Disappointed with Morrell

[Dakuwaqa]

Certainly looks like some people didn't get any clue from Morrell's last fight with Kalajdzic. Which is what the rest took their overwhelming prediction for Benavidez came from.

Yup. After watching that fight the writing was on the wall for me at least.

[HisExcellency]

I predicted a CLOSE points victory for Benavidez and if Morrell hadn’t screwed himself after the knockdown (although I think the point deduction was overly harsh) that’s exactly what would’ve happened. 118-108 was a joke.

Therefore, Morrell performed as expected but lost to the better, more experienced fighter. NO shame in that.

[dannnnn]

What I was disappointed with was just how straightforward his offense was. I expected a bit more subtlety and nuance to his attacks. Most of the time he was just loading up and hitting Benavidez's arms and gloves. Lots of three or four punch combinations like a 1-2-3-2, but with little variation in speed, power or timing. Just a straightforward bop-bop-bop-bop like you would do on the heavy bag. Benavidez was noticeably a level above in that department, landing lots of short sneaky body shots and mixing up and disguising his work really well.

That being said, it was a good fight and competitive right to the last. While watching the first few rounds I thought for sure Morrell was gonna get worn down and stopped later on but he fought through it well, hurt Benavidez a couple of times (granted one was after the bell), and finished the fight on equal footing (though not score-wise obviously). I'd happily watch a rematch while we wait for Beterbiev and Bivol settle things.

[Oracle01]

People talked as if he was a slick cuban boxer, but he seems more like a very athletic and gifted Slugger to me. He wants to b ang and mix it up. Benavidez was too experienced with his guard manipulation and skills at breaking Morrells basic high guard which was more like just shelling up. I think Morrell still has huge potential as a fighter he has it all plus he is tough as nails and has real fighting spirit. I would actually pick him to win a shoot out vs Beterbiev to be honest because it would be a much more straight forward fight than Benavidez and Beterbiev has poor defense, even anthony yarde could not miss him, so it would be a great match up for Morrel.

[CubanGuyNYC]

I gave Benavidez the edge from the start, so I’m not surprised at the outcome. Morrell just didn’t have enough professional experience. His failure to adjust, and what I perceive as Ronnie Shields’ failure as a trainer, did him in.This fight was winnable for the Cuban, perhaps even more so than I thought going in, but his ring IQ was lacking. I’m hopeful that will change as he gains further experience. On the plus side, David showed heart, resilience and a solid chin. He clearly has the makings of a marketable fighter. And although Morrell was annoying me a little with his attitude before the fight, he’s shown great humility and sportsmanship in the aftermath.

[paulf]

Morrell absolutely did not have the tools. Power and chin alone only get you so far.

Nothing wrong with the gameplan - Benavidez just did everything better and didn't give Morrell the openings. When Morell fell behind, dude could not just stand in the pocket and throw combinations because Benavidez's inside work was brutal AND David was slipping nearly every single shot from Morrell.

Morrell was nowhere near as fast or intelligent in the ring as David. Benavidez's punch selection and accuracy are as good as you'll find in all of boxing. A trainer can only do so much when his fighter isn't on the other guy's level.

[HisExcellency]

I gave Benavidez the edge from the start, so I’m not surprised at the outcome. Morrell just didn’t have enough professional experience. His failure to adjust, and what I perceive as Ronnie Shields’ failure as a trainer, did him in.This fight was winnable for the Cuban, perhaps even more so than I thought going in, but his ring IQ was lacking. I’m hopeful that will change as he gains further experience. On the plus side, David showed heart, resilience and a solid chin. He clearly has the makings of a marketable fighter. And although Morrell was annoying me a little with his attitude before the fight, he’s shown great humility and sportsmanship in the aftermath.

Agreed but like I said from the beginning, Benavidez's constant forward pressure and work rate is second to NONE and almost impossible to match so I really don't think there's much more Morrell could've done. Especially since Benavidez was able to handle his power (bar the flash knockdown). Still, he fought his heart out but it will be very difficult for him to become champion as long as Benavidez, Beterbiev & Bivol are around. However, if Beterbiev retires (he's 40yo) and Bivol moves up, I give him a good shot at grabbing a belt as he's LEVELS above the rest of the fighter's in the division e.g. Buatsi, Yarde, Smith etc.

[crimsonfalcon07]

Yeah, that was frustrating. He has used lateral movement in other fights, but had a terrible gameplan for this one and made zero adjustments. Many of the tools that should have been effective against Benavidez didn't even get used. Credit to Benavidez I guess for forcing him into his style of fight. I'm definitely disappointed in Morrell. He fought like Callum Smith did vs Beterbiev. Let's just back up to the ropes and let the power puncher tee off.

I do think that's an experience issue along with a gameplan issue though.

[CubanGuyNYC]

Agreed but like I said from the beginning, Benavidez's constant forward pressure and work rate is second to NONE and almost impossible to match so I really don't think there's much more Morrell could've done. Especially since Benavidez was able to handle his power (bar the flash knockdown). Still, he fought his heart out but it will be very difficult for him to become champion as long as Benavidez, Beterbiev & Bivol are around. However, if Beterbiev retires (he's 40yo) and Bivol moves up, I give him a good shot at grabbing a belt as he's LEVELS above the rest of the fighter's in the division e.g. Buatsi, Yarde, Smith etc.

You may be right. Perhaps Morrell couldn’t have won with best effort. Nonetheless, I think it’s very much within the realm of possibility that David can improve enough to defeat Benny in a rematch sometime down the line. I can see it happening by 2027. There will be a lot of interest in that if it’s announced. And by the way, that was no knockdown; Benavidez tripped over Morrell’s foot. But by the same token, Benny said that David punched harder than any previous opponent he’s faced. No surprise; you saw the effect of a couple of well landed shots.

[STREET CLEANER]

Experience won the fight. Morrell did much better than expected, he did show chin and stamina. He cannot sustain a whole 3 minutes of a plan, he did well in spots but then was on idle. He was faster than David and was able to move around but David's experience came into play. He should be fine and this is not only a confidence booster but he will have learned a lot from this.