Coach Stephen Edwards questions whether or not David Benavidez would be the similar fighter after absorbing a number of punishment from the highly effective, younger, athletic Cuban David Morrell final Saturday evening in Las Vegas.
Edwards notes that Benavidez’s face seemed badly marked up, and he’d been harm a number of instances by Morrell. The eleventh was a very troublesome one for Benavidez, as he was getting hammered by Morrell. Fortunately, the spherical ended earlier than he could possibly be completed off.
The 12-year professional Benavidez has had a protracted profession, and he’s already exhibiting indicators of wear and tear from these years. Most fighters are shot by the point they get that far of their careers. Benavidez has gotten by with him preventing smaller fighters, but it surely nonetheless provides up.
We acquired a glimpse of the miles on his engine final Saturday, with him wanting loads older than Morrell and taking a foul beating.
A Grueling Battle
Benavidez hit Morrell twice after the bell, and when the Cuban responded, the referee docked him a degree. Benavidez’s infraction was missed.
Morrell was the stronger fighter on the finish and was dispensing severe punishment to the face of Benavidez. The Mexican Monster’ now not resembled himself.
Benavidez acquired the 12-round unanimous determination primarily based on his earlier work, however he might have paid a value for his win. If he’s going to battle the winner of the Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol 2 rematch, he may be meals for both of these killers.
They might feast on a depleted ‘Mexican Monster.’ If Benavidez isn’t as much as the duty of preventing the Beterbiev-Bivol 2 winner, Morrell will step as much as take the battle. He’s the youthful fighter with fewer miles on his odometer than Benavidez.
“Perhaps, however they could have left a bit of themselves within the ring. That was a tough battle. Benavidez seemed it. He seemed like Felix Trinidad did when he beat Vargas. [December 2, 2000],” mentioned Stephen Edwards to MillCity Boxing when requested if he wish to see a rematch between David Morrell and David Benavidez.
“Should you comply with Tito’s profession after that, a yr later, he was achieved [when he lost to Bernard Hopkins]. After the Bernard battle, there was no extra Tito. That was a tough battle [Morrell vs. Benavidez]. Morrell has huge a** fingers, he’s a really robust man, and he’s athletic. He hit Benavidez with some s***. That was a tough battle.
“You possibly can see the stress on David’s face. That was not no simple battle. I used to be impressed with Morrell. He was robust on the finish. He was in good situation. I assumed Benavidez received eight or 9 rounds. That was a tough battle. That boy [Morrell] is powerful, he’s athletic, he’s gifted, he got here to win. He’s younger and he’s in his prime. He buzzed Benavidez with a few pictures.”
Benavidez’s Battle
Benavidez seemed like he was anticipating a litter of kittens. He was very harassed as a result of Morrell was nonetheless there within the later rounds, and he hit him with pictures in between pitty-pat combos. Morrell was doing severe injury.
If this had been an old school 15-round battle, Morrell would have seemingly knocked Benavidez out as a result of he was exhausted by the tip. He had nothing on his pictures and was getting rocked by Morrell.
“Morrell began buzzing him a few instances. His [Benavidez] face acquired marked up. He acquired a little bit fatigued,” mentioned Edwards.
Stephen places it calmly when he says that Benavidez’s face acquired marked up and he’s a “little fatigued.” His face resembled the Rocky Balboa character from his first battle with Apollo Creed. He’d absorbed a profession’s price of punishment from Morrell.
