David Benavidez’s father and coach, Jose Benavidez Sr., says he needs David Morrell now following his victory final Saturday over Radivoje Kalajdzic (29-3, 21 KO’s) within the Riyadh Season occasion in Los Angeles.
(Credit score: Mark Robinson Matchroom Boxing)
Benavidez Sr. claims that he needs to make the combat with the 26-year-old newly topped WBA World gentle heavyweight champion Morrell (11-0, 9 KOs) now as a result of he retains “getting higher and higher.”
Benavidez Sr.’s Opportunistic Transfer?
Some followers on X view this for instance of Benavidez Sr. being opportunistic, sniffing out weak spot within the Cuban Morrell after his less-than-stellar efficiency towards contender Kalajdzic final Saturday night time on the BMO Stadium on the Terence Crawford vs. Israil Madrimov undercard.
“He has 11 fights now. I wish to combat him now as a result of he’s getting higher and higher and higher,” stated Jose Benavidez Sr. to ESNEWS about wanting his son to combat newly topped WBA World gentle heavyweight champion David Morrell (11-0, 9 KOs) now earlier than he continues bettering.
“We’re are going to make this combat as a result of the folks wish to see this combat, and we wish to give the folks the combat they wish to see,” stated Benavidez Sr.
Morrell’s Response
“This combat is coming. So proper now, maintain on,” Morrell stated about his and David Benavidez’s plans to combat.
It will be nice if Benavidez and Morrell fought subsequent. The winner would problem for the undisputed gentle heavyweight championship towards the victor of the October twelfth contest between champions Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol. Nevertheless, Benavidez is the WBC 175-lb necessary and doubtless received’t wish to put that place in danger by taking an pointless combat towards Morrell.
Morrell had Kalajdzic damage a number of instances within the combat however did not put him away by not pouring it on with nonstop machine gun-like mixtures. If Morrell had simply fired a 20-punch flurry when he had Kalajdzic surprised, he would have knocked him out.
As a substitute of doing that, Morrell was loading up, throwing one punch at a time, making an attempt to attain a one-punch KO after hurting him. That didn’t work as a result of Kalajdzic ducked lots of the single pictures that Morrell threw and would get well.
Considerations About Benavidez at Mild Heavyweight
David Benavidez seemed like a primary run-of-the-mill slugger in his debut at 175 on June 15, successful a 12-round unanimous choice towards former WBC gentle heavyweight champion Oleksandr Gvozdyk.
Benavidez was hit rather a lot in that combat and was a punching bag within the championship rounds from 9 by means of 12. He gassed out and simply walked ahead, consuming large pictures time and again by Gvozdyk.
At 175, Benavidez seemed like a mean fringe contender, nothing particular. He positively didn’t present the flexibility that will fear champions Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol.
The combat confirmed that Benavidez’s future at 175 can be very totally different from his future at 168 when he might use his measurement to beat older, smaller fighters.
Though Morrell received by a lopsided twelve-round choice, he solely fought in spurts. He confirmed glorious punching energy however appeared to fade after the primary three rounds. Morrell labored from rounds 4 by means of 12 and was getting backed up by Kalajdzic. That’s a fighter that Artur Beterbiev knocked out in 5 rounds in a warfare in 2019.
It wasn’t a simple combat for Beterbiev, both, however the distinction is that he by no means let up. He attacked Kalajdzic nonstop and labored him over on the within.
Morrell didn’t try this. He simply fought briefly spurts, which allowed the 33-year-old Kalajdzic to remain within the combat, land many pictures, and make it to the tip. Morrell received by the scores 117-111, 117-111, and 118-110. Many imagine the combat was nearer than that, maybe 116-112.
Morrell’s energy appeared higher than the pictures that Beterbiev hit Kalajdzic with 5 years in the past, however he couldn’t keep on him the way in which his coach, Ronnie Shields, wished him to. If Morrell unloaded a nonstop flurry of punches within the first three rounds, he would have knocked him out.
The punches Morrell landed on Kalajdzic would harm Benavidez, who won’t have the ability to take them practically as effectively. Morrell’s pictures had been devasting for Benavidez, who doesn’t transfer in addition to Kalajdzic and would take the punches flush from the Cuban expertise. Getting hit by Morrell can be a nasty concept for Benavidez as a result of he has no protection in any respect.
