David Benavidez looked skinny-fat with a Fury-like physique, weighing in at 174.2 lbs on Friday for his fight against David Morrell this Saturday. Benavidez (29-0, 24 KOs) flexed for the photographers, and you could see a lot of excess weight around his midsection. Both fighters came in at 174.2 for their match at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Morrell’s Confidence

Morrell looked confident and at ease during the face-off with a very thin-looking Benavidez. He ignored his attempts to intimidate him and stared at him with a blank look on his face. When the two fighters separated, Morrell signaled quickly to Benavidez with fast hands, showing a peace sign.

You could tell from looking at the two that Morrell is the far more powerful fighter and a more natural light heavyweight. Benavidez looked like a boiled-down cruiserweight.

It’s unknown how much weight Benavidez had to lose in training camp and this week in cutting down to the 175-lb limit. But when he first started camp, he looked well over 200 lbs. He’s had to drop a lot of weight for sure.

David Morrell: “I don’t need any keys to beat Benavidez because I’ve seen what he’s all about, and he’s fake,” said Morrell. “One thing is to do it, and the other thing is to say you’re going to do it. They’re very different.”

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David Benavidez: “All the talking is done. I’m going to beat the f out of David Morrell. he’s going to see who the Mexican Monster is this Saturday.:

Physical Form

Morrell may target that area because it’s where Benavidez is weak. The Mexican Monster was hurt to the body by Oleksandr Gvozdyk in his last fight on June 15th. Body punching is Benavidez’s kryptonite. Some fans are now calling him ‘Greedy Belly,’ borrowing the nickname that was given to Fury.

“I’m ready to go to war, and I’m ready to beat David Morrell for whatever it takes,” said David Benavidez to Fight Hub TV. “They said that about everybody I’ve fought. That they’re technically better than me, and that they’re decorated amateurs. It doesn’t mean nothing.

“All that goes out the window once I land a good shot, and when I put that mental pressure on them. It may look like they have an advantage on the outside, but amateur s*** is amateur s***.  This is professional. You can’t be scared of the job, especially when you want to become the ‘Face of Boxing,’” Benavidez continued.

“I embrace everything. I worked my way into this position, and I can manifest anything I want in my life. I’m not going back down to 168. If Canelo wanted to fight me, and told me to go back down to 168, I don’t care about money.”

It’s hard to believe Benavidez that he wouldn’t return to 168 if Canelo offered him a fight. That’s impossible to believe. Benavidez has been fixated on Canelo for years and wants the payday he would get from fighting the Mexican superstar. It’s not just the money.

It would be the career boost he would receive if he were to defeat Canelo because his popularity would go through the roof.

“I don’t care about none of that. I was at 168 for a while. For three years, I was the #1 contender. I was not given that opportunity. So, now I’m here at 15, fighting guys that actually have balls,” said Benavidez.

You can tell from how Benavidez is talking that he’s trying to shame Canelo into fighting him by talking about fitting guys that “have balls” at 175 and are willing to face him.

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