Just three weeks removed from the undisputed light heavyweight title rematch between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol, David Benavidez collides with David Morrell Jr. this Saturday at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas which could signify the future at 175 pounds.
Benavidez (29-0, 24 KOs) and Morrell (11-0, 9 KOs) both make their second appearances at light heavyweight following unanimous-decision victories against Oleksandr Gvozdyk and Radivoje Kalajdzic. Benavidez claimed the WBC interim belt against Ukraine’s Gvozdyk last June, while Morrell picked up the vacant WBA regular title last August.
Former WBO super featherweight world champion turned commentator, and analyst Barry Jones spoke exclusively to FightsATW to give his expert opinion on Benavidez vs. Morrell.
“Anytime Benavidez is in a fight, it’s worth watching, isn’t it?” Jones explained. “That’s the truth of it, just the way he fights can be fantastic. Morrell is still relatively raw in the professional game, but he’s a big hitter with beautiful technique, but I just can’t see how he copes with Benavidez. I just can’t see it; I just can’t. I think Benavidez holds the shot really well. I think that’s important. If he didn’t hold the shot, well, then I give Morrell a massive chance because his timing is impeccable. He can really throw that left hand. That left hand is a good weapon for him, so he can throw that off the jab. Especially when you know some of those combinations, he’ll have to throw one of those shots, which is a little bit weaker. So you can fire off the weaker shots. Whether it’s the first jab or the last jab, he can fire that off quite quickly. But ultimately, I think Morrell gets overwhelmed.”
Both men are close to the same age. Morrell is 27 years old, while Benavidez is 28. However, Benavidez is vastly more experienced having turned professional in 2013. Morrell did not sign up for the pro ranks until 2019 and also has 18 fewer fights than Benavidez.
“I think it’s a huge step up for Morrell and I think he’ll raise his game because I think he knows he has a good boxing brain and he’ll try and slow Benavidez down as best he can, but there’s 12 rounds. It’s a long time to keep him at bay, but ultimately, I can’t see it. And by the way, Benavidez can box. He’s not old and he’s not just about the work rate. He does move his feet quite well in and out, and he will get into a bit of rhythm with his work. I just think that, ultimately, Morrell is a constantly moving target; you know he’s in front of you constantly. There’s always something going on with Benavidez. He’s always doing something and when you’re watching, when your opponent is watching something, he’s always moving, always throwing his hands, and it’s always going to be constant pressure of power and pace. Just because you have to concentrate all the time, it tires you out, as well as the work rate and the punches and trying to counter. He’s doing something all the time with his feet. He’s constantly fidgety. I think that that’s tiring for your opponent to be able to cope with. I think Morrell’s morale will struggle with that.
“I think Morrell will be tough enough and maybe just cute enough to see the points score, but I think in the end he loses. I don’t think he’s a massive puncher, but I think he can punch a bit. I don’t think the power will be a factor here. It’ll be about the great experience Benavidez has over him. Morrell has obviously struggled for the weight [at 168 pounds], so he might have a bit more energy. He doesn’t box with a frantic pace anyway. For Benavidez, moving up in weight has got to be good for him. It’s going to be good to have more energy making the mid-range crosses as long as he can still hold the punches when you move up the weight classes. The bigger guys can absorb the power a bit more. But for Benavidez, it’s not so much about power, It’s more about energy.
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