Has Morrell faced tougher competition than Benavidez?

Coach José Benavidez Sr. is happy that David Morrell got into an altercation with his son, David Benavidez, today during his media workout in Miami. Morrell (11-0, 9 KOs) did not want to shake Benavidez’s hand during the confrontation, and this angered him enough to push the Cuban.

(Credit: Ryan Hafey/Premier Boxing Champions)

Jose Jr. became more emotional than Benavidez (29-0, 24 KOs) about the confrontation incident, and vows that he will knock out ‘regular’ WBA light heavyweight champion Morrell in their fight on February 1 at PBC on main video PPV at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Morrell might be too good for Benavidez and could knock him out if he lands as often as his last opponent, Oleksandr Gvozdyk, did in their June 15 fight. Gvozdyk landed 223 blows on Benavidez. He won’t be upright if he lets Morrell hit that many shots. Morrell is arguably the biggest puncher in the 175-pound division, and he destroys fighters who stand in front of him, trying to hit.

The only reason Morrell didn’t stop his last opponent, ‘Hot Rod’ Radivoje Kalajdzic, on August 3, is because he was on the move all night, making it difficult for him to land more than one punch at a time.

Coach talk

“This is what you expect when you have two young, strong, hungry fighters. This is what we hope for,” José Benavidez Sr. told Fight Hub TVreacting to the altercation between David Benavidez and David Morrell during today’s press training in Miami.

“I like what David Morrell says. He says he’s fighting a Robocop. Keep thinking that because you’re going to see a tornado on the day of the fight. You’re going to get screwed. That’s what’s going to happen. He is saying that David (Benavidez) has not fought with anyone. Who the hell have you fought with?

“This has levels. David is on another level. David (Benavidez) was trying to shake his hand. I was trying to be polite, but he (Morrell) was angry because he was nervous. That’s what’s happening. He doesn’t know what to do at this moment.

“It has never been at this level. I hope he comes focused because on the day of the fight, David (Benavidez) will have all the people behind him and he will feel it. So I hope he (Morrell) does well. “He’s never been in this kind of fight.”

Cuban connection

Benavidez Jr. is right that Morrell has never fought at this level professionally. However, as an amateur he fought for the Cuban Olympic gold twice. medalist July Cesar La Cruzwho is better than anyone Benavidez has fought during his professional career, even better than Benavidez. Morrell has more than enough experience to defeat Benavidez. Morrell has also fought against the Cuban standout Olsleys Iglesias during the amateurs, and he’s also a better fighter than anyone Benavidez has fought in the pros.

“David is on another level. David belongs to a different breed. David is going to hit him. I guarantee you a knockout,” said José Sr., promising that his son Benavidez will knock out Morrell.

José Sr. is putting a lot of pressure on Benavidez, guaranteeing a knockout against Morrell. This is a better fighter than anyone I’ve faced so far, and he’s a better puncher, too.

Benavidez claimed he couldn’t punch like he normally does in his last fight against Oleksandr Gvozdyk in his 175 debut due to injuries affecting both hands, but he has never been a knockout artist during his career. His thing is to land a huge amount of punches to get his knockouts, but he can’t do it against Morrell without getting hit.

Benavidez vs. Gvozdyk hitting statistics

– Oleksandr Gvozdyk: 223 out of 675 for 33%
– David Benavidez: 270 out of 749 for 36%