GOLIATH IN THE MAKING
And I think that fight would be even bigger here, to be honest with you.” Beterbiev-Benavidez definitely would be a bigger event than Benavidez- Morrell in the U.S., because Morrell entered the ring with only 11 fights on his professional record. He went 12 rounds in unanimous decision wins against Guyana’s Lennox Allen in August 2020 and Serbia’s Radivoje Kalajdzic prior to facing Benavidez. Yet the 27-year-old Miami resident realized he would take a significant step up in opposition by battling Benavidez, whom he had called out for more than two years.
knows that my punching power’s real,” Benavidez said. “He knows every time I get in there with a fighter, [lumped up is] exactly how they leave, just exactly like that. … I was mad because Gvozdyk didn’t leave like that. He didn’t really seem as hurt as all these other fighters, but because my hands were injured. So now that my hands are good, you know, now you see the power of David Benavidez is real.” Benavidez believes he surprised Morrell by how well he dealt with his left-handed opponent’s athleticism and movement. His father and trainer, Jose Benavidez Sr., joked that his son
good on my end. ... So I’m really happy with the performance.” The multidimensional Morrell entered their bout rated eighth among The Ring’s light heavyweight contenders, mostly due to his lack of pro experience and his recent move from super middleweight, where he was rated much higher. While higher on the light heavyweight list, Benavidez has never appeared in The Ring’s pound- for-pound rankings. “The Mexican Monster” is convinced that the impressive nature of this win should change the public’s and pundits’
Ultimately, Benavidez’s experience edge factored into the outcome of the biggest fight of Morrell’s five-year professional career. “We prepared well,” Morrell said. “It didn’t go like we wanted, like we expected. … The only thing that’s left is to learn from it, move on and be better next time.” Benavidez expected better technique from Morrell, yet Morrell demonstrated that he has the power, size, skill and chin to
perception of him as he hopefully positions himself to box Beterbiev or Bivol later this year. “I think this puts me [on] the pound-for-pound list, probably number nine, 10,” Benavidez said before correcting himself. “I mean, sixth? “That’s been something I’ve been trying, you know, to get on for a long, long time. And it just shows the progression of what I’ve [done] – the evolution of me being a fighter. ... So I’m excited
“I feel like people, when they fight me, they don’t think I’m as good as I am ... so they kinda mess themselves up like that.”
beat most light heavyweights, maybe every competitor not named Beterbiev, Bivol or Benavidez. The winner was simply pleased that he atoned for what he considers a subpar performance against Ukraine’s Gvozdyk. Benavidez beat the former WBC light heavyweight champ by unanimous decision in their 12-round bout on the Gervonta Davis-Frank Martin undercard last June, but injuries to both hands nevertheless prevented Benavidez from boxing better that night. The two-time WBC super middleweight beltholder still won comfortably on the cards of judges Dave Moretti (117-111), Don Trella (119- 109) and Zachary Young (116-112). Benavidez feels he made more of a statement against a younger, fresher fighter in Morrell. “[Morrell] didn’t say nothing [at the press conference], because he
showed he was also a better dancer when he responded to Morrell’s showboating with an “Ali Shuffle” of his own. “Well, I feel like people, when they fight me, they don’t think I’m as good as I am,” Benavidez said. “They don’t think I have defense; they don’t think I [can] box; they don’t think I have a jab, so they kinda mess themselves up like that. But as soon as I started touching that body, I touched the left hook to the body and I heard him [say], ‘Ugh.’ So as soon as that opened up, I knew everything else was gonna open up. “And just the thing was me keeping my concentration for the whole fight, because … he was throwing some good shots. So I was able to showcase my defense as well. I won every round, right? Or how much rounds did I win? Yeah, so it was a landslide. ... So if you can have a landslide against good fighters like that, I mean, it’s pretty
to hopefully one day be number one.” Benavidez could crack and climb the pound-for-pound list by beating Saul “Canelo” Alvarez. He is certain that the Mexican superstar will continue avoiding him, however, especially now that Alvarez will face fellow four- division champion Terence Crawford on September 13 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. “You guys keep asking me about that fight, and I know as much as you guys,” Benavidez said. “I mean, I would love to fight Canelo. It would be a massive, massive fight. But Canelo says that he has other things [to do], and he says I’m being too mean in the way I’m approaching him. So, you know what I mean? I guess I gotta work on my attitude.” Keith Idec is a senior writer and columnist for The Ring. He can be reached on X @idecboxing.
here for. ... Every fight – I feel like every fight that I take is gonna be the hardest fight ever, until the next fight. “And that’s how it should be, because we’re going up in competition, we’re going up against the best of the best. If you look at my track record now, I have a pretty good resume. Not pretty good – I have a really good resume. So, every fighter I’m going up against is better than the last one, and you know, I’m happy I’m able to show what level I’m on. And I’m happy to continue to progress in my career.” The GEA has enabled Alalshikh to pay Beterbiev and Bivol eight- figure purses apiece for back-to-back bouts. Benavidez would like to reap the financial benefits of the Saudis’ vast investment in boxing, but he also appreciates that he has developed a fan base in Las Vegas.
A paid crowd in excess of 12,000 attended the Benavidez-Morrell card at T-Mobile Arena, home of the NHL’s Golden Knights. Each of Benavidez’s previous three fights took place in Las Vegas. He has established himself as a ticket-seller in his hometown of Phoenix as well. Beterbiev, a slight favorite to beat Bivol again, is a proven box office draw in Montreal, where he has lived since 2013, and Quebec City. If Beterbiev were to remain unbeaten, a fight with Benavidez would make more money in Las Vegas than anywhere in Quebec – if, that is, it were to take place away from Riyadh, the Saudi capital that the GEA promotes as an attractive destination for tourists from the United States, United Kingdom and elsewhere. “I feel like it would sell more here, to be honest with you,” Benavidez said in
Benavidez still craves career-defining fights despite all the belts.
reference to Las Vegas. “That’s the one thing: They talk about Turki Alalshikh and they say, ‘Would you ever fight with them over in Riyadh?’ But, at the end of the day, you know, my fan base is here in Las Vegas. I’m a Las Vegas fighter. You know what I mean? I would love to go over there and fight, but this is my market right here. “And I feel like we did really well. We just sold [well at] T-Mobile Arena. … It was a dream come true to me. You know what I mean? And I just wanna take advantage of this market, because I’ve worked 11 years [for this] – this is my first time having a freakin’ crowd like that, so I just, I wanna stay here.
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