LAS VEGAS — This risk was worthwhile for David Benavidez.
Faced with the most diverse, resistant opponent of his career — and one with only 11 fights on his pro record — “The Mexican Monster” demonstrated Saturday night that he is capable of beating elite light heavyweights.
The former WBC super middleweight champion wasn’t at his best in his first fight at the 175-pound limit this past June, partly due to hand injuries Benavidez thinks, in hindsight, should’ve caused him to postpone his bout with one-time WBC light heavyweight champ Oleksandr Gvozdyk. Benavidez beat Gvozdyk by unanimous decision, the same result he produced in beating Cuban southpaw David Morrell Jr. on Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena. This was an obviously better Benavidez, however, faced with a much more imposing opponent who pushed him in ways a faded Gvozdyk couldn’t test the 28-year-old emerging Mexican-American superstar.
“He knows my punching power is real,” Benavidez said late Saturday night. “He knows every time I get in there with a fighter, that’s exactly how they leave, just like that. But I was mad because Gvozdyk didn’t leave like that. He didn’t seem as hurt as all these other fighters, but because my hands were injured. Now that my hands are good, you see that the power of David Benavidez is real.”
An aggressive Benavidez certainly made Morrell respect his power in the early rounds of their pay-per-view main event. It was Morrell, though, that scored a knockdown during the 11th round, when he hit an off-balance Benavidez and made him use his gloves to touch the canvas.
Benavidez (30-0, 24 KOs) went down for just the second time in 30 professional fights. Before Saturday, the 28-year-old two-division champion hadn’t been down since Ronald Gavril dropped him in the 12th round of a bout Benavidez won by split decision in September 2017 at nearby Hard Rock Hotel & Casino.
“That little bullsh*t ass knockdown, though,” Benavidez said, “motherf*cker caught me off balance.”
“[But] he hits harder than everybody I’ve faced,” Benavidez acknowledged. “Obviously, because of 175 [pounds]. He’s a good fighter. But I just think my experience alone, I’ve seen so many styles. I’ve seen Caleb Plant, Demtrius Andrade, Gvozdyk, Anthony Dirrell. So I’m just getting better and better. But this dude was good. He brought it until the 12th round. He’s a good fighter, but like I said, I just showed what level I’m on.”
Benavidez has arrived at the level where he deserves an opportunity to fight the winner of the light heavyweight championship rematch between fully unified champ Artur Beterbiev (21-0, 20 KOs) and Dmitry Bivol (23-1, 12 KOs) on Feb. 22 at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Turki Alalshikh, who has arranged numerous high-profile fights on behalf of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority, has already invited Benavidez to sit ringside for the second Beterbiev vs. Bivol bout in three weeks.
“I would definitely love to go,” Benavidez said. “Right now, I’m just thinking about taking a break, bro. I been training for four and a half months, been preparing for this fight. But I would love to go over there and I would love to fight those guys. That’s what I’m here for. I feel like every fight I take is going to be the hardest fight ever, until the next fight. And that’s how it should be, because we’re going up in competition, we’re going up against the best of the best.
“My track record now, I have a pretty good résumé — not pretty good, I have a really good résumé. So, every fighter I’m going up against is better than the last one. And I’m happy I’m able to show what level I’m on, and I’m happy to continue to progress in my career.”
Beterbiev beat Bivol by majority decision in their first fight, a 12-rounder in October at Kingdom Arena. The Russian-born, Montreal-based knockout artist would be a completely different challenge for Benavidez. If the IBF, IBO, WBA, WBC and WBO light heavyweight champ beats Bivol again, Benavidez could find himself in the ring with one of boxing’s most dangerous punchers.
Unlike Morrell (11-1, 9 KOs), a southpaw in his physical prime, Beterbiev is right-handed. He also turned 40 in January.
“I just want to be the best in my era,” Benavidez said, “and whoever they need me to fight next, I want to unify four titles. If that’s next, that’s next.”
Morrell, meanwhile, thinks inexperience cost him against Benavidez. The Miami resident had only 11 professional fights on his record before he battled Benavidez. Once the bell rang Saturday night, Morrell realized how difficult it would be to overcome Benavidez’s edge in experience. Benavidez’s ability to dictate the pace and range of their fight were among the things that Morrell feels cost him.
“It was definitely one of the main factors in this fight,” Morrell said, “where it didn’t tilt the balance 100%, but it definitely was something that played a role in the outcome of the fight.”
Ronnie Shields, Morrell’s head trainer, seconded Morrell’s perspective on not having enough professional experience to beat Benavidez. Once the 27-year-old contender gains some more, he would like another opportunity to box Benavidez.
Morrell claims he learned Saturday night that he can beat Benavidez, who seemed a lot less interested in a rematch down the line. The WBC interim and WBA world light heavyweight champion pointed out that he defeated Morrell convincingly on the scorecards — 118-108, 115-111 and 115-111.
The only rematch that concerns Benavidez at the moment is scheduled for Feb. 22. Saul “Canelo” Alvarez remains completely disinterested in facing Benavidez, which makes the Beterbiev vs. Bivol 2 winner the only opponent that makes sense for Benavidez next.
Money won’t be an issue, as Alalshikh has repeatedly proven by making mega-fights that he wants to see. Benavidez and the Beterbiev vs. Bivol winner will also be on the same schedule since they will have fought only three weeks apart.
Whenever they can schedule it, “The Mexican Monster” proved on Saturday night that he is more than ready for that ultimate step.
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