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David Morrell and Aidos Yerbossynuly Have the Same Objective: David Benavidez

Both Cuban David Morrell and Kazakh Aidos Yerbossynuly are aware that the immediate task is to have their arms raised when they meet on November 5th, at the Armory Arena in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where Morrell will defend his WBA super middleweight title in a fight that will be broadcast on Showtime.
However, both have their sights on one of the strongest 168-pound punchers: undefeated Mexican-American boxer David Benavidez (26-0, 23 KOs) who has been pursuing a fight with SaĂșl “Canelo” Ălvarez, the undisputed king of the division.
Twenty-four-year-old southpaw Morrell (7-0-0, 6 KOs) affirms that he cannot minimize the punching power of his also undefeated opponent, Yerbossynuly (16-0 -0, 11 KOs), who has won his last two fights within the distance.
âHe probably is the toughest opponent that Iâve faced,â stated Morrell. âHeâs faced some really good European fighters and Iâm well aware of how tough he is. But Iâm back in my house to give my fans a great show. I donât think that heâs my most dangerous opponent, but Iâm not underestimating him. Every fighter is dangerous and reaches this point for a reason. Heâs been fighting well and scoring knockouts, but Iâm facing this challenge like I would any other.â
World champion in the youth ranks and now with a title as a professional fighter, Morrell added that he has had an excellent training camp with his coach Ronnie Shields in Texas and he feels physically, technically and mentally ready for the upcoming fight.
âPower will be a factor but I donât think itâs the deciding factor,â Morrell said. âItâs going to be about being versatile and using the power to your advantage. Aidos is going to see how loud The Armory can be on November 5. Iâm going to be ready for whatever comes my way in this fight.â
âRight now Iâm only focused on this fight. Iâm not focused on David Benavidez or any other fighter. Iâm just focused on getting a win on November 5th,â Morrell noted. But referring to the future he added, âMy goal is to fight David Benavidez. He says that nobody wants to fight with him, but here I am. Iâm ready for the fight.â
Morrell, who arrived from his native Cuba five years ago, won the interim WBA title by unanimously defeating Lennox Allen (22-2-1, 14 KOs) on August 8. 2020, at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. Coincidentally, 13 months later, the southpaw Allen fell victim to Yerbossynuly, who knocked him out in the tenth round in Astana, Kazakhstan.
Yerbossynuly, who is at the top of the WBA rankings, recognizes Morrell’s talents, âMorrell is a good fighter from the Cuban boxing school. Heâs got great skills and I respect him as a fighter and an athlete. Itâs nothing but respect until we get into the ring.â
Yerbossynuly continued, âI train the same for every opponent. Iâm working hard just like I have for each fighter before Morrell. Thereâs nothing special that I have to do to prepare for David Morrell Jr. We are descendants of Nomadic warriors. Weâre not scared of any challenges. We want the belt and it doesnât matter if weâre in his hometown. Itâs the way of the warrior. Weâre not counting on our power. Weâre counting on our mind. The mindset is the most important thing in this fight.â
âEverybody wants to fight Canelo Alvarez for the payday,â Yerbossynuly said. âAfter David Morrell Jr., Iâd also like to fight David Benavidez next. I want to prove myself and then make the fight with Canelo.â
IS DAVID BENAVIDEZ ABOUT TO FACE CALEB PLANT?
Aside from the intentions of Morrell and Yerbossynuly, David Benavidez (26-0, 23 KOs) has his own personal goals. It was reported that Benavidez was very close to signing a contract with Venezuelan veteran José Uzcåtegui (32-4, 27 KOs) for early 2023, but it appears that this fight has been scrapped in favor of a more attractive match between Benavidez and former IBF super middleweight title-holder Caleb Plant (22-1, 13 KOs). Both Benavidez and Plant announced the match to their social media followers but there are many details yet to be worked out.
Photo credit: Esther Lin / SHOWTIME
Article submitted by Jorge Juan Alvarez in Spanish.
Please note any adjustments were made for clarification purposes and any errors in translation were unintentional.
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