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

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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.

Last update: 27/10/2025

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Boxing

Hall of Fame champion claims he would be the one to beat Terence Crawford: ‘I’m going to win’

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Hall of Fame champion says he would have been the man to beat Terence Crawford: “I’m going to win”

The star fighter, who has made an astonishing 15 defenses of his welterweight world title, supported himself in a fantastic showdown with Terence Crawford.

Many consider “Bud” to be one of the greatest welterweight champions of all time, considering his size undisputed triumph over Errol Spence Jr in 2023

He had previously won seven straight 147-pound world titles, all through stoppages, but he could only cement his position as top dog by dethroning Spence.

Not only did he defeat “The Truth” and win his three world titles, but Crawford secured a surprisingly one-sided defeat over nine rounds.

After that career-defining moment, the American became the undisputed three-division champion, moving up to 168 pounds to dethrone Canelo Alvarez.

However, at welterweight, Crawford managed to produce some of his best performances, perhaps striking the perfect balance between being vigorous and impressively fit.

Another man who has had considerable success at 147 pounds is, of course, Felix Trinidad, who reigned as the IBF world champion for almost seven years.

Two of his greatest victories came against Oscar De La Hoya and Pernell Whitaker, who both went on to create Hall of Fame careers in their own right.

It is therefore natural that “Tito” sees his chances in a direct fight with Crawford, saying: Fighting Hub TV that he would give “Bud” his only professional flaw.

“With all due respect to Crawford…Tito Trinidad – I will win.”

While no fighter has been able to answer Crawford’s mystery, it is equally safe and sound to say that the former five-division world champion has never faced someone like Trinidad.

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Boxing

Robeisy Ramirez signed with Raizd Boxing after leaving Free Agency

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Image: Major Companies Failed To Sign Robeisy Ramirez

Raizd announced the deal on Instagram on Monday, posting: “Official: Robeisy ‘El Tren’ Ramirez signs with RAIZD BOXING. World-class addition. Former WBO World Featherweight Champion. Two-time Olympic gold medalist. Welcome to the team, Robeisy.”

For a startup that is still building its name, this is a robust impulse. For everyone else, it encourages questions. There has been no evident move from Zuffa Boxing, Matchroom Boxing, Golden Boy Promotions or other major teams that often pursue recognizable talent.

When a two-time Gold Medalist hits the open market and the Massive Four don’t pull the trigger. Raizd Boxing is basically a ghost ship right now. They are so modern that they haven’t even held their first event yet.

As for why the giants have stayed away, it probably comes down to a combination of time, shelf life and the ongoing business changes many of these companies are making.

At 126 pounds, 32 is on the older side. Promoters are notoriously wary of small-time fighters who have just had a career-changing break. Perhaps they would prefer to wait and see if he has anything left before signing him to an high-priced multi-fight contract.

While Dana White is finally taking action, Zuffa is aggressively targeting younger, buzz-worthy talent like Edgar Berlanga and Richardson Hitchins. Ramirez is 32 years aged and had a brutal knockout loss to Rafael Espinoza in December. Zuffa could see him as a veteran of damaged goods rather than a fundamental piece of their launch.

Ramirez may not have the same shine he had when he fled Cuba or when he beat Shakur Stevenson in the amateurs, but fighters with that kind of experience rarely hit the open market.

His recent form likely played a role. Ramirez is 14-3 with nine knockouts and has lost two of his last three fights, with both losses coming to Rafael Espinoza, including a stoppage in the rematch. At 32 years aged, he is no longer a long-term project that can be slowly developed.

Still, there is a clear advantage if handled properly. Ramirez remains a talented southpaw with the pedigree, experience and enough reputational value to quickly become relevant again at featherweight or above. If it combines wins, larger promoters may regret letting startup Raizd make the first move.

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Tim Bradley firmly predicts KO in Conor Benn vs. Ryan Garcia fight

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Tim Bradley makes emphatic KO prediction for Conor Benn vs Ryan Garcia

Hall of Famer Tim Bradley believes the welterweight clash between Conor Benn and WBC world champion Ryan Garcia will end decisively.

The two are in talks that could happen later this year, and Garcia also mentioned the possibility of a rematch with WBA world champion Rolando Romero.

In their first meeting in May 2025, Romero won a unanimous decision after defeating his fighter in the second round.

However, Garcia has since secured the WBC 147-pound title after dethroning Mario Barrios whom he dropped and passed unanimously in February.

This marks the 27-year-old’s first victory since 2023, when he edged Oscar Duarte in the eighth round before his controversial fight with Devin Haney.

Despite a majority decision advantage over Haney, that result was declared a no-contest in April 2024 after “King Ry” tested positive for the banned substance ostarine.

Benn also failed a 2022 drug test ahead of his canceled fight against Chris Eubank Jr, whom he ultimately defeated in a middleweight rematch last November.

This followed a points defeat to Eubank in April 2025, although earlier this month Benn remained in the win column, ahead of Regis Prograis, who subsequently announced his retirement.

However, despite his last fight at 150 pounds, the 29-year-old now wants to capitalize on his No. 1 ranking in the WBC and fight Garcia.

I’m talking to ESNEWSformer two-division world champion Bradley gave Benn little more than a prayer against Garcia.

“Ryan knocks him out.”

As the top contender for the WBC welterweight title, Benn is expected to be ordered to fight Garcia in the not-too-distant future, even if ongoing negotiations fail.

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