Benavidez moves closer to the real main event
The light-heavyweight punishes David Morrell and goes to 30-0.
David Morrell Jr. came into Saturday night with 11 professional fights. You need at least twice that many to get main-event, pay-per-view money and exposure. But Morrell had bypassed his apprenticeship with nine knockout wins. And he already had an identity, in some circles. He was Canelo Alvarez’s “sicario.”
He was the brush-clearer, taking care of troublesome opponents like Mario Abel Cazares before they could challenge Canelo. His reward for being Canelo’s hit man was to get a light-heavyweight date with the Man Himself someday.
But Morrell ran into a hard target at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. David Benavidez was 29-0, tall and explosive, with 23 knockouts of his own. If Canelo had wanted any part of Benavidez he would have engaged him by now, and probably should have done it much earlier, when Benavidez was young and callow. That’s what Floyd Mayweather did with Canelo, back in 2014. Put the young man behind you before he figures everything out. Be your own sicario.
Benavidez, 28, won a unanimous decision over Morrell, a fight that maximized Benavidez and didn’t necessarily reduce Morrell. The two had been so antagonistic before the fight that referee Thomas Taylor had to remind Benavidez to touch Morrell’s gloves during introductions. Benavidez actively mocked Morrell during a couple of flurries, and did an Ali Shuffle at one point. Morrell provided his own version the next round. But when it ended, they looked at each other for a second and then lightly embraced, then did so more tightly. A great fight, or at least a predominantly busy one, has a way of draining the bile.
Morrell chose to stand in front of Benavidez and try to win by trading. This hasn’t worked against Benavidez, nor has anything else. “El Monstro” landed 48 percent of his power shots on Morrell, and his uppercuts would have dissuaded a less substantial man. Morrell’s knees buckled at times but he never seemed hurt, and in the 11th round he got Benavidez off-balance and decked him. Then he screwed that up by popping Benavidez after the bell, earning a point penalty from Taylor and blowing the 10-8 round that he’d earned.
The light-heavyweights threw 1,058 punches in 12 rounds. That’s impressive, although it looked sclerotic in comparison to Isaac Cruz’s unanimous decision over Angel Fierro, in which the two super-lightweights let it go 1,410 times in 10 rounds.
“Early in the fight I could tell he didn’t punch as hard as everybody said,” Benavidez said. “But he’s a great fighter. I hope he has a lot of great fights in his future.”
So boxing did right by its customers for one night. What does the light-heavyweight future look like? Artur Bertebiev is the recognized and undefeated champion, and is favored to beat Dmitry Bivol in a rematch. A Benavidez-Bertebiev match might sizzle for fight fans, might even pick off a few strays from the UFC audience.
But Canelo-Benavidez would be the richer fight, and more important, too. The last time Canelo ventured into the 175-pound world, he lost to Bivol. He really hasn’t been pushed since then, and that’s no accident. He’s 34 and would rather hit 5-irons than the heavy bag.
What incentive would Canelo have to deal with such a big, gifted 28-year-old at this point? Maybe the money, but Canelo fills arenas no matter who he fights.
Whatever happens, this could be the year of Benavidez’s dreams. He’s had enough of dashing everyone else’s.
Good column, Mark. Benavidez is a fascinating fighter, mostly because of the way he has evolved. He's the brother of a one-time leading prospect, Jose Jr. Early in David's career, you'd go to see Jose Jr. and leave talking about David. Even then, the intangibles were evident. Simply put, he loves to fight, now more than ever. Nobody has figured out how to counter his instinctive way of responding to adversity. To wit: David Morrell knocks him off balance to score a knockdown late in the 11th-round. Benavidez' response is immediate. He attacks Morrell with a fury that rattles the Cuban, forcing him into a mistake. Morrell throws a punch after the bell. He's penalized. It didn't matter. On the scorecards, Benavidez was in control. But on another night in a different fight, it could have been critical. Benavidez' fundamental skillset is often questioned, rightfully so. But his willingness to fight never falters. I think Canelo sees that and decides to fight somebody more predictable than Benavidez, an evolving force of nature with a dangerous ability to create instant chaos for anybody in his way.