David Benavidez stepped into the ring for a media workout at the BOXR Gym in Miami on Tuesday looking to promote his February 1 fight against David Morrell.

He extended his arm for a hand shake, but Morrell was in no mood for pleasantries. The clear sign of disrespect bothered Benavidez, and they both went nose to nose and started mouthing off at each other.

Benavidez handed off his sunglasses and a WBC belt he was holding and violently shoved Morrell with both hands. Morrell retaliated by hurling the WBA belt he was carrying at Benavidez’s direction, but missed.

A near melee erupted due to the heated exchange, but all it turned out to be was a brouhaha. Real fists will be flying in six weeks when they meet for their high-stakes light heavyweight fight at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

“He didn’t respect me at our first press conference, so I’m giving it back to him,” said Morell. “This is my time. I don’t need to show him any respect … He looks like RoboCop in there. He’s got no head movement or anything. This is really an easy fight for me. I’m gonna show him the Cuban boxing skills.”

Benavidez (29-0, 24 KOs) said the exchange will only add more fuel to his fire throughout the rest of training camp.

“Now I’m really gonna put a beating on him,” said Benavidez. “This guy is trying to act hard. It is what it is. On February 1, none of this matters. I’m gonna break his mouth. They all say the same nonsense before they get in the ring with me. Then they get in there, and it’s a different story.”

The diatribes between Davids have been evident ever since the fight was announced. During their November 19 press conference in Los Angeles, the pair had a tense exchange on the dais shortly after shooting a heated promo backstage.

“The thing about this is that it’s not fake,” said Benavidez. “We don’t like each other. We have everything we need for a great fight. Nobody is gonna stop me. This is my year and this is the era of David Benavidez.

“He better do what he says he’s gonna do. We’re gonna see on February 1. I’m glad he’s talking about this being an easy fight.”

Morrell (11-0, 9 KOs) also classified the matchup as the fight of his life, adding that a victory changes the entire course of his career.

The winner will be in prime position to face the victor of the rematch between undisputed light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol after they meet on February 22 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

“Everyone says things, but I’m trying to stay even keeled and work on the fundamentals. If I do that, then I’m gonna succeed,” said Benavidez.

"This is my moment ... I have to be aggressive and make sure that I make my people proud and show that Cuba is number one. On February 1, I’ll make sure everybody knows who the real boogeyman is in this division.”