Callum Smith’s WBO Interim Title Defense Against David Morrell Mandated By Sanctioning Body

WBO interim light heavyweight champion Callum Smith has been ordered by the sanctioning body to defend his belt against #3 David Morrell next. It’s not the fight that Callum (31-2, 22 KOs) had hoped to get. The fight is being targeted for the Ring IV event on November 22nd in Riyadh.

Smith has been waiting for his rightful title shot against WBO 175-lb champion. However, Bivol plans on fighting a trilogy match against Artur Beterbiev.

WBO Mandates Morrell Fight

The WBO is reporting that their organization has ordered the Smith vs. Morrell fight. It puts Callum in a tough position where he either agrees to the fight or rejects it, which would lead to him being stripped of his WBO interim belt. He needs that title to get a world title shot against the Bivol-Beterbiev 3 winner.

It’s a rarity for interim champions to be ordered to defend their belts, as they’re designed to be placeholders while a champion is busy with a unification or injured. Neither of these things apply to WBO champion Bivol.

Interestingly, the WBO will allow Bivol to fight Beterbiev rather than Smith. Beterbiev is not a champion, and Bivol isn’t injured. So, he should have to defend against Smith next.

If Morrell, 27, performs the way he did in his last fight against Imam Khataev on July 12th, Callum has an excellent chance of winning. The Cuban Morrell doesn’t fight hard consistently enough to predict him winning against a seasoned fighter like Smith.

When Morrell attacked Khataev, it was so easy for him. He looked like he was many levels above the Russian fighter. But he would then frequently stop and shell up behind his guard, allowing Khataev to tee off on him.

David Morrell’s “Playful” Approach

Morrell had a playful appearance throughout the fight, treating it like he was sparring with a friend he didn’t want to hurt. You could see how Morrell would hurt Khataev, and then back off rather than finishing him. It looked like he felt sorry for him. If that was Morrell’s attitude, it almost cost him the fight.

You could tell that Morrell liked Khataev and didn’t want to knock him out. It was like a cat playing with a mouse throughout the second half of the contest. Morrell’s talent was supreme, but he didn’t want to stay locked into finishing the job.