Two undefeated champions will see who reigns supreme Saturday night when WBC light heavyweight champ David Benavidez (29-0, 24 KOs) clashes with WBA "Regular" light heavyweight titleholder David Morrell (11-0, 9 KOs) Jr. at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
With the victor possibly getting a chance to face the winner of the February 22 rematch between undisputed light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol, stakes are extremely high.
Here, DAZN News analyzes who has the edge going into the Benavidez vs. Morrell fight.
Boxing style
Showtime
Benavidez fights straight up with a distinct flow as if a faucet is turned on and its current is only going to gain strength along the way.
His incessant punching can drown out opponents into forcing the referee to step in and stop the punishment he’s doling out.
Morrell will attempt to offset that surge with his high, tight guard and level changing. But even with that sound defense, Benavidez’s constant pressure is like water breaking through a dam — ferocity usually overwhelms and proves hard to stop.
Edge: Benavidez
Power
(Jacob De Leon/Team Morrell)
Benavidez can certainly pack power with his punches. But Morrell possesses the one-hitter quitter with his explosion.
If the southpaw can catch Benavidez off-guard with a power shot, he could very well leave Las Vegas with two light heavyweight world titles in tow. Especially if he’s changing levels and exploding upwards with that shot.
Edge: Morrell
Experience
Esther Lin/SHOWTIME
Simply put: Morrell lacks the pro experience that Benavidez has. 'El Monstro' is knocking on his 30 pro victory, having defeated former world champions such as Oleksandr Gvozdyk, Demetrius Andrade, Caleb Plant and David Lemieux in his last four fights alone.
Meanwhile, Morrell, with just 11 pro bouts under his belt, has never fought a world champion.
The experience edge goes to Benavidez … and it’s by a landslide.
Edge: Benavidez
Mental warfare
(Esther Lin/PBC)
As time has gone on, Benavidez and Morrell have managed to increasingly get on each other’s nerves.
And it’s genuine ire between them.
But if there’s an edge here for mental warfare, it’s a slight one toward Benavidez seeping in from his aforementioned experience.
He can talk and boast what he’d like, considering how he’s reduced quality opponents prior.
Morrell can stand to shock him in an upset, boxing his own fighting words into fruition. But until then, it’s Benavidez with the edge here, too.
Edge: Benavidez
Defense
Where Benavidez is more free-flowing, sometimes abandoning his guard in favor of letting his hands go with cadence, Morrell is disciplined with his defense, keeping his guard forehead level, while also protecting his chin.
Whether he can withstand Benavidez’s pressure remains to be seen, but on paper, entering this bout, the Cuban fighter owns the advantage when it comes to defense.
Edge: Morrell
So which fighter has the edge going into this fight across these five key categories? It’s David Benavidez, 3-2.
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