WBO interim light heavyweight champion Callum Smith’s promoters at Matchroom have asked for a one-week delay in negotiations with David Morrell. The #2 WBO ranked Morrell’s promoters at Warriors Boxing gave their right for the extension.
127 days and counting
The negotiations dragged on for 127 days since the WBO first ordered the fight on July 21, 2025, giving them 30 days. Now, four months later and two overtimes later, Team Smith and Morrell (12-1, 9 KOs) still haven’t reached an agreement. It’s an absolute nightmare to get this fight made.
Morrell is still waiting
Some fans believe that 35-year-old Callum (31-2, 22 KOs) and his promoters at Matchroom are not keen on facing Morrell and are ruining their dreams of challenging IBF, WBA and WBO 175lb champion Dmitry Bivol.
The payday Smith would get for fighting would likely be a career high in the millions. This would be the perfect retirement gift. Unfortunately, Morrell stands in Callum’s way. The way the negotiations have dragged on suggests that Matchroom is not looking forward to facing the Cuban talent.
Today’s latest extension gives Smith and Team Morrell until this Friday, November 28, at 5pm ET.
Cuban nightmare includes
Going up against the 27-year-old Morrell is a nightmare battle for the 6’3″ ‘Mundo’ Smith, as he unleashed a war with Joshua Buatsi earlier this year on February 22nd in Riyadh. Smith pulled out a 12-round unanimous decision against Buatsi, but it was a brutal affair. He won with the scores 115-113, 119-110 and 116-112.
Morrell is a different kettle of fish because he’s not going to gas like Buatsi did late in the fight. It’s also going to be a different version of Morrell than we saw in his last fight against the Beterbiev cloneImam Khataev, last summer on July 12 in Queens.
Abel Sanchez makes Morrell mean
Morrell fought in jumps, covered and then unleashed volleys of punches that put Khataev in trouble. Cuban former amateur star Morrell now has a new trainer, Abel Sanchez, and is expected to be a very different kind of fighter than when Ronnie Shields trained him.
Under Sanchez’s guidance, Morrell could be transformed into another Gennadiy Golovkin, a search-and-destroy fighter. He is a fighter who trained Abel and turned into a monster at middleweight. An improved Morrell could be too much for the aging Callum Smith.
Re: WBO Purse Bid Lt. Heavyweight (175 pounds) division
Smith/MorrellMatchroom Boxing requested a 1-week extension to meet terms. Team Morrell through Warriors Boxing had no objection and therefore the parties have until Friday November 28 at 5pm (AST) to reach an agreement. #WBO
— Gustavo Olivieri, Esq. (@OlivieriLaw) 25 November 2025
Last updated on 25/11/2025
