David Benavidez vs. David Morrell: The Way Things Should Be…Almost

This is the way high-end boxing is supposed to be. True 50-50 fights where the winner isn’t known at the time of the contract signing. Undefeated vs. Undefeated. Twenty-something vs. twenty-something.

David Benavidez vs. David Morrell is THAT fight.

Padding records and “developmental” fights are part of the sport. They serve a purpose in turning a raw talent into a seasoned and marketable ring presence. Boxing IS a business, after all. But, at some point, the padding and the developing have to stop. At some point, a top fighter’s entire run can’t be comprised of calculated soft touches until they land a monster money fight.

The road back to boxing prominence as a mainstream-friendly sport is also paved by risky fights like Benavidez-Morrell. Marketing is important, accessibility is needed, and social media gerrymandering is necessary in this day and age– but the product being sold is boxing. If fans don’t get good, compelling boxing when they tune into a boxing show, they’ll leave feeling hoodwinked and manipulated. They definitely won’t be all that enthused about coming back the next time a show comes across their line of sight.

And this goes for many longtime fans as well. It’s becoming more and more common to hear “I used to be a big fan, but…” from a former die-hard with decades invested into their boxing fandom. And who could blame them? These days, even many of the high-end, big-money fights are little more than showcases for the favored fighter.

But this February 1 light heavyweight showdown between in-their-primes title holders is enough to help restore some faith and bring some frustrated fans back into the fold. At the very least, it’s a damn good start, anyway.

The 27-year-old Benavidez (29-0, 24 KOs) is interim WBC light heavyweight champ and one of the top offensive fighters in the game, employing an all-action style that breaks opponents down mentally and physically. Morrell (11-0, 9 KOs), currently the “regular” WBA light heavyweight world champ, is a classy 26-year-old boxer-puncher from the Cuban boxing system, blessed with true elite-level ability.

Not only are they good, but they also sport the kind of cockiness young athletes in their primes need to have. Neither will go down easy– and that makes for a guaranteed war.

“You were talking all that s***. I’m going to break your jaw,” Benavidez said at Tuesday’s press conference announcing the 175 lb. showdown. “Man, you are a stupid s***. Why are you getting excited? Now, he’s going to go on Instagram. Look at this guy. He’s nervous, man.”

“You don’t have power at 175,” Morrell countered. “Have the power to break my mouth? Hell, no. Hell, no. You don’t have power. Shut the f*** up, what do you mean?”

Behind the bluster, there’s also a smart business master plan behind Benavidez-Morrell.

Benavidez’s promoter Sampson Lewkowicz laid it out in a recent interview with Boxingscene.

The clash between the two secondary 175 lb. title holders will put the winner into a “must-fight” position for the winner of the upcoming, but yet-to-be-officially-scheduled rematch between unified champ Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol.

This maneuvering will pretty much guarantee (one hopes) that the winner of Benavidez-Morrell will step into another elite-level super matchup and not have to spend years chasing down a star who is aggressively indifferent to their challenge (ala Benavidez-Canelo Alvarez).

But there’s a big “but” inside all this positivity.

Benavidez-Morrell will be on pay-per-view with, likely, a $70-$80 price tag attached to it, thereby guaranteeing that the only ones seeing the fight will be those already familiar with the awesomeness of both fighters.

Pay-per-view is a business reality (necessity) these days. It’s a way for a boxing company to put on a big show without risking too much of their own money.

Unfortunately, putting fights behind a paywall ensures that only the already-sold fans will be tuning in and that, again, new fans won’t be made. And, in the case of Benavidez and Morrell, neither fighter will get the kind of exposure they deserve for the ability they have.

If this fight were broadcast on some sort of free or free-ish platform, it would engage and entertain. It would shine the right kind of light on boxing and make fans the way big fights on ABC’s Wide World of Sports did back in the day.

But this is boxing and you can’t have everything you want.

For now, having a great, risky matchup that actually means something will have to suffice.