Benavidez’s physical attack and pressure are too much for Morrell, Thompson says

Lonnie Thompson leans into David Benavidez defeating David Morrell in their Fight in 30 Days on Feb. 1 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Thompson fought Benavidez (29-0, 24 KOs) and was impressed with his motor and how he attacked his body.

Lonnie B thinks WBC interim light heavyweight champion Benavidez will break WBA “regular” champion Morrell (11-0, 9 KOs) with pressure and KO him at some point in the fight.

Underestimate Morrell

For some reason he sees Benavidez as a knockout fighter, but that’s clearly not the case, especially at 175, where he’s finally facing guys his own size after years of campaigning against smaller fighters at 168. Morrell is a true knockout artist , and if there is going to be a KO in this fight, he’ll be the one to do it.

The truth is that Benavidez is VERY weak in his upper body and is forced to use volume punches as a path to winning his fights. His strength is on the lower end of the spectrum for light heavyweight contenders. That’s why he was ineffective in his debut at 175 against Oleksandr Gvozdyk last summer. Benavidez’s lack of upper body strength reminds me of the arms of a T-Rex dinosaur. There is no power, like a vestigial feature of the withered arms of the long-extinct creature.

“I have David Benavidez. David Morrell is really crafty, but he has that kind of style where you have to put pressure on him. If you put pressure on him and go towards his body, you will get him. David [Benavidez] he specializes in that,” Lonnie Thompson told Pro Boxing Fans, guessing Benavidez will defeat Morrell.

Considering that Morrell was not beaten, Thompson’s comment on how to beat him is based on conjecture rather than anything he has seen before. No one has beaten Morrell in the pros or even come close to it.

“It is [Benavidez] I have to be careful with the smart counters because David Morrell has some pop, and he has some smart counters. I think with the way David fights, he’s going to give David Morrell problems because he won’t let him be sharp, doing all the slick things he does with his feet,” Thompson said.

Morrell has more than a “little pop.” He is arguably the greatest boxer in the light heavyweight division. So if Lonnie says that Morrell only has a “little” power, he suggests that he hasn’t properly watched him fight and has no idea what he’s talking about. He’s obviously more familiar with Benavidez than Morrell, which is understandable because he’s been a 12-year pro since 2013 and has a lot of miles on the odometer.

“He will have to continue to work and work. There will come a time when he will have to fight David because of David [Benvidez] he’s good at getting there and letting his hands go,” said Lonnie B. “So if David Morrell can catch him in the middle and hurt him, that’s the only chance I give him to win.”

No, Thompson is wrong. Morrell has a better chance of winning this fight than by knocking out Benavidez. He can beat him decisively by outboxing him or punching him. His boxing skills are superior to Benavidez’s thanks to his long amateur career, fighting the best fighters in Cuba and on the world stage.

Benavidez wasn’t having it. He turned pro rather than go the amateur route and was always a pure slugger, mostly because he fought in a weight class below his massive frame from light heavyweight to super middleweight.

“David Benavidez showed me a lot. After his last fight [Oleksandr Gvozdyk]no, he means it,” Thompson said of Benavidez’s latest fight against 37-year-old former WBC light heavyweight champion Oleksandr Gvozdyk on June 15.

“I don’t think he’ll have many knockouts, but that guy hit him with some shots. That boy, Oleksandr [Gvozdyk]hit him with a few shots and he can punch. Him [Benavidez] he took them good and came back and let his hands go,” Lonnie B said.

It appears Lonnie didn’t see the Benavidez-Gvozdyk fight. Benavidez is not “back.” He ran out of gas and took beatings throughout the second half of the fight and Gvozdyk was tarred in rounds 9 through 12. He was hit with shots that would have punched a hole through a wall.

Yes, Benavidez took the punches, but he didn’t come back. He was a punching bag in the last four rounds. Lonnie B may have seen highlight clips on YouTube that favored Benavidez, but that’s not how the fight played out in rounds six through twelve. David looked exhausted and weak as he was pummeled by the stronger Gvozdyk.

Thompson’s prediction

«David Morrell hasn’t been tested like this, though. I’m leaning more towards David Benavidez because I’ve sparred with him,” Thompson said. “He punches the body very well. Just from my observation, I don’t think David Morrell will be able to make it 12 rounds.

It would be a mistake for Benavidez to try to get close to Morrell’s body because it would leave his head open for power shots. He could end up eliminated like Sena Agbeko and Yamaguchi Falcão. Those guys tried to attack Morrell’s body and were quickly knocked out. Benavidez will be an easy target if he drops his hands to hit Morrell’s midsection.

“Yeah, but I could be wrong, but I think David Benavidez is going to stop him,” said Lonnie B. “David has one of those styles. When you look at him, you’re like, ‘Okay,’ but when you get in there with him, it’s a lot harder than as much as I thought.

Benavidez is not a knockout fighter, and certainly not at 175. The guys he knocked out at 168 were small and old, like Demetrius Andrade, Roamer Alexis Angulo, David Lemieux and Anthony Dirrell. All those guys were younger than Benavidez and in their 30s.

“I thought he would be there for this shoot, but he’s not. His hands are up, he takes a good punch and comes back. His work rate is high. You have to be in a great position to keep up with him. It’s going to be a good fight, but I’m leaning more towards David Benavidez,” Lonnie B said.

Benavidez will have trouble using his punches in volume against Morrell because he moves and chooses when he wants to engage with his opponent. His slow feet will make it difficult for him to reach Morrell and land his volume. Unfortunately, he moves like Frankenstein’s monster and can only land his blows against stationary fighters.