David Morrell is planning on beating Radivoje “Scorching Rod” Kalajdzic on Saturday evening, August third, after which going through the winner of the October twelfth struggle undisputed 175-lb championship struggle between champions Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol.
(Credit score: Melina Pizano/Matchroom)
The unbeaten Morrell shall be combating for the WBA World gentle heavyweight title towards “Scorching Rod” Kalajdzic (29-2, 21 KOs) on His Excellency Turki Alalshikh’s Riyadh Season occasion on the BMO Stadium in Los Angeles. The occasion shall be proven reside on DAZN PPV.
Morrell (10-0, 9 KOs) can be slicing in line at gentle heavyweight, stepping in entrance of WBC obligatory challenger David Benavidez (29-0, 24 KOs), who has dibs on being subsequent for the Beterbiev-Bivol winner. Turki will determine who will struggle the winner of that struggle, however Morrell may help his probabilities if he destroys Kalajdzic on Saturday.
Kalajdzic, 33, has glorious energy and is an aggressive fighter who likes to go to struggle together with his opponents. He’s going to be going proper at Morrell on Saturday, seeking to slug with him like he did in his conflict towards Artur Beterbiev in 2019. He was destroyed in 5 brutally one-sided rounds by Beterbiev, who had an excessive amount of energy and expertise for him.
“It’s an amazing division. You’ve bought two champions which can be about to unify, so there shall be one champion in October,” mentioned coach Ronnie Shields to MillCity Boxing, referring to David Morrell’s transfer as much as 175 on Saturday evening towards Kalajdzic.
Shields is Morrell’s coach, and he desires him to get a title shot as quickly as attainable towards the winner of the Beterbiev-Bivol conflict.
Morrell had waited for an opportunity to struggle Canelo Alvarez, David Benavidez, and Jaime Munguia at 168 however by no means bought the chance. He doesn’t wish to have the identical factor occur to him at 175 and lose out on making a reputation for himself as a result of he was being averted.
Shields’ Confidence in Morrell’s Potential
“I believe he’s among the best on the market. He’s younger, he has agility, and this child has every thing it takes to be a world champion,” Shields mentioned about Morrell. “The primary factor is to maintain him targeted, make the most of the chance when it comes, and turn out to be champion of the world.”
If Morrell can’t get a struggle towards Beterbiev or Bivol, he says he’d wish to struggle former WBC tremendous middleweight champion David Benavidez. Nevertheless, Morrell could should accept former WBC gentle heavyweight champ Oleksandr Gvozdyk, who has been talked about as a possible subsequent opponent for him.
“He’s sparring with greater guys, and he’s sooner than them as a result of he’s shifting up,” mentioned Shields about Morrell. “So long as he retains his velocity and his energy, he ought to be nice. ‘Scorching Rod’ has been round for some time. He has lots of fights and has lots of expertise. We simply should make the most of each little factor.”
Kalajdzic is a 13-year professional and has gained his final 5 fights since being knocked out by Artur Beterbiev in 2019. He’s coming off a tenth-round knockout of 42-year-old Sullivan Barrera final March. That fighter is probably the most recognizable title Kalajdzic has fought within the final 4 years. The opposite notable man Kalajdzic has crushed is Denis Grachev.
Morrell’s Willpower to Face the Elite
“I might love Morrell to struggle the winner of the undisputed struggle out of Beterbiev and Bivol. I believe that’s the objective of combating the very best, and these two are the very best,” mentioned Shields.
If Beterbiev and Bivol don’t select to struggle an instantaneous rematch, it will be nice to see Morrell struggle the winner of that struggle. If the Beterbiev-Bivol struggle is shut, it’s a on condition that they’ll struggle once more straight away. Morrell must look in one other path in direction of Gvozdyk or Benavidez.
Different interesting choices at 175 for Morrell:
– Anthony Yarde– Willy Hutchinson– Joshua Buatsi– Albert Ramirez– Dan Azeez– Callum Smith
“In order that’s the place we have to go,” mentioned Shields about wanting his fighter, David Morrell, to tackle the winner of the October twelfth undisputed gentle heavyweight championship between champions Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol.
“No doubt. All this child [Morrell] talks about is desirous to struggle the very best on this planet. He desires to be there. He desires individuals speaking about him, making an attempt to struggle him,” mentioned Shields.
It doesn’t assist Morrell to attend longer earlier than combating the highest guys, Beterbiev and Bivol, as a result of they’re getting older and gained’t be round for much longer. With these guys retiring quickly, the 175-lb division could have just a few compelling choices for Morrell.
