February 1 is fast approaching. On that night, at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, David Benavidez (29-0, 24 KOs) and David Morrell (11-0, 9 KOs) will meet in an intriguing-looking light heavyweight showdown.
The matchup sees two highly regarded boxers putting their undefeated records on the line against one another instead of remaining inactive or facing easier opposition to stay busy. Both men are in a similar position in that they have been heavily touted as potential Saul “Canelo” Alvarez opponents for all the belts in the super middleweight division. However, Alvarez has selected different challenges, so Benavidez and Morrell did the next best thing – fight each other in the 175-pound division.
A case can be made for both men winning this one. Benavidez has more professional experience and an incredible pressure style, while Morrell has all the slick southpaw skills that often neutralize a come-forward fighter. This piece will take a closer look at Benavidez and examine what he will bring to the encounter with Morrell.
How Has Benavidez Performed Recently?
A former title holder at 168 pounds, Benavidez looks to have left the super middleweight division behind. Known as ‘The Mexican Monster,’ the fighter, who is a native of Arizona and aged 28, made the move to light heavyweight last year and convincingly outpointed tough and durable Oleksandr Gvozdyk in June.
The Gvozdyk encounter perhaps illustrated to Benavidez that light heavyweight opponents won’t be as easy to overpower physically. Prior to last June, Benavidez had stopped seven out of his previous eight foes at 168. Indeed, one of those stopped by Benavidez during that run was the skilled southpaw Demetrius Andrade. That turned out to be Benavidez’s final bout at super middleweight in November 2023.
Earlier in 2023, Benavidez had been extended the full 12 rounds by Caleb Plant. Benavidez showed patience and incredible stamina in a high-quality clash as he overturned an early deficit to dominate the second half of the fight with his trademark relentless pressure style punctuated with fast combinations. It was a classic example of a fighter showcasing his skills under pressure against an excellent opponent.
David Lemieux, Kyrone Davis and Ronald Ellis were all vanquished by Benavidez before the final bell in 2021 and 2022. The Mexican Monster was on the rampage at 168; now, he is looking to continue that at 175.
Blunt Analysis of Benavidez’s Campaign So Far
As stated at the top of this piece, Benavidez is 29-0. It is a fine record, but considering the physical gifts he has and the opposition he has faced, he should be 29-0. Now, 12 years into his professional career, is the correct time to be facing opponents who are capable of making him dig deep into his reservoir of talents. Morrell looks to be a foe who falls into that category.
While that last statement might sound harsh or even disrespectful towards the boxers Benavidez has faced up to this point, it shouldn’t be taken that way. It is perhaps a roundabout way of praising Benavidez and his boxing abilities. Looking at the names of the men he has beaten, retrospective thinking here is Benavidez would have been expected to win every one of those fights—credit to him for consistently living up to the favourite tag.
It should also be noted that in the past, Benavidez himself has probably been his own worst enemy at times, with some out-of-the-ring misdemeanours. In 2018, Benavidez returned a positive test for cocaine. This resulted in him serving a four-month ban and being stripped of his WBC super middleweight title. In 2020, Benavidez missed weight before taking on Alexis Angulo. He won the bout, but blowing things on the scales ruled him out of winning the belt that night.
Benavidez has no doubt learned from those transgressions. A fully focused Mexican Monster is one of the best fighters operating in boxing today.
David Benavidez Fighting Style
Simply, Benavidez is an athlete. At 6’2, he is powerfully built yet athletic enough to move elegantly and effortlessly around the boxing ring. As noted already, Benavidez employs a pressure style of boxing. He likes to be on the front foot, constantly bringing the heat to his opponent.
Benavidez is also known for his high punch output. Watching him box, one can become mesmerized by the fast, powerful combinations he throws. With this in his locker, it must be tempting for Benavidez not to work hard on the fundamentals of boxing, but he clearly does as his jab is rock solid. He mixes it up to head and body and the left hook he throws off the jab is probably his best punch.
IT’S FIGHT WEEK 🥊
Coming off of their 175 LB debuts, somebody’s “0” has gotta go.#BenavidezMorrell | Feb. 1
LIVE on https://t.co/op5b8eSOjx pic.twitter.com/8uqulrBqnJ— PPV.COM (@ppv_com) January 27, 2025
Boxing out of a tall, upright stance, Benavidez protects himself with a high guard while he is calculating his next angle of attack. He lures opponents into traps by lowering his guard on occasion, and then we see something that can be overlooked when analyzing Benavidez’s skill set – his counterpunching ability. It is a nice wrinkle which he throws in from time to time to demonstrate that relentless pressure is not the only trick he has in his bag. If things get messy, Benavidez has no trouble fighting on the inside.
Overall, Benavidez is a multi-dimensional fighter. He is aggressive and fast-paced in the main but also adept at countering and getting rough at close quarters when required. It will take an exceptional performance to beat him.
Two More Things…
Now that he has moved to a higher weight class, Benavidez won’t always enjoy the height and reach advantages he generally did when boxing at super middleweight.
Against Gvozdyk, Benavidez realized his physicality alone wouldn’t be enough to grind down his opponent and force a late stoppage. Morrell is just slightly shorter than Benavidez but has a larger reach, so again, we will see Benavidez having to work out the best way to be consistently successful in this contest.
One final point to consider is the recent lack of southpaw opponents Benavidez has faced. Since 2016, Benavidez has boxed 14 times but only twice against left-handed foes – Denis Douglin in 2016 and the aforementioned Andrade in 2023. It might not be an issue for him at all, but it is something to have in the back of our minds before watching the fight.
On paper, this is another bout Benavidez should win. He is too good not to be considered the favourite here. Morrell is a serious test though and will probably be the best opponent Benavidez has fought so far. Benavidez must be at his absolute best on February 1 to ensure he remains undefeated.
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