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The WBC has confirmed that the winner of next month’s fight between David Benavidez (29-0, 24 KOs) and David Morrell (11-0, 9 KOs) will be the “mandatory challenger” for the winner of Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol 2. .
WBC mandate
If Bivol emerges victorious in his rematch with undisputed light heavyweight champion Beterbiev, there is a chance they will fight in a trilogy next. That means the Benavidez-Morrell winner must wait until after the third Beterbiev-Bivol fight before getting a shot at all four belts.
It will depend on what Turki Al-Sheikh wants to do. If you want to see an immediate third fight between Beterbiev and Bivol, that will happen.
“Undisputed champion Artur Beterbiev will fight a rematch with Dmitry Bivol on February 22 in Riyadh. Interim champion David Benavidez will fight David Morrell on February 1. The winner will be the mandatory challenger of the division to fight the winner of Beterbiev vs. Bivol”, according to WBC.
Power at 175?
“I hope it happens. I don’t think it will happen, no,” David Benavidez told the PPV channel about his hopes of being able to fight Canelo Álvarez. “A lot of people ask me this question: ‘When are you going to fight?’ I don’t know.
“It’s Canelo’s turn. If he wants to fight, we can make it happen. Everyone knows that it is the most important fight in boxing. So, I’m ready for when that time comes.
This is the same reason I took this fight (David Morrell). I was already preparing for a tough fight in my head, I think there is no better experience than facing these tough fighters. This will prepare me for what comes next.
“I want to be one of the most dangerous fighters in boxing. I want to be one of those fighters that you remember, like (Gennadiy) Golovkin and Julio César Chávez. That’s the kind of fighters I want to be. I don’t back down from anyone. I am not afraid of anyone and this is a way to show it,” said Benavidez.
Benavidez will never be in the league of Gennadiy Golovkin or Julio César Chávez Jr because he lacks power. Morrell is more of a Golovkin-level fighter than Benavidez. ‘The Mexican Monster’ is a volume puncher, and he won’t become a power guy at 175. At 28, he won’t suddenly find power that was never there.
Every fighter wants to be blessed with Beterbiev-level power, but those are special people who only show up from time to time. Benavidez is still a good base volume player and can make a good living, even if he gets knocked out by big hitter Morrell on February 1st. You must be born with the genetics for power, and Benavidez was not blessed in that regard.
Underrated skills?
“I feel like there are several aspects of my game that are underrated. IQ is one of them. Defense is another of them. The third is my power. People, I don’t know what’s wrong with you. They think that just because I like to eat and get a little fluffy out of season, I’m powerless.
“All that changes when they get in the ring with me. So I think everything I do is underrated. I don’t think I’m a good fighter until they get in the ring with me and see, ‘Oh, this guy is a problem,'” Benavidez said.
Unfortunately, he doesn’t give examples of fighters who didn’t think he was any good until they got in the ring with him. Benavidez’s resume is weak and he has never fought any high-level fighter during his 12-year professional career. So when you talk about fighters saying, ‘This guy is a problem,’ he’s not saying anything because he’s faced B- and C-level opposition throughout his career.
Benavidez’s best wins:
– Oleksandr Gvozdyk: 37 years old and recently coming out of his 4-year retirement
– Demetrio Andrade: 36
– Caleb Plant
–Anthony Dirrell: 38
–David Lemieux
–Roamer Alexis Angulo
-Ronald Ellis
– Ronald Gavril
