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Benavidez Silences Critics With Morrell Victory -- Is Bivol or Beterbiev Next? By Ralph Rimpell PhilBoxing.com Thu, 27 Feb 2025  It has been over three weeks since the boxing world witnessed the highly anticipated matchup between WBC interim light heavyweight (175 lbs) champion David Benavidez and WBA (Regular) light heavyweight champion David Morrell (11-1, 9 KOs). Prior to the fight, Benavidez faced unfair criticism from boxing writers and fans for allegedly padding his record (30-0, 24 KOs) with inferior opponents. While it was clear that Benavidez fought the best available competition willing to step in the ring with him, critics claimed he was facing former champions who were past their prime. Others argued that he was only fighting smaller opponents and suggested—sometimes outright insisted—that he should move up to a higher weight class. The answer to Benavidez, known as the “Mexican Monster,” came in the form of David Morrell. Morrell, a decorated former Cuban amateur fighter now competing professionally in the United States, was viewed as the opponent who could finally hand Benavidez his first loss. In addition to his size, Morrell possessed impressive athleticism, strong footwork, and the punching power of a heavyweight, according to his promoter, Luis DeCubas. Many believed that despite only having 11 professional fights—with nine wins by knockout—Morrell had what it took to defeat the seasoned Benavidez. The promotion leading up to the fight was intense. Benavidez masterfully used trash talk to get under Morrell’s skin. Initially, Morrell dismissed the fight as “just business.” However, tensions escalated after Benavidez pushed him at a Miami press conference, prompting Morrell to throw his WBA championship belt at him in retaliation. On fight night, while the bout was competitive and entertaining, Benavidez convincingly defeated Morrell over the course of 12 rounds, annexing Morrell’s WBA (Regular) title. In the 11th round, Morrell was awarded a knockdown when both fighters' feet got tangled, and he happened to land a punch in the process. However, Benavidez was clearly not hurt. At the end of the same round, Morrell was deducted a point for punching after the bell, which ultimately negated the advantage he had gained from the knockdown. By the end of the fight, Benavidez was the clear and dominant winner, silencing his critics with an impressive performance. What’s Next for Benavidez? Last Saturday, Benavidez was in Saudi Arabia to witness the rematch between Dmitry Bivol and Artur Beterbiev for the undisputed light heavyweight championship (WBA, WBC, WBO, IBF). The first fight, which took place four months ago, was razor-close. Many observers believed it could have been scored a draw or even awarded to Bivol. However, last Saturday, Bivol left no doubt—he convincingly defeated Beterbiev, regaining his WBA title and capturing the WBC, WBO, and IBF belts. While there is speculation about a potential trilogy fight between Bivol and Beterbiev, Benavidez is the mandatory challenger for Bivol’s titles, putting him next in line for an opportunity. At the post-fight press conference, Bivol did not confirm his next opponent, only stating that he plans to rest his body and consider the offers presented to him. Benavidez, on the other hand, has made it clear that his preference is to fight Bivol. His reasoning? Bivol previously defeated undisputed super middleweight champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, who has repeatedly refused to fight Benavidez. However, all signs seem to indicate that Bivol and Beterbiev will meet for a third time. Saudi boxing promoter Turki Alalshikh was reportedly seen holding up three fingers after the Bivol-Beterbiev rematch, suggesting his desire for a trilogy. Given Alalshikh’s financial backing, he is in a strong position to make Bivol another lucrative offer to complete the trilogy. Canelo’s Next Moves and Benavidez’s Alternatives Meanwhile, reports indicate that Canelo has signed a four-fight deal with Turki Alalshikh. His first bout is expected to be against IBF champion William Scull in May, a fight that will allow him to regain his IBF title, which was stripped from him for failing to meet his mandatory defense against Scull. If Canelo defeats Scull, he is reportedly set to face pound-for-pound great Terence Crawford in September. If Bivol and Canelo remain unavailable, the next best option for Benavidez could be the still-dangerous Beterbiev. A Benavidez vs. Beterbiev fight would be an intriguing matchup and a true test for both fighters. In boxing, anything can happen. Bivol may indeed take on Beterbiev for a third fight. Just weeks ago, reports surfaced that Canelo was on the verge of finalizing a fight with Jake Paul. The deal was reportedly days away from being announced before Canelo abruptly changed course and signed with Alalshikh to face Scull and three additional opponents instead. As fans eagerly await official announcements, the boxing landscape remains unpredictable. However, one thing is certain—if Benavidez secures fights against Bivol or Beterbiev, he will have another opportunity to silence his critics with even more dominant victories. Boxing Notes Shakur Stevenson has won 3 world titles in 3 weight classes and is the current WBC lightweight champion. His professional record is 23-0, 11KOs. Some Boxing critics are not pleased with his fighting style: Hit, not be hit, and good defense. Shakur could retire today if he wants and he will be a lock for the Boxing Hall of Fame. Shakur hopes for a “Big Fight” with top “Pound for Pound” (P4P) WBA lightweight champion Gervonta “Tank” Davis should he defeat WBA jr lightweight champion Lamont Roach this coming Saturday. It will be wise for Shakur to ignore the unfair criticism and take the advice of his friend P4P #1 best fighter in the world Terrance Crawford and just “keep winning”. Boxing Critics give a lot of criticism when a fighter is special (very talented and undefeated). Cases in point are David Benavidez and Terrence Crawford. Look how both fighters were criticized unfairly for years. Now, look where both fighters are today in 2025. So unfair criticism can be a good thing in Shakur’s case…Heavy weight Contender Martin Bakole (23-2-1,16KOs) was on the threshold of greatness when he shockingly knockout then undefeated Jared Anderson in the 5th round back in August 2024 at the BMO stadium. Based on that performance he appeared to be a new force that would emerge to take control of the Heavyweight division. Bakole was listed at 284lbs for the fight against Anderson. Last Saturday, he was called in as a last minute replacement for the IBF champion Daniel Dubois who withdrew due to illness from a match against former WBO and current interim WBO Heavy weight champion Joseph Parker. Bakole, who was said to be in training prior to being called to replace Dubois officially weight 310lbs for match. The weight gain from the Anderson fight in August to Parker fight last week apparently contradicted the reports of Bakole being in training. Bakole clearly lost because he was not prepared. Bakole must stay in training in between and beat a top 10 heavyweight to regain the momentum he lost due to the Parker loss… Joseph Parker is now the heavyweight to watch in 2025! He was a heavy underdog to late replacement Martin Bakole. Parker shocked the world and knockout Bakole in 2 rounds. Parker has now won 3 fights many picked him to lose. In his last 3 fights he has defeated Martin Bakole, Zhilei Zhang, and Deontay Wilder. This writer says on any given night Parker can defeat any heavyweight including IBF champion Daniel Dubois or unified champion Oleksandr Usyk. Let’s see what happens in 2025 with Joseph Parker. ***Ralph Rimpell is a writer based out of New York and is a Boxing Correspondent for Philboxing.com. Ralph holds an undergraduate degree from City University of New York. He has been a Boxing Writer for over ten years having written for several top boxing websites on the World Wide Web. Before becoming a writer, Ralph's passion was for professional wrestling until he realized professional wrestling was entertainment and not a real sport. It was at that time the 1984 US Olympic team made up of future stars such as Evander Holyfield, Meldrick Taylor, Pernell Whitaker, etc. entered the professional ranks and signed with promotional outfit Main Events.It was also at that time a young exciting Heavyweight originally hailing from Brooklyn named Mike Tyson also turned professional and became the face of boxing. Young boxing fan Ralph just couldn't get enough of boxing as a large part of it was being broadcast on "free TV". As time went on, Ralph felt boxing writers were not being forthcoming with their boxing coverage, opinion pieces, interviews, etc. So Ralph decided to write an article and submitted it to a Boxing website thinking it would be deleted and ignored by the Editor. To Ralph's surprise his article was posted on their website and the readers embraced it. The rest is history. "I thank God for the Internet because it has created opportunities for writers like myself who likely would not have been given an opportunity to write for print publications. I hope someday soon to expand my role in Boxing on different levels." -- Ralph Rimpell Contact Writer: RLuvsboxing@aol.com Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ralph Rimpell.  |
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