Could Morell become the first fighter to beat Benavidez?
Former two-division world champion Antonio Tarver believes David Morrell may need a knockout to defeat interim WBC light heavyweight champion David Benavidez in eight days on February 1 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
If Benavidez rushes Muriel like he does with all of his opponents, he could lose to the Cuban talent in the first round.
Morell has far more power and technical ability than Benavidez to fight in the primitive style he was accustomed to due to his bully weight days in the tough digs at 168 years old. Benavidez’s career has been built on poor matchmaking and he fights well below his massive cruiserweight size.
Tarver feels Benavidez (29-0, 24 KOs) has too much size and professional experience for former Cuban amateur star Morel (11-0, 9 KOs) to beat without knocking him out. Benavidez’s production will make it difficult for Morel to win a decision if he is missed by a significant margin in this fight.
Benavidez’s habit of throwing a lot of shots may be his downfall in this fight as he puts his chin on the line and takes a lot of hits. He relies on his production to overwhelm his opponent, which has worked because he has fought mostly younger fighters during the 11 years he has fought at 168.
Morel is a bigger puncher than the guys Benavidez has fought, and he will be a knockout threat in this fight. He will have many opportunities to hurt Benavidez because he is so used to fighting older and younger fighters. He’s only fought one guy his size, Oleksandr Gvozdyk, and he was beaten pretty badly by that fighter. He was injured in the body by Gvozdik.
Is a knockout required?
“I think Muriel needed one or two more tests to be able to handle the ability, strength and confidence that David Benavidez brings to the table,” Antonio Tarver said on his YouTube channel. TarversTake In the David Benavidez vs. David Morell fight in Eight Days on February 1st.
“I think David Morrell is going to have to find that shot that doesn’t just go down, but gets concussed. He’s got to knock out David Benavidez. There are sometimes fighters you can make to quit. I don’t think you can make any of those fighters quit.”
“Sometimes you have to beat them, and I feel like this is one of those types of fights where in order to secure a victory, one of these guys is going to have to finish it from distance. David Benavidez is going to have a little advantage in reach and size.” [correction: 6’1″ Morrell has four inch reach advantage. 6’2′ Benavidez is one inch taller, and might be heavier]”.
It appears Tarver drank the Kool-Aid, buying the same things other Benavidez fans said about him. If you ignore what Benavidez’s followers are saying about him and look closely at his massive A. and B. smaller, older competitor he was beating, you’ll see that he’s just a typical weight bully.
“I think this is going to be one of the most talented fighters Benavidez has ever faced,” Tarver said. “Morrell comes with a lot of talent. Experience. Guys like Caleb Plant, the kind of fighter that Benavidez faced. Light heavyweight [Oleksandr Gvozdyk] that it [fought] “It was very difficult.”
You can’t hype Benavidez beating Caleb Plant because Canelo Alvarez did a much better job of beating him than he did. Plant won the first five rounds against Benavidez and fought him close with only skill. Canelo dominated Plant and took him out.
You can make a fuss about Benavidez if Plante has the power and if Canelo doesn’t knock him out before his fight. He didn’t do a better job of beating Plante than Canelo and lost almost all of the first six rounds. He was exposed by Blunt. If that’s what Benavidez is going to measure and use as a rationale for beating Morell, you’re not thinking clearly.
Body attack key
“He didn’t knock him out, but he was able to go the distance,” Morell said of Benavidez’s fight against Gvozdyk. “If you think who can stop who, I think it’s David Benavidez with that physical attack. If he can focus on that early and have some success, it really helps him going forward. Morell doesn’t use a consistent physical attack. I think most of that, he’s looking for Heads.
“When you make the transition from amateur to pro, you’re sitting on those punches and you’re getting physical. That’s why I would advise any fighter to invest in that body. If you see one of those guys coming downstairs early, look for that guy to raise his hand.”
“You’re going to have to take risks when you go to the body. You’ve got to be aware enough to know when you’re in safe spaces. You can’t be out there with your hands down when you’re trying to rip the body apart, not with either of these guys. Both of those guys are great,” Tarver said. In counter strikes.
