Benavidez’s heavyweight future if Morrell wins?

Coach Jose Benavides Sr. predicts that his son, ‘Mexican Monster’ David Benavides, “destroy” David Morrell in their light heavyweight contest in 11 days on February 1st at PBC on Prime Video PPV in Las Vegas.

This fight will show if Benavidez (29-0, 24 KOs) is just “fake” ‘The Monster’, lives off the thrill he gets from fighting lesser opposition at 168, or if it’s real. Morel says he’s seen fighters like Benavidez and considers him 100% “fake.”

Now that Benavidez is fighting at 175 against a younger fighter his size but more power, Morrell (11-0, 9 KOs) could expose him.

Exit strategy already planned?

According to Tim Morrell, Benavidez hovers between 215 and 220. So he has the size to reinvent himself at cruiserweight if he falls short against the talented Cuban on February 1st.

If Benavidez loses, he may have to decide if he wants to move up to cruiserweight to try to salvage his career at that weight class. Staying at 175 would be a mistake for him, because if he can’t beat Morel, then he certainly won’t be successful against Artur Beterbiev or Dmitry Bivol.

Jose Sr. is already discussing exit strategydiscussing the possibility of Benavidez moving up to cruiserweight to challenge WBA and WBO champion Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez for his belts. He would have to wait his turn until IBF champion Jay Opetaia faces Zurda in a three-belt unification. But any of those guys would be willing to fight Benavidez with him losing to Morel.

Even if Morrell knocks him out, they’d be willing to fight him because he’d still be popular, and he’d probably have excuses to explain his loss. He mentioned injuries to explain why he played badly against Aleksandar Gvozdik, and the fans believed him. He could do the same thing if he lost to Morel, and people would give him a pass.

“We are 100% locked in with Morrell.” He’s a tough fighter, a younger fighter. He’s a two-time world champion and he’s hungry. “We don’t underestimate this guy,” Jose Benavides Sr. said Sean Zittel on David Morrell, who David Benavides faces on February 1st.

“We are there 100%.” David (Benavidez) is 28 years old. In my mind, I think David is going to destroy him (Morrell). Let’s focus on that now. Surely, David has big dreams. He wants to fight the winner. Who doesn’t want to fight the winner of Buffalo and Betterby? He might even fight Zurdo Ramirez in the cruiserweight division.

“Those fights are great. Big monsters in that division, and big opportunities there. “Zurdo Ramirez is going to fight another guy (IBF cruiserweight champion Jay Opetaia) for the belt, and hopefully we’ll have a chance to do that,” Benavidez Sr. said.