Stepping into the ring can be dangerous, regardless of the opponent.

When facing David Benavidez, it can be career-changing.

“David goes in there and puts a beating on his opponents,” Jose Benavidez Sr., his father and trainer, told The Ring. “Every fighter that David fights, they’re not the same after.”

He could go on and on about the WBC light heavyweight champion, but he would rather give a specific example.

“Look at David Morrell,” he said. “They were talking about Morrell as the next superstar. They said Morrell was gonna demolish him and make him look bad, but he made Morrell look like an amateur.”

Morrell struggled in his first fight since their February 1 showdown in Las Vegas. The former two-division titleholder won a 10-round split decision against Imam Khataev, but he spent large stretches fighting on his back foot and was knocked down during the fifth round by the previously unbeaten Russian on July 12 in New York.

While his fight with Khataev was more difficult than expected, the flashy Cuban southpaw promised to get better. Benavidez Sr. doubts it after watching him go 12 full rounds with his son.

As Morrell attempts to rebuild himself, Benavidez (30-0, 24 KOs) is working toward a shot whoever wins the third bout between undisputed 175-pound champ Dmitry Bivol and Artur Beterbiev. The Phoenix, Arizona, native first needs to defeat two-time title challenger Anthony Yarde (27-3, 24 KOs), a fitting first defense as full champion November 22 in the main event of “The Ring IV” at ANB Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

On paper, England’s Yarde is tough. He’s gritty, relentless and on a roll after four consecutive wins.

Benavidez Sr. isn’t losing any sleep over him. Yarde is a top-five contender and earned the right for a title shot, but that doesn’t mean he sees the matchup as competitive.

“He’s a great fighter,“ the trainer said, "but David is going to go out there and dominate.”