Benavidez Takes Issue With David Morrell Trying to Dodge Testing
On February 1, interim WBC 175-pounds champion David “The Monster” Benavidez (29-0, 24 KO’s) will face interim WBA champion David “Osvary” Morrell (11-0, 9 KO’s) in a highly anticipated clash. In the build-up to the battle, tensions have flared and stinging insinuations have been made. Along these lines, Benavidez has presented his substantiated suspicions about how Morrell has moved in past fights as far as it relates to drug testing. In his opinion, Osvary Morrell has deftly maneuvered around proper testing too often to be a coincidence.
Understandably, Morrell did not agree with this viewpoint and felt it was a smokescreen for deeper rooted fear. The Cuban boxer supplied his viewpoint in a recent Q&A with Sean Zittel.
“It’s simple, I don’t make excuses, my team doesn’t make excuses. But fighters like that [Benavidez], they clearly do because they haven’t fought against anybody that’s really at their level. And when they do end up about to face someone at their level, then they start to say things like that. Like, ‘oh, they doping this or something else or something else that is beyond the pale. And then, because it’s a no-win situation for them, where if they lose they say, ‘oh, it’s doping this, doping that.’ If they won, “oh, I was just the better fighter!’ So I will just tell them: train as hard as you can. Train strong because that is all that you will be able to do against me. And in the end, the better fighter is going to win.”
URINE SAMPLES GIVE ME THE HEEBIE-JEEBIES!
The biggest glaring issue with Morrell’s response is the fact that he doesn’t actually address anything of substance that Benavidez discussed. When airing his concerns, with MillCity Boxing, The Monster made reference to very specific fights and instances when there appeared to be duplicitous deeds at work. Rather than illuminate those circumstances with facts and relevant background, Morrell simply said, “that’s scared talk.” Honestly, that is quite unacceptable.
“Go look at the people he’s fought. They said that they did VADA and they did not make David Morrell do VADA. There were two different fighters [Sena Agbeko and Kalvin Henderson] that he did that. He tried to pull the same shit on me . . . When I fought Caleb Plant, we started testing 14 weeks out. ‘Boo Boo’ Andrade, 13 weeks out. How is it that this guy’s coming up, this is his biggest fight ever and he doesn’t have to do no VADA? And then he’s already been accused of steroid use.”
“I am not saying he is taking steroids or none of that. But once you’re not trying to take the VADA tests, that shit looks kind of weird, you know what I mean? And also, he is saying he’s a lab rat because he is being tested – it is what it is. What the fuck, this is clean boxing! We are doing VADA every single week or every other week. Well if you don’t like it, then it’s probably because you’re doing something or you’re probably worried that something might come up on these VADA tests. Me, I’ve been tested more than anybody in VADA and that’s facts! I’ve been tested over like 30 times and I never complained, I never said I was a lab rat. This guy barely got tested three times and he says he’s a lab rat! So I say go look at the fights and go look at the people accusing him of shit.”
When David Benavidez was flagged for cocaine, he offered no deflecting quibbles. Instead, he vowed to do better and took it on the chin. Later, when he lost his WBC title on the scale, once again he happily accepted the weight for his own actions and made no excuse when explaining the situation. The Monster did not point fingers, fail to fill in the blanks nor plead for mercy.
Luckily, we are just under a month away from this duel. So, barring any unforeseen calamity, we will be able to see them hash out their differences with bloody ferocity. And hopefully PED’s will not play any factor, whatsoever.
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