Sports commentator Stephen A. Smith worries that David Benavidez could get hurt because he stands in front of his opponents, doesn’t move and doesn’t make head movements. Benavidez (29-0, 24 KOs) positions himself in front of his opponent and lets his hands go.
(Source: Ryan Hafey/Premier Boxing Champions)
Smith’s worries
WBC interim light heavyweight champion Benavidez could get injured in his next fight against WBC David Morrell on February 1 in their 12-round fight at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
If Benavidez is eliminated in this fight, he will have to decide whether to try to return to 168 or stay at 175 and settle for being a contender instead of a world champion.
Morrell is the same size as Benavidez, but much stronger, faster and more technically gifted. Coming from the Cuban boxing school, he didn’t learn all the bad habits that Benavidez picked up during his years of fighting smaller opponents.
Smith is a big fan of Benavidez and still seems to have Canelo Alvarez on his mind to fight him. This fight will not happen. They are now in different divisions and Canelo ends his career at 168 Picking and Choice.
The 28-year-old Benavidez developed a style that worked for him because he was bigger than his opponents and fought at 168 in a division below his body for 11 years before eventually moving up to 175.
In his debut at 175 against Oleksandr Gvozdyk on June 15, we saw Benavidez get hit a lot. In the future, he won’t be able to score knockouts like he did when he fought smaller fighters at 168.
“I am a big fan of David Benavidez. “I love Canelo too, but I don’t like the fact that Canelo is taking so long to give him a match,” Stephen A. Smith told the Sean Zittel Channel. “I applaud David Benavidez because he doesn’t cower to anyone and is always ready to fight.
“He’s ‘The Mexican Monster.'” Sometimes I wonder if someone is going to hurt him because he’s right in front of them. “He’s not moving, but he’s clearly showing that he can take a punch, and he can damn sure throw one with both hands,” Smith continued of Benavidez.
“He’s got speed, he’s got power, he’s got boxing ability and he’s got heart. I don’t know if there’s a bigger fan of David Benavidez than me. I really appreciate his skills and want to see him on the big stage,” said Smith.
Stephen A. is a casual boxing fan, not a hardcore fan who follows the sport closely. Therefore, he doesn’t realize that Benavidez is no longer in Canelo’s orbit. He also doesn’t seem to realize that Benavidez has never fought against elite opponents to literally earn the nickname “Mexican Monster.” He was essentially a weight bully who fought against older, smaller veterans.
The handshake incident
“Benavidez messed up when he tried to shake his hand. These Cuban boys have a playful attitude, but they really hate it when they think someone thinks they can beat them,” coach Greg Hackett continued YSM Sports Mediatalk about today’s dispute.
After all the things Benavidez had said about Morrell, there was no chance he would shake his hand in Miami today. Benavidez shouldn’t have even tried to shake Morrell’s hand because he was asking for trouble.
“When Benavidez came up to him and tried to shake his hand, he shouldn’t have done that. Morrell said, “No, we’re not there.” We’re going to rumble. You talked all this shit about me and now you want to shake my hand?’”
