David Morrell is what the fans of the sport are looking forward to, especially if Morrell wins on August 3 in his fight with Radivoje “Hot Rod” Kalajdzic for the vacant WBA World light heavyweight belt at BMO Stadium. Los Angeles.
Benavidez moves to 175
Benavidez (29-0, 24 KOs) is now campaigning at 175 after failing to get the fight he had been pushing for with Canelo Alvarez at 168.
The fight Benavidez is looking for now is the October 12 fight between light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol. However, the two could meet soon, leaving Benavidez without an opponent.
The 'Mexican Beast' Benavide can't wait for the rematch between Bivol and Beterbiev to play without a fight. That will make him look like Edgar Berlanga, who chose not to fight Morrell earlier this year and waited for a fight with Canelo Alvarez.
Is Benavidez Scared of Morrell?
Former WBA 'regular' super middleweight champion Morrell (10-0, 9 KOs) has repeatedly called out Benavidez and would willingly agree to fight him next.
If Morrell wins against Kalajdzic, he will become the WBA 'regular' 175lb champion and will have a belt defense against Benavidez. Some boxing fans believe that Benavidez is afraid of Morrell, knowing how good he is and realizing that there are many chances that he will be beaten.
“The fight we should be seeing this fall is Benavidez vs. Morrell. Both have PBC. I think David Morrell is an absolute killer,” Mike Coppinger said on Chris Mannix's podcast about wanting to see David Benavidez fight David Morrell Jr. at the age of 175.
“That guy doesn't get enough exposure for whatever reason. I think it's a very dangerous fight. I don't know if Benavidez beats Morrell, but that's a fight I want to see. Morrell is at 175 again. I don't think it's a mistake for him to rise to the top.”
The fans wanted to see Benavidez fight Morrell because that would be one of the best fights at 175.
For some reason, Benavidez chose not to agree to face Morrell, and one can only draw conclusions as to why. He preferred to fight Demetrius Andrade and David Lemieux over Morrell. What does that tell you about Benavidez?
“I spoke to Benavidez a few months ago, he said he wanted Morrell later this year. That should be the next fight. The winner should get Beterbiev-Bivol,” said Coppinger.
It is very unlikely that Benavidez will agree to fight Morrell until he gets his shot at the Beterbiev vs. Bivol. With the money the Honorable Turki Alalshikh will give Benavidez, he will not risk fighting Morrell Jr. and be beaten. Benavidez is a good fighter, but we saw his true talent in his last fight against Oleksandr Gvozdyk on June 15, when he struggled badly.
“I'm keeping him out of the Morrell fight because we know how good Morrell is, but he has 10 paid fights, and he's been cool. Two fights in 2023 and a couple in 2022,” said Chris Mannix explaining why it is not a good idea for Benavidez to face the dangerous talent David Morrell, who could spoil his momentum.
It sounds like Mannix is one of Benavidez's energizers, bolstering his defense against Morrell.
Benavidez's best wins:
Anthony Dirrell: 38
David Lemieux: 34
Demetrius Andrade: 36
Caleb Plant
Oleksander Gvozyk: Closer than the judges score
Ronald Gavril
Turki Alalshikh's influence
“It didn't appear that he was going to build that fight [Benavidez-Morrell] to what it should be. Indeed, for Benavidez, it comes down to Turki Alalshikh. He said he wants to see Benavidez alongside the winner of Beterbiev and Bivol. If he decides to put money in, that will make the fight happen,” said Mannix.
Turki wants to see David Benavidez fight the winner of Beterbiev-Bivol, but if those two choose to meet in a quick contest, then what happens?
Does Benavidez fight another can of tomatoes, like the ones he's been facing, or does he face his demons and fight Morrell next? If Benavidez lacks the confidence to face Morrell, he should go back to 168 and continue chasing Canelo.
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