David Morrell has repeatedly insisted that all of his focus is on this weekend’s fight and nothing beyond that night.
However, he does have a response to the oft-asked question of whether a showdown with fellow unbeaten super middleweight David Benavidez is in his future.
“Benavidez says that nobody want to fight him. Well, here I am. I’m here and ready to fight him,” Morrell told BoxingScene.com.
Morrell (7-0, 6KOs) will first attempt to clear away present-day business.
The 24-year-old Cuban southpaw is set to defend his secondary WBA super middleweight title against mandatory challenger Aidos Yerbossynuly (16-0, 11KOs) atop a November 5 Showtime tripleheader from The Armory in his adopted hometown of Minneapolis, Minnesota. The fight is his second of the year, his previous outing also taking place at The Armory where he stopped Kalvin Henderson inside of four rounds on a June 4 Showtime card.
Morrell’s win came two weeks after Phoenix’s Benavidez (26-0, 23KOs)—a former two-time WBC 168-pound champ—blasted out faded former IBF middleweight titlist David Lemieux inside of three rounds to win the interim WBC super middleweight title in their May 21 Showtime main event in nearby Glendale, Arizona. Members of Morrell’s team used the buildup of that event to tease interest in a Benavidez-Morrell fight happening once both won their separate bouts.
It didn’t work out that way, with Morrell steered towards defending against his mandatory challenger. Such a fight now seems back in play, with Sampson Lewkowicz—Benavidez’s promoter—stating that the two will finally meet next May or June as long as both win their next fights. Benavidez is presently due to return in the first quarter of 2023.
The other side of the equation insists that he is on board.
“God willing if we get this win on November 5, my goal is to fight David Benavidez,” insisted Morrell.
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox