By Craig Page: Trainer Bob Santos wants David Benavidez next for his fighter WBA ‘regular’ super middleweight champion David Morrell Jr to defend against if ‘The Mexican Monster’ can’t get the match he wants against undisputed 168-lb champion Canelo Alvarez.
It’s not looking good for Benavidez (27-0, 23 KOs) that he’ll be able to land the Canelo fight this year, as he’s already fighting John Ryder this Saturday. After that, he’s expected to face Dmitry Bivol in September.
Until recently, Benavidez had been gung-ho about facing Morrell (9-0, 8 KOs), but something or someone had put him off that idea, as he’s no longer showing the same yearning to face the talented Cuban as he had before.
Some believe that what Morrell did to Yamaguchi Falcão in his first-round knockout on April 22nd and his twelfth-round KO of Aidos Yerbossynuly has scared Benavidez away, making him hesitant to take the fight with charismatic Cuban, lest he suffers the same fate as them.
Benavidez is brave, but he’s not foolish. In the back of his mind, the wheels are churning, and it could be that he doesn’t want his career derailed before he lands that big-money cash-out fight against Canelo.
“I think Benavidez has earned a shot with Canelo. I think he deserves that opportunity, but if that can’t come to fruition, then there’s no other fight to be made but Benavidez and Morrell,” said coach Bob Santos to Fighthype.
“I think that’s the best fight that can be made, and I’m confident Morrell will be victorious in that fight. There’s no doubt in my mind that David Morrell Jr would be victorious against David Benavidez.
“I have the highest respect for David Benavidez. They call him ‘The Mexican Monster.’ I just feel that David Morrell Jr is a superior athlete, and I think he’d be a little too much for Benavidez, but it would be a tremendous fight. The winner would be the fans, for sure.
“I think Morrell is the complete package. He’s charismatic; he’s got the athleticism, the charisma, and like I said, he’s unbelievable. Some of the things that he can do in there. If you watch him in sparring sessions, it’s just unreal some of the things he can do.
“To me, he’s up there as one of the best professional athletes in prizefighting. Fighters like him come around once every 20 years,” said Santos about Morrell.
https://youtu.be/0PX6UZdPWU0?t=129