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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

Gilberto Ramirez leaves with two fights left

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Image: Gilberto Ramirez Eyes Exit With Only Two Fights Left

“I think one or two more fights,” Ramirez told Fight Hub TV when asked about his long-term plans. “I have been practicing this sport for a long time.”

Ramirez, 33, said that while he still wants to continue his career for now, he is already thinking about how his career will end, not how long it can be extended. Ramirez said he has achieved key goals in the sport, including becoming world champion in two divisions, but still wants to perform at the highest level before he retires.

That pursuit begins with Benavidez, a fight that Ramirez believes will define his status and push his name further to the top of the sport.

“I will beat him. That’s my plan, to fight Opetaia,” said Gilberto about his desire to fight former IBF cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia.

It’s a shoot-for-the-stars plan for Ramirez, but you can’t blame him for wanting to fight Opetaia. The biggest obstacle is not only the fight itself, but also where Jai Opetaia currently sits. Jai is now the face of Dana White’s Zuffa Boxing.

At the same time, Ramirez hinted at one last twist before his retirement. When asked about moving up again, he left the door open to a possible heavyweight fight, even admitting that he may not be the biggest fighter in the division.

“Why not?” Ramirez talked about moving up to heavyweight. “That would be amazing.”

If Zurdo loses to Benavidez, his plan for Opetaia will likely evaporate and he may just go straight to the heavyweight event for one last payday before he suspends them.

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Eddie Hearn expects Mayweather vs Pacquiao 2 fight to be canceled and replaced with world title fight

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Eddie Hearn expects Mayweather vs Pacquiao 2 to be cancelled and replaced by world title fight

The final decision may come after the Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao rematch drama ends.

Earlier this year, it was announced that Mayweather and Pacquiao were set to fight professionally more than 10 years after their first meeting, with the event streaming live on Netflix and taking place on September 19 at The Sphere in Las Vegas.

In recent weeks the duel was in doubt, after Mayweather stated that the fight would instead be an exhibition, while Pacquiao continues to insist that it must be a fully sanctioned fight.

Since it is currently unknown whether this will actually come to fruition, this has probably given the clearest signal that this will no longer happen.

Conversation with FightHypepromoter Eddie Hearn said he thinks Netflix can now focus on the WBC welterweight title fight between Ryan Garcia and Conor Benn, essentially replacing the Mayweather-Pacquiao event.

“It’s all a mess. I’m surprised Netflix got into this whole circus… Netflix is ​​modern to boxing, but they need to be a little more solid in the routine because you can’t actually call the fight and it just falls by the wayside and it just doesn’t look great.”

“NO [I don’t believe it will happen]not now. Netflix is ​​only going to do so many fights and the Benn-Garcia fight is now said to be on September 12 or whenever that happens, so obviously this is the fight to replace Mayweather-Pacquiao.

“If it happened Mayweather-Pacquiao, they are committed to that fight, but if it doesn’t happen they will want another fight and from the sound of it it will be Garcia vs. Benn.”

The world title fight between Garcia and Benn has been widely discussed this month, and if Hearn is right, it could spell the end of any hopes of Mayweather and Pacquiao fighting again.

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Boxing

Junto Nakatani Banking size vs. Naoya Inoue

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Image: Junto Nakatani Banking On Size, Youth Against Naoya Inoue

“I think my size and youth should be a gigantic advantage. It gives me an even better chance to win,” Nakatani told The Ring.

Inoue’s reluctance to make the jump to 126 pounds at featherweight may be the most truthful admission of his physical limitations.

Inoue has fought fighters who hydrated to be hefty, but Nakatani is elevated. At 5’7″ or 5’8″, he has the skeletal leverage of a natural featherweight or super featherweight.

Most of Inoue’s opponents end up with confined time as they have to rush to hit him. Nakatani can theoretically sit outside and throw a punch without putting his chin in the red zone.

The numbers support this belief on paper. Nakatani will enter with a three-inch height advantage, a slight reach advantage and a five-year age difference. He also has natural size from climbing three weight classes, which he plans to exploit for the full distance rather than chasing an early finish.

“This fight will 100% be a war and I think I will win by decision once I overcome everything Inoue throws at me,” Nakatani said.

In his December victory over Sebastian Hernandez, Nakatani was forced into a fierce fight in which both men landed heavily, taking 273 punches in a back-and-forth fight that went the distance. He showed toughness, but also suggested he could get hit when exchanges open up.

It’s not that Inoue is afraid of fighting a bigger opponent, but more that he is a perfectionist who knows that when you lose your physical advantage, you have to rely completely on your endurance. Nakatani is the first fighter in a long time who can actually make Inoue look petite in the ring.

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