Coach Stephen Edwards feels that David Morrell doesn’t possess the ring IQ to defeat WBC interim mild heavyweight champion David Benavidez of their battle on February 1st.
Stephen thinks that WBA ‘common’ 175-lb champion Morrell (11-0, 9 KOs) relies upon an excessive amount of on his energy and explosiveness and doesn’t have a bag of tips he can depend on if that doesn’t work.
Edwards notes that Morrell had issues in his battle towards Radivoje Kalajdzic on August third in his debut at 175, however he was by no means vulnerable to shedding. Certainly, Morrell dominated each spherical of the battle, however he took occasional huge pictures by Sizzling Rod, who can punch.
This man has higher energy than Benavidez, and Morrell needed to be cautious at instances. Largely, he was nailing Sizzling Rod at will with onerous pictures and had him damage a number of instances.
Stephen went up towards ‘The Mexican Monster’ Benavidez (29-0, 24 KOs) when he defeated his fighter Caleb Plant final 12 months on March 25, 2023, and it didn’t work out effectively for them. He got here away from that battle impressed with Benavidez.
Plant was too weak and small for Benavidez, who seemed like a cruiserweight contained in the ring in that battle,
Morrell vs. Benavidez will headline on February 1 on PBC on Prime Video PPV on the T-Cell Area in Las Vegas. That is the primary battle of Benavidez’s 11-year profession the place he’s going through somebody in a 50-50 battle that has a shot at beating him.
The closest he got here so far to an opponent that had an opportunity of beating him was in his final battle towards Oleksandr Gvozdyk in his debut at 175 on June fifteenth. Benavidez bought drained early in that battle and actually bought hammered by Gvozdyk from rounds 7 by way of 12.
“This can be a battle that David Morrell can win, however I don’t know if he’ll win,” stated Stephen Edwards to Fighthype concerning the David Benavidez vs. David Morrell battle on February 1. “He had issues with ‘Sizzling Rod,’ however he wasn’t shedding.
“There’s a distinction if you return to your nook, and also you don’t know if you happen to’re up. I’ve to see what his changes are like when he’s not successful the battle or when the opposite man is placing psychological stress on him the place it’s beginning to create slightly little bit of doubt.
“I’m very impressed with David Morrell, however he sort of depends on his forcefulness, his energy, and his measurement. He’s approach too huge to be preventing at 168. He’s a giant man. I’m very impressed with him, however plenty of the blokes he was preventing had been a lot smaller than him the place he doesn’t have to enter his bag of tips to depend on different issues like his IQ.
Like Benavidez, Morrell was too huge for the 168-lb division, however he’s not preventing at 175. Each of them fought towards smaller fighters at tremendous middleweight. It wasn’t simply Morrell who fought plenty of smaller guys. Benavidez was at all times larger than his opponents throughout the 11 years he fought at 168.
“I’m not saying he doesn’t have it, however I haven’t seen it but,” stated Edwarda bout Morrell’s ring IQ. “I’m going to select David Benavidez. I feel his IQ could be very underrated. His protection is underrated. Folks say he’s simple to hit, however if you battle like he fights, you’re going to get hit if you’re strolling to a man. Plus, he’s a giant man, however he catches plenty of punches.
“He’s actually good at punching with you. He can counterpunch. He’s very acutely aware of his protection. He’s not in there letting his head get snapped again everywhere. If you see him get hit take a look at him actual shut. Even when he does get hit, his fingers are up. So, the punches are going to must undergo his gloves. He’s deflecting plenty of the ability,” stated Edwards about Benavidez.
