A potential fight between David Benavidez and David Morrell is what fans of the sport are looking forward to seeing this fall, especially if Morrell is victorious in his August 3 fight with Radivoje “Hot Rod” Kalajdzic. The two fight for the vacant WBA World Light Heavyweight title at BMO Stadium, Los Angeles.
The logical fight to make is between Morrell and Benavidez next. The two could meet in the semi-finals, where the winner will fight for the undisputed championship against the winner Dmitry Bivol vs. Artur Beterbiev.
Benavidez moves to 175
Benavidez (29-0, 24 KOs) is now campaigning at 175 after failing to get the fight he wanted against Canelo Alvarez at 168. He has fought once at light heavyweight against Oleksandr Gvozdyk on June 15 and has looked respectable but far from it. unusual.
The match Benavidez wants now is to win the October 12 fight between light heavyweight champions Beterbiev and Bivol. However, it is not clear if the two will fight a second time. If it is a competitive fight, we will probably see a rematch because there will be too much fan interest for it not to happen.
The ‘Mexican Beast’ Benavidez can’t wait for a rematch between Bivol and Beterbiev to play without a fight. It’s important for Benavidez to stay busy while he waits for the smoke to clear from the Bivol-Beterbiev fight. If they only fight once, Benavidez could be next, but there has been much talk of a rematch between the champions.
Former WBA ‘regular’ super middleweight champion Morrell (10-0, 9 KOs) has repeatedly called out Benavidez and would willingly agree to fight him next.
If Morrell wins against Kalajdzic, he will become the WBA ‘regular’ 175lb champion and will have a belt defense against Benavidez. Some boxing fans believe that Benavidez is afraid of Morrell, knowing how good he is and realizing that there are many chances that he will be beaten.
“The fight we should be seeing this fall is Benavidez vs. Morrell. Both have PBC. I think David Morrell is an absolute killer,” Mike Coppinger said on Chris Mannix’s podcast about wanting to see David Benavidez fight David Morrell Jr. at the age of 175.
“That guy doesn’t get enough exposure for whatever reason. I think it’s a very dangerous fight. I don’t know if Benavidez beats Morrell, but that’s a fight I want to see. Morrell is at 175 again. I don’t think it’s a mistake for him to rise to the top.”
Fans have been clamoring for Benavidez to face Morrell for the past two years, but the match has never happened. Morrell recently lost hope of fighting Benavidez and moved up to 175.
The 26-year-old Morrell knew his chances were slim at 168, so he opted to move up to light heavyweight to pursue fights against Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol.
“I spoke to Benavidez a few months ago, he said he wanted Morrell later this year. That should be the next fight. The winner should get Beterbiev-Bivol,” said Coppinger.
It’s unlikely that Benavidez will agree to fight Morrell until he gets his shot at the Beterbiev vs. Bivol. For the amount of money Benavidez would earn against the winner of that fight, it’s too risky for him to face Morrell.
“I’m keeping him out of the Morrell fight because we know how good Morrell is, but he has 10 paid fights, and he’s been cool. Two fights in 2023 and a couple in 2022,” said Chris Mannix explaining why it is not a good idea for Benavidez to face the dangerous talent David Morrell, who could spoil his momentum.
I won’t write that Morrell doesn’t work if he fights twice a year. If that doesn’t work, what does Terence Crawford? He’s in for a lucrative fight with Canelo, and he’s been fighting once a year for the past four years starting in 2020.
Morrell’s problem is his opposition, which has not yet been at its best. As a non-star, he was unable to attract top-level competition that could take his career to the next level.
If Morrell had been signed to Top Rank or Matchroom, he would have been fighting better opposition than PBC. He’s been abandoned by them, and he hasn’t found the fight he should have now.
Benavidez’s best wins:
Anthony Dirrell: 38
David Lemieux: 34
Demetrius Andrade: 36
Caleb Plant
Oleksander Gvozyk: Closer than the judges score
Ronald Gavril
Turki Alalshikh’s influence
“He never seemed to build that fight [Benavidez-Morrell] to what it should be. Indeed, for Benavidez, it comes down to Turki Alalshikh. He said he wants to see Benavidez alongside the winner of Beterbiev and Bivol. If he decides to put money in, that will make the fight happen,” said Mannix.
It will be up to Turki if he wants to see Benavidez face Morrell. It is a good sign that Turki has included Morrell on his Riyadh Season card on August 3rd. The logical fight to make is Benavidez vs. Morrell, winner of the Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol
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