David Benavidez has never been the first choice for anyone. Even for super middleweights, he often either towers over them or physically overpowers them. Yet for David Morrell, he looked at the division’s so-called boogeyman unimpressively.

Knockout wins over top contenders? So what. Ridiculous hand speed? Who cares. Deleterious power? Overrated. Morrell, whenever a microphone was present, lambasted his man. A matchup between them never took place at 168 pounds but with both men taking their talents to 175 pounds and neither having many options, they’ll officially get it on this February 1st in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Rated top 10 by The Ring, both Benavidez (29-0, 24 KOs) and Morrell will have a ton on the line. For the winner, an undisputed shot is ostensibly next. While that’s enough to keep both motivated, Jose Benavidez Sr., the father and trainer of Benavidez, believes his son is in a lose/lose situation.

“We have everything to lose, nothing to gain in that fight,” Benavidez Sr. told The Ring during a recent Zoom interview.

Young and relatively new on the scene, Morrell (11-0, 9 KOs) hasn’t jumped into the ring with a notable name, something that bothers Benavidez Sr. His son, on the other hand, has picked up wins over former champions Caleb Plant, Anthony Dirrell, and Demetrius Andrade. By and large, he believes that his son should be allowed to bypass Morrell and move on to bigger and what he calls, better things.

Putting aside Morrell’s lack of notoriety, however, Benavidez Sr. has the utmost respect for him. Although he’s confident that his son will not only win but stop his man before the sound of the final bell, he does have a feeling that Morrell will have a few bright moments.

“Morrell is a really good fighter,” continued Benavidez Sr. “Really good but this is another level. He’ll find out very soon.”