David Morrell envisions taking David Benavidez to school
Dec 19, 2024 • 9:00 AM ET
David Morrell believes he has a fine understanding of what he’ll confront February 1 when he fights fellow unbeaten light-heavyweight David Benavidez with an expected undisputed title shot going to the winner.
“Offense, offense, offense,” Morrell told ProBox TV’s Ricardo Celis in a backstage interview Tuesday after the pair faced off at a joint workout and Phoenix’s Benavidez shoved Morrell across a boxing ring, with Morrell retaliating by throwing his WBA secondary title belt at Benavidez.
While that singular dimension has carried former super-middleweight champion Benavidez 29-0 (24 KOs) to a string of impressive performances, Morrell 11-0 (9 KOs) argues complementing his size and age similarity to Benavidez with a more diverse package of skill should determine their pay-per-view fight (Prime Video, PPV.COM) at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
“I’m going to rip his head off and finish him completely,” Morrell said. “[Benavidez] doesn’t know how to move. He doesn’t know anything. He’s walking [forward] all the time.”
Morrell is banking his refined lessons at the Cuban boxing school provide the separation he needs to win the bout between two interim champions who have been promised a shot at the Feb. 22 undisputed light-heavyweight title fight between unbeaten champion Artur Beterbiev and former WBA champion Dmitry Bivol in Saudi Arabia.
“You’ll notice the differences. … It’s (about) the angles and all this,” Morrell said in the interview. “[Benavidez] only has one thing: offense. No defense. [No] blocking things. [Those] tactics are things that obviously [make a difference].”
Morrell, a former elite super-middleweight title contender like Benavidez who tired of waiting for Canelo Alvarez, took a light-heavyweight fight in August and said he’s increasingly comfortable at the weight.
“I’m going to be big. I’m going to teach you. Trust me. Watch me,” Morrell said. “The boy [Benavidez] will finish [up] in the hospital.”
Lance Pugmire has been a full-time boxing writer for nearly 20 years, serving now as BoxingScene’s U.S. Senior Writer and assistant producer for ProBoxTV’s “BoxingScene Today.” Pugmire capped a near 20-year career at the Los Angeles Times (sports investigations, NHL/MLB beat work, law enforcement/courts and boxing/UFC) to join The Athletic, and then USA Today. Pugmire’s stint at The Times started with the first Israel Vazquez-Rafael Marquez fight and the Oscar De La Hoya-Floyd Mayweather Jnr then-record pay-per-view, leading through a slew of ringside assignments at major bouts, including Mayweather-Pacquiao, Mayweather-Canelo and the Canelo-Golovkin trilogy. Lance’s appreciation for boxing is rooted in his admiration and appreciation for the fighters, gladiators who have proven to be the most forthcoming and candid of all the athletes he has interviewed over a career dating to 1990. Lance was honored to be named the 2022 winner of the Boxing Writers Association of America Nat Fleischer Award for career excellence and he’s collected many BWAA writing awards in categories ranging from breaking news to deep-dive long features.
