{"id":289516,"date":"2025-07-25T03:04:13","date_gmt":"2025-07-25T03:04:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/289516\/"},"modified":"2025-07-25T03:04:13","modified_gmt":"2025-07-25T03:04:13","slug":"callum-smith-david-morrell-jr-in-negotiating-period-for-wbo-interim-light-heavyweight-title-fight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/289516\/","title":{"rendered":"Callum Smith, David Morrell Jr. In Negotiating Period For WBO Interim Light Heavyweight Title Fight"},"content":{"rendered":"

There is some more movement in the light heavyweight division outside of the impending third bout between Dmitry Bivol<\/a> and Artur Beterbiev<\/a>.
WBO president Gustavo Olivieri announced that the sanctioning body has ordered a fight between WBO interim light heavyweight champion Callum Smith<\/a> and David Morrell<\/a>. Representatives for Smith and Morrell have 30 days from July 21 to reach a deal, or the fight could go to a purse bid.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is a matter of public knowledge that WBO 175 lbs,\u201d Olivieri wrote on X. \u201cChampion Bivol is on course for a trilogy vs. Beterbiev. Therefore, in furtherance of keeping the division active, the WBO is ordering Callum Smith vs. David Morrell.\u201d<\/p>\n

England\u2019s Smith (31-2, 22 KOs), a former WBA\/WBC champion at super middleweight, won the interim WBO light heavyweight title with a thrilling unanimous-decision victory over another Brit, Joshua Buatsi<\/a> (19-1, 13 KOs), on Feb. 22 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Smith, 35, was in negotiations to face WBC light heavyweight champion David Benavidez<\/a> (30-0, 24 KOs), but those talks fell through and Benavidez is now set to face Anthony Yarde<\/a> (27-3, 24 KOs) on Nov. 22 in Riyadh in the main event of the \u201cThe Ring IV\u201d card<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Morrell (12-1, 9 KOs) is coming off a narrow split-decision victory<\/a> over Russia\u2019s Imam Khataev on July 12 at Louis Armstrong Stadium in Queens, New York. The Cuban southpaw overcame a fifth-round knockdown as he and Khataev<\/a> (10-1, 9 KOs) engaged in a back-and-forth war for the duration of their 10-round bout.
Morrell, 27, won the WBA\u2019s secondary light heavyweight title by defeating Radivoje Kalajdzic<\/a> unanimously on points last Aug. 3 at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles. Miami\u2019s Morrell lost that title to Benavidez, who defeated Morrell by unanimous decision on Feb. 1 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.<\/p>\n

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