Boxing

Morrell meets Abel Sanchez in Huge Bear looking for a up-to-date coach

Published

12 months ago

October 27, 2025

Image: David Morrell's Post-Benavidez Revelation: The Cost of Caution and a Blueprint for Dominance Against Imam Khataev

According to reports, David Morrell is visiting trainer Abel Sanchez at his gym in Huge Bear, California to see if the two are a good combination to replace the Cuban fighter’s coach.

Assessing Abel Sanchez’s coaching fit

Boxing expert Carlos Linares reports that Morrell is looking for a successor to his coach, Ronnie Shieldswith whom he has been working since 2023, in Houston, Texas. For Morrell and Sanchez to work together, he must follow and follow the instructions he receives from his corner. There’s no point in Morrell switching coaches to Abel if he’s not going to follow his orders.

Former two-division world champion Morrell (12-1, 9 KO) is trying to regain the form he had in his career before his last three disappointing performances against Imam Khataev, David Benavidez and Radivoje Kalajdzic.

In each of these fights, Morrell seemed to lose focus, fighting only in compact bursts and struggling. Morrell has shown mental concentration issues in these fights that need to be fixed if he wants to succeed at lightweight heavyweight.

Khataev Bout exposed key weaknesses

In 27-year-old Morrell’s last fight with Khataev (10-1, 9 KO) on July 12, 2025, he was knocked down in the fifth round and won what many boxing fans considered a controversial 10-round split decision.

For most of the fight, Morrell shot behind the high guard and leaned against the ropes, allowing Khataev to rush him. In moments like these, he fought more like a sparring partner.

In rounds nine and ten, Morrell seemingly hurt Khataev, but inexplicably withdrew and camouflaged himself rather than fight for the finish with the tired Russian fighter. It looked strange. In Morrell’s corner, his trainer, Shields, could be seen giving him strict instructions. However, Morrell continued to follow the same pattern as in the previous rounds, fighting sporadically and hiding too often.

Aftermath of the Battle of Benavidez

Earlier this year, Morrell lost his “regular” WBA lightweight heavyweight title to David Benavidez via 12-round unanimous decision on February 1, 2025. Much like Morrell’s fight with Khataev, he hid for long periods of time, allowing “Mexican Monster” Benavidez to bombard him with compact punches, overwhelming him with arrows. The scores were 118-108, 115-111 and 115-111.

When Morrell let go of his hands, Benavidez was injured in round 4 and dropped him in round 11. Again, Morrell was inconsistent in his attack and spent too much time hiding. As a result, Benavidez won a surprisingly straightforward decision over the stronger Morrell. In retrospect, it was a fight that Morrell could have potentially won if he had combined Benavidez’s non-stop striking style with his extraordinary strength.

A strategic argument for returning to 168 pounds

One move Morrell could potentially make if he teams up with trainer Abel Sanchez is to move back down to 168. That’s a better weight class for the Cuban given his fast-fighting approach. His strength is greater at super middleweight than at 175. If Morrell doesn’t change his style, he won’t do well at lightweight heavyweight because excelling at that weight requires a more consistent attacking effort.

Analyst Verdict: Can Sanchez Re-ignite Morrell’s Fire?

Working with Abel Sanchez would be the right coach for David Morrell, who could refocus and fight with more consistent aggression than he has shown in his last three contests. Abel is less forgiving of fighters who are withdrawn, do not follow instructions, and do not exert maximum effort. If Morrell doesn’t follow Sanchez’s instructions, it will be a problem.

Sanchez expects his players to apply pressure and maintain the advantage over their opponents. Former fighters Abel trained at his high-altitude Huge Bear gym in California:

Gennady “GGG” Golovkin
Terry Norris
Murat Gasijew
Lupe Aquino
Orlin Norris
Miguel Angel Gonzalez

If Cuban Morrell is willing to listen to Sanchez and follow his stringent discipline, he can regain what he has recently lost in his last three appearances. However, if Morrell continues to lose focus and do whatever he wants in rounds, working with Sanchez in Huge Bear will not save his career. At age 27, it’s not too overdue for Morrell to turn his career around and achieve the success he had at 168, but it will require change.

Tom Galm has been covering the global boxing scene since 2014, specializing in heavyweight analysis, business trends and fighter psychology.

Last update: 27/10/2025

Boxing

Navarrete vs Foster: Title Unification Predictions and Analysis

Published

3 hours ago

October 23, 2026

The Punch Junkie™ News

Navarrete vs Foster: Title Unification Predictions and Analysis

Navarrete vs Foster: Recent Form

Remember when people thought Emanuel Navarrete was on his way down or even out? “Vaquero” had joked about eating Twinkies during training. He drew with Robson Conceicao. He lost to Denys Berinchyk. He got a nutritionist.

In his last three fights, Navarrete has dominated Oscar Valdez (again), had a tough one and some controversy in a no-contest with Charly Suarez, and dominated and stopped Eduardo “Sugar” Nunez. He’s looked like he’s back to peak form Emanuel Navarrete, and peak form Emanuel Navarrete is a problem.

The “Twinkies” stuff is in the past, though like many things, it will probably hang around him forever in fight build-ups. The version of Navarrete we saw against Nunez is one of the sport’s better fighters.

But he is beatable. We’ve seen it. And it wasn’t long ago. The Suarez fight was another reminder that he’s far from flawless. If Navarrete has a tough opponent, it will be a tough fight, as fights with tough opponents ought to be.

Foster is one of my favorite boxing stories of recent years, a good-but-not-great prospect in the mid-2010s who suffered a couple of losses on ShoBox in eight-rounders and looked like maybe the bubble had burst on him. He might fight on, but we wouldn’t hear much. Maybe he’d return to ShoBox in the B-side role sometime. Instead, he reset his career, got better, moved down to 130, and in 2023, won his first world title, seven years after his second loss, battling back from square one to do it.

O’Shaquie is 15-1 since his two losses in 2015-16. His only loss since came to Robson Conceicao, who has been tough as hell for anyone at 130/135 other than Shakur Stevenson and Raymond Muratalla, and the latter might have had more to do with the fact that Conceicao was 37 by then. Foster also avenged his loss to Conceicao and comes into this one, as Navarrete does, in fine form in his most recent outings, beating Stephen Fulton and Raymond Ford.

We’ve got a good fight on our hands with two guys who have looked good in their recent fights and, at 31 (Navarrete) and 33 (Foster), still look to be right in their prime years.

Navarrete vs Foster: Style Matchup

A disclaimer in the interest of transparency: I find “Vaquero” fascinating and almost certainly had my mind made up before I booted up the tape.

A lot’s been made of how Navarrete “gets away” with fighting “wrong” thanks to his motor, power, durability, and freakish proportions. His last time out against “Sugar” Nunez, the commentators quipped that nobody in their right mind would train someone to fight that way. These people are, to be blunt, wrong as hell; he’s an excellent case study in maximizing one’s natural gifts and doesn’t get nearly enough credit for his craft. Watch the Nunez fight and take note of how well he controls distance, how often he’s just a hair too far away for Nunez’s counters, the way he threads punches between Nunez’s volleys, the exploitation of his dramatic step-ins to get Nunez biting on feints, the genuinely solid defensive movement and arm placement that follow his lunges. Crude as a lot of his punches are and as…let’s say “improvisational” his footwork is, there’s a system there. Yes, he does stupid shit, but he does it smartly.

This puts him in delightful contrast with Foster, who’s among the most textbook sweet scientists in the game. A human highlight reel he is not, but after our last few prediction pieces, do you know how refreshing it is to see someone who keeps his off hand up when jabbing and generally avoids smothering his work?

What makes this such a fun matchup is their near-identical physical dimensions. Both of them are used to operating at distances where their opponents can’t retaliate, and the one who’s best able to adjust to this new environment will come out on top.

That looks, to me, like Navarrete. Foster’s only real weakness is a lack of head movement, but it’s a big one in this matchup. Navarrete has excellent timing and shot selection to catch opponents on the way in and can put on some murderous pressure when the fancy strikes. If Foster hits the ropes or tries to chase, it’ll go sideways fast.

Conversely, Foster isn’t particularly well-equipped to exploit Navarrete’s own weaknesses. For as much as Navarrete overextends, he’s generally good about only throwing truly ugly stuff when it’s hard to punish and Foster lacks the power to capitalize on those opportunities. On a similar note, Navarrete can be too content to chill in a collapsed pocket, but was still nasty enough to outgun Nunez at the latter’s preferred range. Don’t see that working overly well for Foster, either.

But let’s say Foster does force the fight he wants, a cagey fencing match. It’s more than feasible, as he’s got much better feet than Navarrete and his punches get to the target faster. That’s where the real kicker comes in: pace. Foster’s preferred output is “just enough,” which has led to truly putrid sparring matches in the past. Navarrete can throw 70 punches a round for 36 minutes, is too durable to deter, and is more adaptable than his reputation would have you believe.

It’s a hell of a needle Foster has to thread. I don’t think he can.

Navarrete vs Foster: Predictions!

Scott: Big fan of both these guys. I think the smart money is probably with Navarrete, but I’m going with O’Shaquie in a tight, controversially-scored fight. I wouldn’t advise betting that way, but I think he’ll edge this one out, I expect him to be as up for this one as he’s ever been for any fight, this is really the biggest fight of his career. What I’m most looking forward to seeing is what range dominates the fight, and who imposes their will best in that sense. O’Shaquie Foster by Split Decision

Patrick: Historically, the best way to deal with Emanuel Navarrete is to hope he didn’t train and wait for him to peter out. With his shiny new nutritionist in his corner, that avenue may be closed forever; he shrugged off some nasty body work from Nunez and was still clobbering him with abandon as the championship rounds approached.

Foster is an extremely capable fighter, unquestionably the other best man at 130. If it’s possible to defuse a dialed-in Navarrete with pure fundamentals, Foster’s the guy to do it. I just think his own shortcomings, namely the stationary head and tendency to fall into lulls, play too much into Navarrete’s strengths for me to put my faith in him. Belt number three for the cowboy. Emanuel Navarrete by Unanimous Decision

Boxing

DAZN Announces Signing of Devin Haney: A Game-Changer in Boxing

Published

3 hours ago

October 23, 2026

The Punch Junkie™ News

DAZN Announces Signing of Devin Haney: A Game-Changer in Boxing

It’s been talked about quite a lot lately, almost to the point it’s almost common knowledge, but today DAZN officially announced they’ve signed an exclusive multi-deal with welterweight titleholder Devin Haney. The formal announcement comes directly on the heels of a proposed fight with Shakur Stevenson falling by the wayside.

“I’m at a point in my career where I want the biggest challenges and the fights the fans want to see,” said Devin Haney. “I’m excited to partner with DAZN. This agreement removes any doubt or uncertainty about my ability to make the major fights in boxing. I’m in position to fight anyone, and I’m focused, motivated and ready for whoever is next.”

DAZN executive mentione that they expect the deal to pave the way for them to deliver marquee matchups for Haney and their network heading forward.

Haney, 27, hasn’t fought in nearly a year, last beating Brian Norman last November to take the WBO welterweight title. Hopefully this announcement will have him more active than he has been as of late.

Boxing

Dalton Smith Discusses Lifetime Bans Ahead of Puello Test

Published

9 hours ago

October 23, 2026

The Punch Junkie™ News

"Dalton Smith Discusses Lifetime Bans Ahead of Puello Test"

Dalton Smith is putting Alberto Puello’s failed drug test back into the conversation before Saturday’s WBC light welterweight title defense in Sheffield. If the champion loses, an explanation beyond the boxing will already be circulating.

That doesn’t prove Smith is preparing an excuse. But his comments give a difficult first defense a moral storyline before either fighter throws a punch.

Smith called for lifetime bans for fighters who fail drug tests. Puello tested positive for clomiphene in 2023 and received a six-month suspension. The article reports no new failed test ahead of Saturday’s fight.

“I think it stinks. I’m well against it myself,” Smith said to BoxingScene. “But I went in there and proved last time, sometimes you need more than just steroids. I’ll do it for the fighters in the sport that are clean.”

That last sentence turns Smith’s title defense into something bigger than defending his belt. It casts him as fighting on behalf of clean boxers, with Puello’s past providing the backdrop.

Puello’s violation is legitimate history to discuss. It also cannot explain punches, missed opportunities, or lost rounds before they happen.

Smith has a boxing problem to solve here. Puello’s southpaw movement could make him a frustrating opponent for a champion coming off his fifth-round stoppage of Subriel Matias in January.

Matias gave Smith opportunities to meet him with hard shots. Puello could make him work much harder to find those openings. If Smith follows without cutting off the ring, he risks spending rounds pursuing a challenger who refuses to give him the fight he wants.

Smith and Eddie Hearn have ambitions for a Hillsborough Stadium event. Puello could spoil those plans through positioning, timing and making the champion miss.

“If anything, they need lifetime bans, don’t they? But it’s out of my hands,” Smith said.

Saturday’s performance is in his hands. Smith can hold strong views on drug penalties while still being expected to handle an awkward mandatory challenger.

If Puello wins, his work in the ring deserves to be the first subject discussed. Smith’s comments have already supplied another one.

Introducing a moral crusade into fight week sets up an immediate psychological cushion. If Dalton goes out there and gets outboxed, frustrated, or dropped, the post-fight discourse among his local base will not be about his inability to cut off the ring or solve Puello’s southpaw stance. The talk will instantly circle back to: Well, Puello should have never been in that ring anyway because of 2023.

It gives sympathetic observers a pre-packaged storyline to diminish Puello’s ring IQ and shield Smith from the harsh reality of being tactically exposed in his own backyard.

The fantasy of a lifetime ban is quite telling. If the WBC or sanctioning bodies had handed down a permanent ban, Puello would be out of the sport entirely. That would have cleared him off Smith’s mandatory radar, allowing Matchroom to steer Smith toward an easier, straight-line brawler or an accommodating voluntary defense where the Sheffield crowd gets their highlight-reel knockout without the sweat.

Puello represents the classic “high-risk, low-reward” assignment. He does not come forward recklessly like Subriel Matias did; he refuses to stand still, he is awkward, he fights out of the southpaw stance, and he makes opponents look clumsy. When a fighter starts preaching about how their opponent technically should not exist in the division just days before the opening bell, it reveals anxiety about the stylistic nightmare waiting for them.

It is far easier to argue Puello should not be legally permitted in the ring than it is to actually pin him down and beat him for twelve rounds.

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