David Benavidez may have made a mistake by opting to face the highly skilled WBA ‘regular’ light heavyweight champion David Morrell on February 1st.
Benavidez (29-0, 24 KOs) had been avoiding Morrell (11-0, 9 KOs) for the past two years, choosing instead to fight easier opponents like David Lemieux, Caleb Plant, and Demetrius Andrade.
After Morrell Jr’s last fight against Radivoje Kalajdzic on August 3rd, Benavidez and his dad/trainer, Jose Benavidez Sr., finally agreed to face him. According to Salvador Rodriguez on X, Benavidez-Morrell will take place on a PBC show on February 1st at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
It’s too late for Benavidez to back out now because if he loses, he will lose out on the opportunity to fight the winner of the Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol 2 rematch in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and miss out on a significant payday.
Benavidez Needs to Adjust His Style for Morrell
In his debut at 175 against Oleksandr Gvozdyk on June 15th, Benavidez struggled and took a lot of punishment in the later rounds. His performance showed that his power hadn’t carried over from the 168-lb division and his fighting style might not be effective at light heavyweight.
David Morrell is known for his power and could pose a serious threat to Benavidez if he doesn’t adapt his style. Benavidez needs to be cautious against Morrell, who is a heavy hitter and may not be as forgiving as his previous opponents.
Morrell’s Power Poses a Threat to Benavidez
David Morrell presents a significant challenge to Benavidez due to his power and knockout ability. Benavidez’s style of volume punching might not work against Morrell, who hits harder than most opponents in the light heavyweight division.
Given Morrell’s power and knockout potential, Benavidez must be careful and make adjustments to his style to avoid a devastating loss. Morrell’s last opponent, Kalajdzic, posed a different challenge due to his counter-punching and power, making him a tougher opponent for Morrell.
