DAVID BENAVIDEZ and David Morrell carried on with their fiery build-up at tonight’s final press conference in Las Vegas.
But on Saturday night the two light-heavyweights will collide head-on in the ring and potentially produce something that could light up the sport and the T-Mobile Arena.
The minor belts on the line mean little but pride and ego does. Benavidez, 29-0 (24 KOs), in particular is raring to go and wants to inflict serious damage on his Cuban opponent. His demeanour and mood are similar for every big fight of his and the 28-year-old was asked if he enjoyed disliking his opponents.
“Definitely because I’m going to go in and hurt him every single round. I have the strongest fighting spirit in all of boxing.”
Benavidez, who is now campaigning at 175lbs having not secured a showdown with Canelo Alvarez at super-middleweight, has said in the build-up to the Morrell clash that he will “break” the face of his opponent.
Morrell, 11-0 (9 KOs), was asked for his response to the comment.
“If he thinks he’s going to break my face he’s got another thing coming. It’s going to be war out there.
“David you’re used to everybody being afraid of you and I’m not one of those, I’m not going anywhere.”
The presser rarely dipped below boiling hot and began with Benavidez arguing with Morrell’s promoter Luis de Cubas Sr. This prompted Benavidez’s promoter Sampson Lewkowicz to try and cool matters at the podium before it got out of hand.
“I want to apologise for the behaviour of my friend Luis De Cubas Jr,” he said. “This fight won’t sell more because you’re screaming it’ll sell more because it’s war.”
Morrell, too, spoke of ‘War’ and all the soundbites point to a violent tear-up on Saturday night.
One other issue that the Cuban has with Benavidez is his nickname – ‘Monster’.
“I want to end all that ‘Monster’ b******t he’s talking about because everyone he has faced so far has either been on the fringe of retirement or having to come down in weight. I want to end that myth that he’s a monster.”
Benavidez never needed much of an excuse to bite back or respond but come the end his talking was almost done.
“They’re going to see Saturday I’m not one to be playing with.”
Morrell cut a more jovial and relaxed character and when asked what will happen on Saturday night, he replied: “The real question is what’s not going to happen Saturday night. Everything is going to happen and I’m 100 per cent knocking out David Benavidez.”
