At the age of 25 and with only nine pro bouts underneath his belt, David Morrell Jr., at least traditionally, would have a long way to go before reaching the mountaintop. But, thanks to his amateur pedigree, coupled with his eye-catching skills, the 25-year-old has emerged as one of the bright stars in the super middleweight division.

When last seen, the Cuban native made it look incredibly easy against Yamaguchi Falcao, scoring a first-round stoppage win just a few short weeks ago. Immediately following his victory, Morrell (9-0, 8 KOs) audaciously turned his attention toward another 168-pounder who’s been making gigantic headlines.

“I’m 100% focused on David Benavidez,” said Morrell just before he took care of business against Falcao. “I wanna fight him. I think he’ll wanna fight me, so let’s get it. No more excuses, no more nothing. Let’s fight.”

Benavidez, fresh off a close but clear unanimous decision win over Caleb Plant, has also expressed a desire to face Morrell in the not-so-distant future. With the pair eyeing a matchup between each other, Ronnie Shields’, Morrell’s head trainer, is not only convinced that they’ll face off next, but he’s also welcoming it.

“Absolutely,” said Shields to 210 Boxing TV when asked if he believes that Benavidez vs. Morrell will happen. “I think it may happen next.”

In addition to Morrell making his future plans clear, the former Olympian also stated that he’s more than willing to remain sequestered on the sidelines until their clash ultimately materializes.  

Unable to take a peek into his crystal ball, Shields isn’t exactly sure when the two will swap fists in the center of the ring. However, taking into account his recent jaw-dropping performance, Shields’ is now under the assumption that Morrell’s phone will be ringing in short order.

“I don’t know when but I’m sure they’ll be in talks real soon.”