Shawn Porter teams up with WBC interim light heavyweight champion David Benavidez to defeat WBA ‘regular’ champion David Morrell in their 53-day fight on February 1 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Like many, Porter feels that Benavidez’s experience as a two-time WBC 168-lb champion gives him an edge in his 12-round fight against Cuban Morrell (11-0, 9 KOs).
Title Description
Benavidez vs. Morrell headlines PBC on Prime Video PPV. The winner of the fight will be in a position to challenge for the world title with the winner of the Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol 2.
“55-45 for Benavidez. The thing that I think Benavidez has over Morrell is experience, real power,” said Shawn Porter on Fight Hub TV about the clash between David Benavidez and David Morrell on February 1st in Las Vegas.
“Both of those guys are big guys, but I think Benavidez is a natural at 175-pounders. If you’ve ever had the experience of being opposed in a 12-round fight, it’s nothing new for you. Morrell was unopposed.
“That fight with Hot Rod, it was a different kind of resistance. That was to resist someone who lives far away from you and cannot reach him. With Benavidez, he can hit too. He’s just as fast,” Porter said.
Benavidez can beat Morrell if he chooses to stop, but he probably won’t. Even in his last fight against Radivoje Kalajdzic, he was moving too much and not allowing him to hit his hard shots. Morrell had the power and youth to gain from that war, but he wasn’t using it the way he needed to in order to rule.
“He knows boxing, and that kind of resistance and mental game as well. It becomes a roller coaster ride. David Benavidez has been on that journey. Morrell hasn’t. I like Benavidez. This one, I saw eight rounds, nine rounds before something like that happened to Morrell,” Porter said when asked if Benavidez could finish Morrell early like he did in a sixth round victory over Demetrius Andrade last year on November 25.
The advantage of Benavidez’s experience over the 26-year-old is very important, which is understandable given that the Cuban fighter has only 11 fights under his belt as a professional.
Best fighters in Benavidez’s resume:
– Oleksandr Gvozdyk
– Caleb Plant
– Demetrius Andrade
– Ronald Gavril
– Anthony Dirrell
– Denis Douglin
In comparison, Morrell has only these three:
– Radivoje Kalajdzic
– Yamaguchi Falcao
– Aidos Yerbossynuly
“Morrell is bigger than anyone else. Taller than anyone else. He’s as fast as anyone. “He’s probably the strongest,” Porter said.
Could Morrell be upset?
Morrell will have to throw a lot more in this fight than he is used to in order to score against Benavidez because he will beat him if he doesn’t. It won’t please the judges if Morrell gets knocked out 8 to 1 by Benavidez.
Having more power won’t help Morrell if Benavidez hits him with volume, as he did his last opponent, Oleksandr Gvozdyk, on June 15. Gvozdyk had better power and landed bigger punches, but Benavidez wore him down. That was the difference.
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