Lonnie Thompson is leaning toward David Benavidez defeating David Morrell in their fight in 30 days on February 1st at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Thompson sparred with Benavidez (29-0, 24 KOs) and was impressed with his motor and the way he attacked his body.
Lonnie B thinks WBC interim light heavyweight champion Benavidez will pressure WBA ‘regular’ champion Morrell (11-0, 9 KOs) and knock him out at some point in the fight.
Underestimating Morrell
He sees Benavidez as a knockout for some reason, but he clearly isn’t, especially at 175, where he’s finally facing guys his size after years of fighting smaller fighters at 168. Morrell is a true knockout, and if he’s going to KO in this fight, he will do it.
“I have David Benavidez. David Morrell is really skilful but has a style where you have to put pressure on him. If you press it and go to his body, you will get it. David [Benavidez] specialized in it,” Lonnie Thompson told the Professional boxing fanssensing that Benavidez would beat Morrell.
Considering Morrell is undefeated, Thompson’s comment about how to beat him is based on speculation, not what he has already seen. No one has beaten Morrell in the professional ranks or come close.
“He is [Benavidez] we have to be careful with smooth counters because David Morrell has a little bit of pop and he has smooth counters. I think with the way David fights, he’s going to give David Morrell problems because he’s not going to let him be polished, do all those polished things he does with his feet,” Thompson said.
There’s more to Morrell than “a little pop.” He is probably the greatest puncher in the light heavyweight division. So for Lonnie to say that Morrell only has “a little” power suggests that he hasn’t watched him fight well and has no idea what he’s talking about. He’s obviously more familiar with Benavidez than Morrell, which is understandable since he’s been a pro for 12 years since 2013 and has a lot of miles on the clock.
“He will have to keep working and working. There will come a time when they will have to fight against David because David [Benvidez] he’s coming in good and letting go,” said Lonnie B. “So if David Morrell can catch him in between and hurt him, that’s the only chance I’m giving him to win.”
No, Thompson is wrong. Morrell has a better chance of winning this fight than a knockout of Benavidez. He can beat him by decision by outboxing or out-punching him. His boxing skills are superior to Benavidez’s due to his long amateur career, fighting top fighters in Cuba and on the world stage.
Benavidez wasn’t having it. He went pro, not amateur, and has always been a pure runner, largely due to fighting at a weight class below his massive super middleweight division.
“David Benavidez showed me a lot. After his last fight [Oleksandr Gvozdyk]no, he’s the real one,” Thompson said of Benavidez’s last fight against 37-year-old former WBC welterweight champion Oleksandr Gvozdyk on June 15.
“I don’t think he’s going to have a lot of knockouts, but that kid hit him with a few punches. That kid, Oleksandr [Gvozdyk]hit him with a few shots, and he can hit. He [Benavidez] he took them well, came back and let go,” said Lonnie B.
Sounds like Lonnie didn’t watch the Benavidez-Gvozdyk fight. Benavidez is not “back”. He gassed and took a beating throughout the second half of the fight, with Gvozdyk knocking him out in rounds 9 through 12. He was landing punches that would punch a hole in the 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 YouTube highlights favoring Benavidez, but the fight didn’t play out that way in the sixth through twelfth rounds. David looked exhausted and weak as the stronger Gvozdyk pounded him.
Thompson’s prediction
“However, David Morrell was not so tested. I’m leaning more towards David Benavidez because I’ve sparred with him,” Thompson said. “He hits the body very well. Just from my observations, I don’t think David Morrell is going to be able to sustain it for 12 rounds.”
It would be a mistake for Benavidez to try to go to Morrell’s body as he will leave his head open for power shots. He could end up knocked out like Sena Agbeko and Yamaguchi Falcão. Those guys tried to attack Morrell’s body and were quickly knocked out. Benavidez will be a duck if he lowers his hands to target Morrell’s midsection.
“Yeah, but I could be wrong, but I think David Benavidez is going to stop him,” said Lonnie B. “David’s got 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 I thought.”
Benavidez is not a knockout, and definitely 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 shorter than Benavidez and 35 years old.
“I thought he would be there for this occasion, but he wasn’t. His hands are up, he takes a good hit and comes back. His work rate is high. You have to be in a top position to keep up with him. It’s going to be a good fight, but I’m leaning more towards David Benavidez,” said Lonnie B.
Benavidez will have trouble using his punching volume against Morrell as he moves and chooses when to engage his opponent. His slow legs will make it difficult for him to get to Morrell and match his volume. Unfortunately, it moves like Frankenstein’s monster and can only hit stationary fighters.
