LAS VEGAS – The hardest work is over. All that remains for David Morrell Jnr before his Saturday pay-per-view main event versus fellow unbeaten light heavyweight David Benavidez is the pageantry of a workout, a face-off and a weigh-in.
On Wednesday, as Cuba’s Morrell, 11-0 (9 KOs), strode through the MGM Grand with only a sparse entourage, he envisioned how this will all change should he execute the fight plan he is convinced will topple the “Mexican Monster” considered the sport’s most-avoided man.
“This is my opportunity to teach everyone who the real boogeyman of the light heavyweight division is,” Morrell told BoxingScene as he headed toward his public workout.
At just 27, Morrell would gain not only a massive boost of popularity by knocking off Benavidez but also elevate to become an under-30 force and close to within one additional victory of becoming undisputed light heavyweight champion.
The winner of Saturday’s fight has been promised a shot at the winner of the February 22 undisputed light heavyweight title between unbeaten champion Artur Beterbiev, of Russia, and countryman and former champion Dmitry Bivol.
“It is a great opportunity for me and the people of Cuba, as well," Morrell said. "After this fight, if I get a knockout, it opens the door for the Cuban people. I feel great. My team, my coach have supported me and they’re telling me, ‘You got this.’ When my team says that, I know I got this. I feel grateful for this opportunity.”
Morrell’s promoter, Luis DeCubas Snr, elaborated on the positive vibes in no uncertain terms.
“We’re ready to fight. We’re going to knock this motherfucker out, I’m telling you,” DeCubas said.
DeCubas said he never thought the bout between two of Premier Boxing Champions’ best talents would transpire after Benavidez promoter Sampson Lewkowicz dismissed it nearly five years ago, following Morrell’s complete dominance of 23-fight veteran Lennox Allen in a 12-round bout – just Morrell’s third pro fight.
“You’re only going to see [Benavidez] in pictures,” Lewkowicz told DeCubas.
But as both men were bypassed by Saul "Canelo" Alvarez at super middleweight, each moved up and locked eyes on each other, leading to a promotion laced with mutual disdain.
While Benavidez, 29-0 (24 KOs), boasts hellacious, relentless power, Morrell is a Cuban-educated pugilist blessed with creative, destructive skills.
“It’s what we’ve been looking for," DeCubas said. "He’s ready. I was in camp with him. He’s sparred with the best guys possible. He’s ready to kick ass. It’s very important for him to win. He is going to win.
“Great sparring … like Roberto Duran, Wilfredo Gomez, [Joel] Casamayor always told me: sparring and running. Everything else is bullshit. I can’t see [Benavidez] going the distance with him. If he does, he has a great chin and I’ll truly respect him.”
Morrell knows the expectation is Benavidez will impose his will on the Cuban.
“There’s always going to be opinions from everybody,” Morrell said. “I have my opinion, too.”
Lance Pugmire is BoxingScene’s senior U.S. writer and an assistant producer for ProBox TV. Pugmire has covered boxing since the early 2000s, first at the Los Angeles Times and then at The Athletic and USA Today. He won the Boxing Writers’ Association of America’s Nat Fleischer Award in 2022 for career excellence.