David Benavides is still convinced he has David Morrell “scared” from him for the hard push he gave him during their December 17 media training showdown to promote their February 1 fight.
The ‘Mexican Monster’ uses fear to promote the fight, and he talks about it often in his interviews, saying he sees it in Morrell.
This focus on fear is pointless because it won’t stop Morel from striking on February 1st. You can tell by looking at Benavidez that he is worried about this fight. Millions are at stake for him.
Benavides’ fear projection
Morel was up against a two-time Cuban gold medalist Julio Cesar La Cruzand he didn’t look scared. That guy is a better fighter than Benavidez by a mile.
It seems important to him that Morrel is scared. If Benavidez believed in himself, he wouldn’t have focused so much on seeing fear in the Cuban. The fact that he didn’t want to fight Morrell for two solid years is an indication that he was the one living in fear.
“I scared him.” I definitely know that he is 100% afraid of me. I’m going to beat him on February 1st,” David Benavides told Bet On Yourself YouTube channel, it’s about David Morrell.
“If I could have sat on my punches, I would have taken that guy out of there,” Benavidez said of his last opponent, Oleksandr Gvozdyk, whom he beat last year on June 15. “It’s a big honor why I made this fight (winning the WBA ‘regular’ welterweight title from Morel).
“Also, the other part is I have to go in there and shut this guy up. I got to show the world what I’m doing, and I can beat up David Morrell in front of everyone. If you beat the best of the best, the money will come. “What’s important to me is the respect you get from people, and the money will come right away,” Benavidez said.
Some of the part about Benavidez not being able to sit on his punches seems like an excuse to try to explain away his poor performance against Gvozdik. I would have preferred if Benavidez had kept quiet and admitted he struggled in his first fight at 175. Citing injuries sounds weak.
It didn’t look like Benavidez was hurt, but it’s understandable why he mentioned his ailments. He was terrible in that fight, which should have been a 12-round draw.
The judges gave the decision to Benavidez, but he looked 100% like he didn’t do enough to win. So his mention of injuries is now permanently understandable. It’s called ‘damage control.’
False bravado
“David Morrell is a good fighter. Cuban school of boxing, they are technical fighters. As for me, I have a lot of experience. I have been in the ring with many great champions, not only in fights but also in sparring. I have a dog in me. I just have to get in there and activate it,” Benvidez said.
From the way the ‘Mexican Monster’ talks, he will try to outwork Morel, hoping to work his way through his punches to knock him out or win a grueling decision. Benavidez is tailor-made for Morel with his emphasis on combination shots, which will leave him wide open for the Cuban’s counter punches.
It’s a risky way to fight Morel because he’s not an old, smaller fighter like many of the guys Benavidez beat when he campaigned at 168 against smaller guys.
Sick Handspeed‼ Who do you have on February 1st? https://t.co/jCHBTiF3I3
— Leonard Ellerbe (@LEllerbe) January 3, 2025