WBA ‘regular super middleweight champion David Morrell Jr. denies that Jose Benavidez Sr. sent an offer to his team for a fight against his son David Benavidez, and he says he’s “ready” to face him.
The talented Cuban Morrell says Benavidez always has “excuses” every time for why he can’t fight him. Morrell says he understands that ‘The Mexican Monster’ Benavidez (28-0, 24 KOs) wants to fight Canelo Alvarez for the “payday” and to pick up his four belts, but he doesn’t like him trying to pass himself off as “the best” when he hasn’t fought him and won’t agree to a fight.
It is strange how Benavidez insists that he’s the best at 168, yet when he’s called out by David Morrell, a fighter that many view as the true #1, he won’t fight him.
This suggests that Benavidez is just impersonating the best by play-acting, but in reality, he’s just some guy with two names on his ten-year resume – 35-year-old Demetrius Andrade and a previously knocked out Caleb Plant.
It looks bad that Benavidez won’t accept the fight with Morrell because it sends a message that he’s afraid and only interested in trying to get that payday against Canelo without earning it.
Morrell (9-0, 8 KOs) wasn’t impressed with WBC interim 168-lb champion Benavidez’s victory over the “old man” Demetrius Andrade on November 25th because the guy was an older fighter, who came from the 154-lb division and didn’t look good in his only fight at 168 against journeyman Demond Nicholson.
Morrell ready to fight Benavidez
“Not impressed me. 100%,” said David Morrell Jr. to Fight Hub TV when asked about his thoughts on the recent performance by David Benavidez against Demetrius Andrade. “Andrade is an old man. In his last fight, he didn’t look good [against journeyman Demond Nicholson].
“Andrade is 154. You know Andrade is easy for you. I’m only four years as a pro. My name is the big name at 168,” continued Morrell. “You need ten names for the big name,” said Morrell said about Benavidez.
Demetrius Andrade was well-chosen by Benavidez and his management, who likely saw weakness in his previous performance against Nicholson.
Andrade looked all of 35 in that fight, getting dropped by Nicholson, hurt, and laboring to an ugly decision. Like a bird of prey, Benavidez had to see his weakened game and took advantage of an old Boo Boo.
“Who are you fighting? Caleb Plant and Andrade. Give me one big name that you’re fighting. Hell, no, I’m ready. Everybody knows I’m ready,” said Morrell, reacting to being told that Jose Benavidez Sr. said that he reached out to his team to set up a fight with him and Benavidez, and he says he was told that Morrell isn’t ready.
“Every time, it’s an excuse. I understand you want to fight Canelo for big money, and Canelo has the belts,” said Morrell about Benavidez wanting to fight undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez for money and his four titles.
It seems pretty obvious that Benavidez doesn’t want to chance it against Morrell because there’s too much at stake. He’s got to know that if he loses to Morrell, he’ll NEVER get the fight he’s been pushing for against Canelo Alvarez.
The jig would be up for good. All that hard work Benavidez has put in by beating the likes of Andrade, David Lemieux, Plant, Rogelio Medina, and Kyrone Davis will have been wasted.
Morrell will follow Benavidez to 175
“Bro, don’t like like you’re the best, and everybody fears you. You didn’t fight me,” said Morrell. “For this, it makes me angry. You’re talking s***. It’s all for the people. Blah-blah-blah. It’s for show.”
It seems transparently clear that Benavidez knows he’s not the best, but he’s acting like an actor in a play, trying to create a false image of him being the best to get that payday against Canelo. It’s the same thing we saw with many fighters in this era with plastic resumes and the smoke & mirrors presentation.
“Benavidez says if he doesn’t fight Canelo this year, he’s going to go to 175. I’m going to follow you, too. I want to fight him. That’s it. I never say no. ‘You want to fight?’ ‘Let’s go,'” said Morrell
“Yeah, 100%,” said Morrell when asked if he sees fellow Cuban Andy Cruz rising to the top. “He’s had two fights. Look at his last fight [against Jovanni Straffon]. It was the best fight of the night [on the Devin Haney vs. Regis Prograis card last Saturday in San Francisco, California].
David Morrell will defend his WBA ‘regular’ super middleweight title this Saturday, December 16th, against Sena Agbeko (28-2, 22 KOs) in a twelve round headliner from ‘The Armory in Minneapolis, Minnesota. His will be Showtime’s final boxing broadcast after 37 years, and they’ve chosen the 25-year-old Morrell to be the one who headlines
That says a lot about how high they are on him, and it’s it clear why Benavidez wants no part of fighting him. He knows talent when he sees it and doesn’t want to risk the payday that he’s been angling for against Canelo.
