Thoughts On Morrell-Benavidez

[CubanGuyNYC]

Once upon a time, a fight like this would be scarcely worth discussing. But as a glass of water means nothing to someone sitting at home, it means the world to someone crawling through the desert. Yes, we boxing fans are being starved, and Morrell-Benny have provided us with a little reprieve. Kudos to both men for giving the fans what they’ve been pining for.

It turned out to be a clear win for Benavidez, but nonetheless a competitive clash that lived up to the hype. Both men came to fight, there’s no doubt about that. Some of the rounds were hard to assess, but Tim Cheatham’s 118-108 was a ridiculous score. The other two judges’ 115-111 were about right. The knockdown call was bad; but it was unbelievable that, upon review, the call was upheld. A point deduction for hitting after the bell was at least questionable, but at least it had the benefit of erasing a KD that never happened. Round four will turn out to be one of the best of 2025.

Many have criticized Morrell’s approach. I would agree that he should’ve used more lateral movement, but the decision to stand and fight made for an exciting encounter. Would it have made a difference in the outcome? I’m inclined to think not. It’s now confirmed that David needs more professional experience. His lack of ring IQ showed, while Benny’s was on display. But Morrell showed resilience, a solid chin and a willingness to mix it up with an opponent he couldn’t just steamroll. His conditioning was excellent. Both men were dialed in for this one.

If the stars align, I would welcome a rematch between these two warriors sometime in the next thirteen to twenty-four months. The Cuban needs more work, more experience. If all goes right, he can be top dog at 175 in a very few years. It’s certainly possible, as DMJ currently has only twelve pro fights under his belt. This last one, his first loss, was a big learning experience. He’ll be back better than ever. I’d be willing to bet on it.

And finally, it was great to see both Davids display mutual respect after the dust settled. There was a lot of legit, venomous animosity leading up to the fight. I was gladdened to see that all evaporate in the aftermath of what will surely be one of the most memorable fights of the year.

[El_Mero]

Good points. I think Shields had the wrong game plan imo, add to the fact I dont think much of him as a trainer. But it is what it is. Morrell was co tent with getting pieced up instead of boxing, as he got dragged into Benavidez' type of fight.
Benavidez did prove a lot, to many, although his detractors will say, Morrell only has 11 fights, blah blah blah. They love to make excuses after the fact.
The crowd was lit at the fight. Lots of cubanos there, which surpised me tbh. Obviously there were more mex/chicanos there but it was a dope night and everyone left knowing they saw a fun fight.
I'll tell you what though, Morrell needs to get rid of DeCubas Sr. The old man takes the attention away from Morrell, both b4 and after the fight.
Morrell does have a future ahead but honestly think he should move back down to 168 as his power didnt move up with him.

[CubanGuyNYC]

Good points. I think Shields had the wrong game plan imo, add to the fact I dont think much of him as a trainer. But it is what it is. Morrell was co tent with getting pieced up instead of boxing, as he got dragged into Benavidez' type of fight.
Benavidez did prove a lot, to many, although his detractors will say, Morrell only has 11 fights, blah blah blah. They love to make excuses after the fact.
The crowd was lit at the fight. Lots of cubanos there, which surpised me tbh. Obviously there were more mex/chicanos there but it was a dope night and everyone left knowing they saw a fun fight.
I'll tell you what though, Morrell needs to get rid of DeCubas Sr. The old man takes the attention away from Morrell, both b4 and after the fight.
Morrell does have a future ahead but honestly think he should move back down to 168 as his power didnt move up with him.

Glad you got to enjoy the fight live. Also happy to hear Morrell had some support. I wasn’t crazy about Shields’ approach myself, but Morrell has a mind of his own: he could’ve made adjustments himself. At one point late in the fight, Ronnie instructed him to back Benavidez up; David didn’t even make the attempt. And despite Morrell’s inexperience, we all know he’s a serious threat. Benny proved he doesn’t win on size advantage alone. And I agree on De Cubas as well. I can’t stand the guy now. Made a real clown show of himself at the post fight press conference. I don’t know where this old fool gets the idea that he can tangle with a professional fighter more than half his age. Anyway, I’m hopeful Dave’s team match him with better opposition going forward. With the right experience, DMJ should be a great force — either at 175 or 168.

[MulaKO]

Great fight all in all
Just wish that Morrell would of stuck to boxing instead of slugging
And maybe throwing more because when he wasn’t , he wasn’t doing much besides getting hit ridiculously

[CubanGuyNYC]

Great fight all in all
Just wish that Morrell would of stuck to boxing instead of slugging
And maybe throwing more because when he wasn’t , he wasn’t doing much besides getting hit ridiculously

There were some lulls in his action that allowed Benny to land some good shots to the body, and some to the head — after pulling Morrell’s glove down. I don’t know if Dave was trying to conserve energy in those moments, but it cost him. If nothing else, Morrell’s approach made for an exciting clash; he proved his chin and warrior spirit. Hopefully DMJ refines his future performances and focuses a little more on the sweet science.

[Theshotyoudontsee]

Benavidez forced him to fight that way. When Morrell attempted to box and move Benavidez was side stepping and making Morrell miss, and then hitting Morrell with hard shots when he was out of position. Morrell was landing on mostly gloves all night and Benavidez was sniping Morrel under and around his guard with heavy shots to the head, and landing big body shots as well.
By the middle of the fight Morrell was getting beat up, he was hurting and tired and Benavidez just kept coming. Morrell's own corner told him to suck it up.

I give him credit for surviving, but Morrell got a rude awakening on where he is level wise. He will learn from this fight and get better, but he got a masterclass in boxing.

Benavidez is a rarity in that he isn't athletically built and physically hugely gifted. He is the guy that worked twice as hard at his craft because he had to, and as a result he has a huge boxing IQ and knows exactly what to do and he adjusts incredibly well when needed. Morrell didn't choose a bad gameplan, Benavidez imposed his will and made Morrell fight his fight.

[MulaKO]

There were some lulls in his action that allowed Benny to land some good shots to the body, and some to the head — after pulling Morrell’s glove down. I don’t know if Dave was trying to conserve energy in those moments, but it cost him. If nothing else, Morrell’s approach made for an exciting clash; he proved his chin and warrior spirit. Hopefully DMJ refines his future performances and focuses a little more on the sweet science.

Yes your right , he did make it much more interesting but at what cost
No W

[CubanGuyNYC]

Benavidez forced him to fight that way. When Morrell attempted to box and move Benavidez was side stepping and making Morrell miss, and then hitting Morrell with hard shots when he was out of position. Morrell was landing on mostly gloves all night and Benavidez was sniping Morrel under and around his guard with heavy shots to the head, and landing big body shots as well.
By the middle of the fight Morrell was getting beat up, he was hurting and tired and Benavidez just kept coming. Morrell's own corner told him to suck it up.

I give him credit for surviving, but Morrell got a rude awakening on where he is level wise. He will learn from this fight and get better, but he got a masterclass in boxing.

Benavidez is a rarity in that he isn't athletically built and physically hugely gifted. He is the guy that worked twice as hard at his craft because he had to, and as a result he has a huge boxing IQ and knows exactly what to do and he adjusts incredibly well when needed. Morrell didn't choose a bad gameplan, Benavidez imposed his will and made Morrell fight his fight.

I disagree with quite a bit of what you say. For starters, Morrell could’ve moved any way he wanted; but he chose to stand and trade — or perhaps that was Shields’ ill-advised game plan. If Dave had chosen to box from the outside, utilizing his significant reach advantage, we might’ve been deprived of an exciting fight. Might not have worked anyway; Benavidez, with his significantly greater experience, showed higher ring IQ. Yeah, Shields said, “Suck it up,” but that didn’t mean Morrell was getting spanked. Far from it. The fight was competitive throughout, although Benny was always doing just a bit more. The condition of Benavidez’s face at the end is evidence that he wasn’t in there alone. David has a deceptive-looking build. His hand speed is exceptional, as we were reminded of by the barrage he uncorked after the “knockdown” in the eleventh. I’m hoping these two warriors meet again down the road. I expect DMJ to bring something more.

[Theshotyoudontsee]

I disagree with quite a bit of what you say. For starters, Morrell could’ve moved any way he wanted; but he chose to stand and trade — or perhaps that was Shields’ ill-advised game plan. If Dave had chosen to box from the outside, utilizing his significant reach advantage, we might’ve been deprived of an exciting fight. Might not have worked anyway; Benavidez, with his significantly greater experience, showed higher ring IQ. Yeah, Shields said, “Suck it up,” but that didn’t mean Morrell was getting spanked. Far from it. The fight was competitive throughout, although Benny was always doing just a bit more. The condition of Benavidez’s face at the end is evidence that he wasn’t in there alone. David has a deceptive-looking build. His hand speed is exceptional, as we were reminded of by the barrage he uncorked after the “knockdown” in the eleventh. I’m hoping these two warriors meet again down the road. I expect DMJ to bring something more.

I like Morrell. I rewatched the fight yesterday and I can see where the idea that Morrell decided to fight more straight up comes from. But if you go back and watch how it played out, I believe Morrell's plan was to hit Benavidez with something big early in order to keep him honest, then to out box him over the rest of the fight. Basically letting Benavidez know that he was in danger of being KO'd and that this was no walkthrough.

Morrell did land a few good shots early, but he also showed movement and his normal offense of speed and footwork. The problem was that Benavidez showed great defense in sidestepping and bouncing away and when Morrell was resetting, Benavidez was picking his spots and hitting Morrel flush. Morrell got hurt early in the fight and he got scared. He realized that Benavidez was fast enough to counter and that Benavidez had more IQ than him and was not miffed and he panicked. That is where he was inbetween the stand and trade mindset and the box and move mindset. Neither worked because Benavidez was pressuring him and making him miss. Morrell did land some punches, but Benavidez's eyes were swollen from his gloves hitting his face for the most part, he didn't take much flush damage at all apart from the big shot after the bell.

I thought Morrell showed great heart and I felt he was going to get stopped, but his feet kept him in it. The knockdown was a push on the shoulder with their feet tangled, and should not have been called a knockdown.

Benavidez showed amazing IQ and skill. Morrell is physically a bad dude and he has skills. He is not at that level mentally yet.

Really of you look at almost all Morrell's pro career, he was fighting low level guys that had no idea how to deal with his movement. This fight was one of the clearest examples of levels that I can remember seeing.

I will say, interested to see if Morrell learns and fights some better comp, improves and then rematches Benavidez in a couple of years.