DAVID Morrell Jr has admitted to having learned a few lessons following his defeat against David Benavidez.
The two light-heavyweights met in a highly-anticipated matchup back on February 1 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. A fiery build-up helped produce an absorbing fight, which Benavidez won on points, with all three judges awarding him the victory.
Benavidez has since been elevated from WBC interim belt holder to the fully recognised WBC light-heavyweight world champion. Morrell, however, must rebuild and this begins on July 12 against unbeaten Russian Imam Khataev.
In an interview with Boxing News at the IBA PRO 7 event in Turkey, Morrell, 11-1 (9 KOs), was asked for his reflections on the fight against Benavidez and what he learned.
“I want to go back to being David Morrell Jr, to be myself again,” he answered.
“I maybe got caught up in some things that I couldn’t control – some things my opponent was doing. It was a big lesson. I need to stay focused on what I can control, focus on my game and come out and execute the game plan.”
Morrell vowed not to be overconfident and to study his opponents more. The 27-year-old was also asked if he would like to face Benavidez once again.
“100%. I feel confident I’m going to get that rematch in the near future as long as I earn it.”
Beating Khataev on the Shakur Stevenson-William Zepeda undercard next month will not earn him a second shot at Benavidez but it will be a recognised victory nonetheless. Khataev, 30, was – like Morrell – a world-class amateur and competed in the 2020 Olympic Games where he won Bronze after losing to Ben Whittaker in the light-heavyweight semi-finals. Unbeaten in 10 bouts, Khataev is a serious threat to Morrell’s world title aspirations.
“It’s going to be a war,” Morrell predicted. “We’re both going to come forward and it’s going to be an action-packed fight.”
