David Benavidez shows why he is the Mexican Monster against David Morrell
What's next for the 28-year-old warrior?
David Benavidez produced an emphatic victory against David Morrell to show why he is nicknamed the Mexican Monster.
The three judges scored the contest 115-111 twice and 118-108 to Benavidez (30-0, 24 KOs) last night in what was a competitive, all action spectacle at T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas.
Despite Benavidez getting dropped in round eleven with a right counter, the 28-year-old dominated the contest with his body punching, high work rate, physical strength and shot selection.
Morrell (11-1, 9 KOs) was touted to be one of Benavidez’s toughest opponents to date with his punch power, footwork and Cuban amateur background.
But apart from landing the occasional combination or a sharp counter, Morrell was out-landed and outworked by Benavidez who came forward relentlessly like a tank on a battlefield.
The Cuban struggled to have an answer for what appeared to be an immovable object, which slowly took the edge off his confidence and South American swagger.
In round 11, Morrell’s corner admitted they needed a knockout to have any chance of emerging victorious.
Scoring a knockdown was the encouragement Morrell needed, yet the scoring punch was cancelled out by a moment of thoughtlessness when the Cuban landed another right hand after the bell which resulted in a point being taken off.Â
Ultimately, the point deduction had no bearing on the result, as Benavidez had won enough rounds to be the clear victor.
Arguably, the flush punch that connected gave Morrell a slightly better chance of scoring a dramatic knockout in the twelfth and final round.
Again, though, Benavidez stood firm, blocking Morrell’s punches with his hands and arms before firing back with heavy leather.
The only downside to Benavidez’s performance is that he wasn’t able to score a knockdown for the second bout in a row.
Last time out, the Mexican Monster dominated Oleksandr Gvozdyk, yet the former world champion never came close to touching the canvas, posing the question on whether Benavidez’s power has carried up to 175 lbs from 168.
Morrell, 27, to his credit, displayed incredible heart and a solid chin to take numerous powerful punches, never surrendering even when he started to realise Benavidez was levels above previous opponents.
The Cuban has proved elusive before, but Benavidez was so accurate with uppercuts and hooks to the body, that wilting as the fight progressed seemed inevitable.
A notable change for Benavidez is how quickly he began the bout against Morrell.
Previously, we have seen Benavidez lose early rounds to the likes of Caleb Plant and Demetrius Andrade.
It’s plausible the two-time world champion knew he couldn’t afford to be trailing on the cards against a Cuban, hence why he wasted no time to let his hands go in the first round.
With the rematch between Artur Beterbiev vs Dmitry Bivol set for February 22, one can only imagine Benavidez will be watching closely, pondering a super fight against the winner.
To Mexican fan’s dismay, a Canelo-Benavidez bout looks like it will never happen, but Beterbiev and Bivol are two other pound-for-pound superstars Benavidez could face instead.
As for Morrell, his ability to go twelve rounds with Benavidez and drop him, implies he is one of the top fighters at 175 lbs and the Cuban is young enough to bounce back while still being a world level contender.
