Porter backs Benavidez to beat Morrell: experience the clincher

Shawn Porter will team with interim WBC light heavyweight champion David Benavidez to beat WBA ‘regular’ champion David Morrell in their fight in 53 days on February 1 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Like many, Porter feels the experience of former two-time WBC 168-pound champion Benavidez gives him the advantage in his 12-round fight against Cuba’s Morrell (11-0, 9 KOs).

Implications of the title

Benavidez vs. Morrell headlines at PBC on main video PPV. The winner of the fight will be in a position to compete for a world title against the winner of the rematch Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol 2.

“55-45 for Benavídez. What I think Benavidez has over Morrell is experience, he’s real strength,” Shawn Porter told Fight Hub TV about the clash between David Benavidez and David Morrell on February 1 in Las Vegas.

“Both guys are big, but I think Benavidez is more of a natural 175-pounder. When you’ve had the experience of having stamina in a 12-round fight, it’s nothing new to you. Morrell had met no resistance.

“That fight with Hot Rod was a different kind of resistance. That was the resistance of someone who was moving away from you and who couldn’t reach him. With Benavidez, he can hit with him. “It’s just as fast,” Porter said.

Benavidez can hit Morrell if he decides to stay stationary, but he probably won’t. Even in his last fight against Radivoje Kalajdzic, he moved around a lot and it didn’t allow him to land his strong punches. Morrell had the power and youth advantage in that fight, but he wasn’t using them the way he needed to dominate.

“He can box, and that kind of toughness and mental game with you. It becomes a roller coaster. David Benavidez has been on that path. Morrell has not done so. I’m favoring Benavidez. In this one, I could see eight rounds, nine rounds before something like that happened to Morrell,” Porter said when asked if Benavidez could take out Morrell early like he did in his sixth-round knockout of Demetrius Andrade last year. , on November 25.

Benavidez’s experience advantage over the 26-year-old is quite significant, which is understandable given that the Cuban fighter has only 11 fights under his belt as a professional.

The best fighters on Benavidez’s resume:

– Oleksandr Gvozdyk
– Caleb Plant
–Demetrio Andrade
–Ronald Gavril
-Anthony Dirrell
–Denis Douglin

In comparison, Morrell only has these three:

– Radivoje Kalajdzic
-Yamaguchi Falcao
– Aidos Yerbossynuly

“Morrell is bigger than anyone. It is taller than any other. It’s as fast as any other. He’s probably stronger than anyone else,” Porter said.

Can Morrell get angry?

Morrell will have to throw more in this fight than he is used to doing to have a chance of defeating Benavidez because if he doesn’t, he will outmatch him. It won’t impress the judges if Morrell is outscored 8 to 1 by Benavidez.

More power won’t help Morrell if Benavidez bulks him up, like he did his last opponent, Oleksandr Gvozdyk, on June 15. Gvozdyk had better power and landed the harder punches, but Benavidez outplayed him. That was the difference.