Tim Bradley says David Morrell needs more seasoning for him to defeat David Benavidez in their 12-round light heavyweight match on February 1st on PBC on Prime Video PPV. Morrell has more experience in the amateurs against better competition than Benavidez has fought in the pros. He can and likely will defeat Benavidez and ruin his dreams of fighting for the undisputed championship.
(Credit: Esther Lin and Ryan Hafey/Premier Boxing Champions)
Bradley wasn’t impressed with Morrell’s performance in his last fight against Radivoje Kalajdzic on August 3rd in Los Angeles.
Bradley believes Benavidez (29-0, 24 KOs) can do everything that the former world title challenger Kalajdzic can do but is a better puncher. He sees Benavidez as a jack of all trades, doing a little bit of everything. However, he didn’t show much power in his debut at 175 against former WBC light heavyweight champion Oleksandr Gvozdyk on June 15th and was out-punched by him.
Morrell figures to be the bigger puncher in this fight, and he might knock Benavidez out if he tries to use volume punching against him like he did against the 37-year-old Gvozdyk, who had recently come out of a four-year retirement after being knocked out by Artur Beterbiev in 2019.
“I think Morrell needs a little bit more seasoning. I wasn’t too fond of his last fight. Benavidez can do a little bit of everything,” said Tim Bradley to Sean Zittel, talking about David Morrell needing more experience for his fight against David Benavidez on February 1st.
Morrell had between 130 and 135 amateur fights in Cuba, facing arguably more talented competition than Benavidez has fought as a pro. The experience between the two is heavily tilted in Morrell’s favor.
The only thing Benavidez has is experience in going the 12-round distance. He’s ahead of Morrell in that department without question, but not in terms of experience against quality opposition. Benavidez’s best wins have come against 35-year-old Demetrius Andrade, Caleb Plant [post-Canelo knockout loss], and the shopworn, old and ring-rusty Gvozdyk.
“We only see him being a pressure kind of guy, throwing combinations, stepping on the gas and stopping guys. But he can move and box if he wants to. I’ve seen him,” said Bradley about Benavidez. “He can do a little bit of everything, and Morrell is going to struggle against that.”
Benavidez can’t move. He doesn’t do that at all. He comes forward in straight lines, but he doesn’t move. He’s a pressure fighter who thrived when he fought at 168 against smaller, older opposition. Benavidez only fought once at 175, and that was his unimpressive showing against Gvozdyk on June 15th.
“Morrell likes guys that are pretty much stationary,” said Bradley. “I thought ‘Hot Rod’ [Radivoje Kalajdzic] did a pretty good job of switching his game plan up, intertwining boxing and pressuring. I thought he did that very well. I think that’s what Benavidez can do. He can mix it up, too,” said Bradley.
Morrell hasn’t fought any mobile fighters in the pro ranks, but he fought many of them in Cuba. If Benavidez could move, Morrell wouldn’t be confused and helpless.
Morrell defeated Radivoje Kalajdzic (29-3, 21 KOs) by a one-sided 12-round unanimous decision on August 3rd on the undercard of Terence Crawford vs. Israil Madrimov at the BMO Stadium in Los Angeles. “I think he’s [Benavidez] more of a puncher than Hot Rod as well,” said Bradley.
“Hot Rod’ Kalajdzic is a bigger puncher than Benavidez. Bradley obviously didn’t watch the fight closely or Hot Rod’s other fights as well. He’s by far a much bigger puncher than Benavidez.
Morrell-Kalajdzic scores
– 118-110
– 117-111
– 117-111
“Morrell, you can’t count him out because he can box, and he can learn from his mistakes, and he can improve. I think Benavidez will be the favorite,” said Bradley.
Morrell is 26 and only a year younger than the 27-year-old Benavidez. He hasn’t taken the punishment that Benavidez has, but that’s because he has better power and knocks out his opponents quickly.
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