David Benavidez’s father and coach, Jose Benavidez Sr., says he desires 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 desires to make the combat with the 26-year-old newly topped WBA World mild 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 point within the Cuban Morrell after his less-than-stellar efficiency towards contender Kalajdzic final Saturday evening 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,” mentioned Jose Benavidez Sr. to ESNEWS about wanting his son to combat newly topped WBA World mild 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,” mentioned Benavidez Sr.
Morrell’s Response
“This combat is coming. So proper now, maintain on,” Morrell mentioned 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 mild 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 possibly received’t wish to put that place in danger by taking an pointless combat towards Morrell.
Morrell had Kalajdzic harm a number of occasions within the combat however didn’t put him away by not pouring it on with nonstop machine gun-like combos. If Morrell had simply fired a 20-punch flurry when he had Kalajdzic surprised, he would have knocked him out.
As an alternative of doing that, Morrell was loading up, throwing one punch at a time, attempting 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 better.
Issues About Benavidez at Mild Heavyweight
David Benavidez seemed like a fundamental run-of-the-mill slugger in his debut at 175 on June 15, successful a 12-round unanimous resolution towards former WBC mild 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 way of 12. He gassed out and simply walked ahead, consuming large pictures again and again by Gvozdyk.
At 175, Benavidez seemed like a median 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 could be very totally different from his future at 168 when he may use his dimension to beat older, smaller fighters.
Though Morrell received by a lopsided twelve-round resolution, he solely fought in spurts. He confirmed wonderful punching energy however appeared to fade after the primary three rounds. Morrell labored from rounds 4 by way 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 top. 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, needed 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 injury Benavidez, who won’t be capable to take them practically as properly. 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 could be a foul concept for Benavidez as a result of he has no protection in any respect.
