JOSE Benavidez Sr., father and trainer of David Benavidez, believes David Morrell is feeling the pre-fight heat, following an ill-tempered final press conference in Las Vegas on Thursday.
Tensions reached boiling point in the MGM Grand Arena, with the unbeaten pair – and their teams – trading insults ahead of their highly-anticipated light-heavyweight showdown on Saturday night.
However, Benavidez Sr. quashed suggestions the fiery build-up could serve as a distraction for his charge, insisting Team Benavidez remain focused on the threat posed by the dangerous southpaw Morrell.
“No [we’re not distracted], we’re just excited,” Benavidez Sr. told BN.
“This is a big fight. These are the fights that we want to fight. A dangerous fight. I always said Morrell is a dangerous fighter, [a] young left-hander. He had a really good pedigree in the amateurs and he’s a two-time world champion.
“So we’re not underestimating David Morrell. He’s a good fighter, but I believe that David [Benavidez] is on another level, and I think he’s gonna do show that on Saturday.”
Much of the pre-fight discussion has centred around the experience advantage Benavidez enjoys in the paid ranks.
Morrell, for all of his amateur pedigree, has only been past four rounds on four occasions as a professional – all of which at a much lower level than the one he competes at this weekend.
Benavidez, meanwhile, has boxed almost three times as many rounds as a pro since debuting as a sixteen-year-old back in 2013; picking up wins over former world champions Demetrius Andrade, Oleksandr Gvozdyk and Caleb Plant in the process.
It is that disparity in experience and an ability to handle the pressure that comes with a heavily hyped grudge match, Benavidez Sr. believes, could be the difference on fight night.
“I think he’s nervous. Their whole team is nervous. We’re not nervous, we’re happy.
“David’s been in this kind of position with Caleb Plant. That was the biggest rivalry for so many years, and he [Benavidez] did very well. I think that’s something that motivates him. He had to grind, he had to struggle – and now we’re here. We’re not gonna let this guy fucking take everything we’ve worked hard for.
“David’s gonna do what he’s supposed to do, follow the game plan and keep winning fights.”
When asked for a final fight night prediction, Benavidez Sr. envisioned a painful night for the Cuban, vowing Morrell would pay for underestimating his son’s ability and his pre-fight ‘robot’ jibes.
“I think once he [Morrell] feels the power, he’s going to try to box.
“He says David is a robot. He forgot to mention AI robot. I think he’s gonna get hit from him, all over the place. Uppercuts, hooks, body-shots.
“I’m happy that he’s saying that, he’s underestimating David. I think his team should say ‘Hey, man, you got to take the shit serious, because David’s a good fucking fighter.’ But no, they all said that he’s flat-footed, slow and a bad fighter. So hey, we’re gonna see on Saturday.”
