By Dan Ambrose: David Benavidez’s dad Jose Sr says they don’t want to fight for a world title against WBA ‘regular’ super middleweight champion David Morrell Jr because the 2016 Cuban Olympian doesn’t have enough experience.
It’s unclear when Benavidez & his dad adopted this kind-hearted concern about the well-being of their opponents, but it appears they’re both feeling that way toward Morrell (9-0, 8 KOs).
Of course, if this is just an excuse for Benavidez to avoid getting beaten by Morrell, who could be the best fighter in the 168-lb division today, that would explain the reluctance to want to take this fight.
Is Benavidez avoiding Morrell?
Benavidez (27-0, 23 KOs) may not realize this, but he needs this fight against Morrell than the opposite way around.
It’s clear from looking at how drained Benavidez was for his last fight against Caleb Plant that he needs to move up to 175 immediately because he’s outgrown the super middleweight division.
It didn’t cost Benavidez the fight against Plant because that guy can’t punch and is basically just a six-round fighter.
Against Morrell, Benavidez will get exposed because he doesn’t belong at 168, and he’s not skilled enough to beat the talented Cuban, especially if he’s looking like a zombie due to the massive weight he takes off in camp.
Benavidez needs to move up to 175, and even that weight class might not be high enough. When Benavidez is filled out, he looks like a cruiserweight. You put Benavidez next to cruiserweight like Lawrence Okolie and Chris Billiam Smith, and he’s the same size.
“I think he needs more experience. They know that he needs more experience. All the fighters are going to say the same s**t,” said Jose Benavidez Sr to Fighthype, talking about David Morrell Jr needing more experience to fight David Benavidez, who is younger and has less experience in terms of his amateur background.
“We have a contract signed. Let’s make it happen. I don’t see him fighting David,” Benavidez Sr said about Morrell. “Maybe in one or two more fights.
Morrell = threat to Benavidez’s career
A loss for Benavidez to Morrell would effectively signal curtains for his career, at least at 168. Benavidez would have to move up to 175 and try and make the best of things against the champions Dmitry Bivol & Artur Beterbiev.
“To me, I see Boo Boo Andrade a little bit more dangerous fight [than Morrell], to be honest. He’s been there and done that. I believe that would be a tougher fight,” said Jose Sr.
“We won’t know until we make the fight happen. I got a lot of respect for him. I’m ready if it happens now. Hopefully, it can happen now, but his team is holding him back.
“Everyone is afraid of my son. That makes me happy. We’ll fight anybody to prove ourselves. I believe Canelo doesn’t want to fight David because he believes David is a dangerous fighter. Otherwise, he would fight him. Right now, he’s trying to secure his wins.
“The social media guys talk a lot of s**t about wanting to fight, but then when the time comes, they disappear. Who wants to jump in for reals? But if not, we could fight at 175. I think Bivol will be happy to fight at 175.
“He’s pound for pound the best at 168. Why not face David? We want to face the best. We’ll fight anybody at this point. I’m sure that David will do well with anybody at this point right now.
“He [Canelo] was offered one of his bigger paydays in history. We were trying to get the minimum just to make that fight happen because I knew in the bigger picture that the fight loser wins. We go to another level, but if we win, David becomes a superstar,” said Jose Sr.
Mexican Monster still waiting on Canelo
“So we’re not focusing on the money. Tell me, why didn’t he [Canelo] want to take that fight with David if David hasn’t fought anybody?” said Jose Sr. “If David is not experienced enough, why not take that fight? It’s so obvious.
“Now, he’s trying to find an old Badou Jack,” Jose Sr said about Canelo. “They want to drain him, and then he’s trying to look for [Jermall] Charlo. Charlo is not in good enough condition to fight right now. He’s going to go out to Berlanga, who just got kicked out of Top Rank.
“In his last fight, he was like two-three pounds under the weight limit, and he’s been doing that to show you guys that he has no problem doing 168,” said Jose Sr about Benavidez coming in a totally drained, looking 166 3/4 pounds at the weigh-in for his fight against Caleb Plant on March 25th.
“He has the height, and he’s big enough to do 175. There’s not much we can do in the next fight. 175, or we can stay at 168. Whatever there is. Whoever steps in and wants to fight, if there’s somebody interesting, a dangerous fight at 175, we’ll go to 175.
“If there’s a fight at 168 that somebody wants to. All these guys that say that they want to fight let’s make it happen. He can’t do 160, and we can’t do cruiserweight yet, but for those two divisions [168 & 175], we could definitely make it happen, no problem.
“I’m focusing on just keeping David focused, motivated, and keep going. He’s super young. No stress, no nothing like that, but my job is to keep him that way and keep him working because something’s coming,” said Benavidez Sr.
