By Joseph Herron: The extremely anticipated showdown to crown boxing’s subsequent celebrity, titled “The Coronation of King David: Benavidez vs. Morrell,” is about to happen on the T-Cell Area in Las Vegas, Nevada, on February 1, 2025. The primary occasion pits two undefeated fighters, David Benavidez (29-0, 24 KOs) and David Morrell Jr. (11-0, 9 KOs), in opposition to one another in a conflict that has already sparked a fiery disagreement between the camps.
Including to the mounting anticipation, famend boxing coach James Gogue, who has 5 many years of expertise within the sport, lately assessed the stakes on the W.A.W. BOXING podcast. Whereas Benavidez is at the moment the slight betting favourite (-180) at most sportsbooks, Gogue believes the Phoenix native faces a formidable problem.
“David Morrell Jr. is an extremely gifted fighter,” Gogue remarked. “You might see his pure expertise from the second he made his professional debut 5 years in the past. He’s an explosive puncher with each fingers, has distinctive hand and foot velocity, fast reflexes, and glorious hand-eye coordination. His capability to modify seamlessly between orthodox and southpaw stances makes him harmful in any scenario. On high of that, his timing, understanding of vary and distance, and flexibility—whether or not preventing from mid-range, long-range, or in shut quarters—make him the whole package deal.”
Group Benavidez has been vital of Morrell’s comparatively brief skilled profession, arguing that his lack of expertise may very well be an obstacle. Nevertheless, Gogue counters this skepticism with a number of compelling arguments.
“Sure, Morrell solely has 11 professional fights on his report, however he’s received a deep novice pedigree,” Gogue defined. “He’s confronted nearly each model possible within the amateurs. Add that to his pure athleticism and the steerage of Ronnie Shields, probably the most skilled trainers in boxing, and he doesn’t want 40 professional fights to tackle one of the best within the division.”
Ronnie Shields, Morrell’s Corridor of Fame-bound coach, echoed these sentiments throughout his personal podcast, “Actual Boxing with Ronnie Shields.”
“David Morrell Jr. is essentially the most athletically gifted fighter in boxing at the moment,” Shields asserted. “He’s able to humble David Benavidez on February 1. The actual query followers ought to be asking is whether or not fighters like Benavidez, Dmitry Bivol, and Artur Beterbiev are prepared for Morrell.”
Whereas Morrell’s expertise and potential are extensively acknowledged, Gogue highlighted a vital unknown heading into this career-defining bout.
“There’s a lot to love about Morrell and his future, however we’ve by no means seen him in a troublesome combat,” Gogue noticed. “We don’t understand how he’ll deal with adversity or how sturdy his chin is. In boxing, there’s an previous saying: by no means get too excessive on a prospect till you see how properly they’ll take a punch. We’ll seemingly get that reply on February 1 when he faces somebody like Benavidez, who’s knocked out 24 opponents in simply 29 fights.”
The stakes couldn’t be increased because the boxing world awaits the end result of “The Coronation of King David: Benavidez vs. Morrell.” This epic conflict won’t solely decide the subsequent dominant pressure within the Gentle Heavyweight division but additionally introduce boxing’s subsequent celebrity to the American market. Tune in on Saturday, February 1, for this PBC Pay-Per-View occasion on Prime Video, beginning at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.
