“A lot of confidence in my own abilities,” Smith told iFL TV. “Believe I’ll have a good camp, get the tactics right, and I’m going in there, and I always believe at my best I can beat anyone in the world, and I believe I’ll beat David Morrell.
“I rate him as a fighter. I think he’s a very good fighter. He’s going to have some issues that I have to overcome, but I’m excited to be back in Liverpool, happy to put on a show for my own fans. So I’m confident I can go in there and do a good job.”
The fight comes at an important point in Callum’s career. After being stopped by Artur Beterbiev early in 2024, the former super middleweight champion rebuilt his position with two straight victories, including a 12-round unanimous decision victory over Joshua Buatsi. That fight was over a year ago, on February 22, 2025, and Smith hasn’t fought since. It’s unclear how the long layoff will affect him, especially going up against the young 28-year-old Morrell.
That stretch brought Smith back near the front of the light heavyweight picture and earned him the interim WBO belt. The orderly defense against Morrell now determines whether he remains in position for a shot at a full title.
Morrell enters the fray with his own questions to answer. The Cuban southpaw built an early reputation as a dangerous contender before suffering a clear decision loss to David Benavidez early last year.
He returned last summer and defeated Imam Khataev by split decision over ten rounds, a result that kept him in contention but left little doubt about his position among the top fighters at 175 pounds. Some fans believe Morrell’s true record should be 0-3 since moving up to the light heavyweight division in 2024.
His two wins at this weight against Khataev and Radivoje Kalajdzic were competitive bouts in which he appeared tentatively. Morrell replaced trainer Ronnie Shields with Cuban trainer Ismael Salas after the Khataev fight. The Smith fight will show if Morrell can follow his corner’s directions, as that has been his problem in his last three fights at 175.
Smith is trying to defend his position late in his career, while Morrell is looking for the kind of win that restores the reputation he carried earlier in his rise through the division.
