The rivalry between David Benavidez and David Morrell was heated and passionate before they entered the ring, and that tension continued between the two light heavyweight contenders during their fight Saturday night.
But any animosity ended once the bout concluded, at least according to the winner.
“There’s no bad blood no more,” Benavidez said on The Ariel Helwani Show, less than 48 hours after his unanimous decision over Morrell. “Unless we fight again. Then some trash talk may start up.”
This was far from the first boxing match that has served as a form of catharsis, purging the negative emotion between the combatants. While the animosity wasn’t manufactured, it certainly served to enhance the action.
“It definitely was personal. I think it was a little obvious from the way how we were both fighting,” Benavidez said. “That’s why it’s good for the fights to get personal, because two men that don’t really like each other, they’re going to go in there and they’re going to go to war. David Morrell, he’s known as a fighter that moves around the ring a lot. He didn’t use the ring at all. He was going back and forth with me. And I was going to keep my word and go toe to toe. That’s what the fans love to see. I’m happy with the performance that we both gave.”
That’s not to say everybody was at peace after their war. Morrell’s manager, Luis DeCubas Snr, continued to go at it with Benavidez afterward, unhappy with comments Benavidez had made about him during the buildup to the bout, according to Alan Dawson of World Boxing News.
“I knew he was going to still be heated after the fight because I put a beating on Morrell,” Benavidez said. “I try to remain humble after the fight. I even gave David Morrell his belt back, because that’s his memorabilia. That title stays with him. I just tried to show sportsmanship. There was no need to keep going after that. A lot of these fights get heated, but as soon as you go in there you go to war, and I feel like you have to give the respect where the respect is deserved.”
David Greisman, who has covered boxing since 2004, is on Twitter @FightingWords2 and @UnitedBoxingPod. He is the co-host of the United Boxing Podcast. David’s book, “Fighting Words: The Heart and Heartbreak of Boxing,” is available on Amazon.
