David Morrell Jr. is poised to point out why David Benavidez swerved him on August third when he faces Radivoje ‘Sizzling Rod’ Kalajdzic (29-2, 21 KOs) for the vacant WBA World gentle heavyweight title in Los Angeles.
Morrell (10-0, 9 KOs) is shifting as much as 175 from 168 to broaden his alternatives after being shut out at tremendous middleweight regardless of holding the WBA ‘common’ belt in that weight class.
With a powerful 130-5 novice document in his native Cuba, the 26-year-old Morrell desires to beat David Benavidez to the punch by dealing with the winner of the October twelfth struggle between gentle heavyweight champions Dmitry Bivol and Artur Beterbiev for the undisputed championship.
Morrell deserves that shot greater than Benavidez as a result of he’ll maintain an actual title if he captures the WBA World 175-lb belt, and he’s not making an attempt to maintain his toe within the water at 168 the best way he’s by holding down simultaneous necessary spots in two weight courses. 175 is Morrell Jr’s new dwelling, and he desires the Bivol-Beterbiev winner.
Kalajdzic, 32, is ranked #4 WBA and is coming off a tenth-round knockout win over 42-year-old Cuban Sullivan Barrera final March. Morrell can avenge his fellow countrymen Barrera’s defeat by impressively beating Kalajdzic whereas choosing up the WBA belt.
Morrell is arguably the one one who has any likelihood of beating Bivol or Beterbiev now, as his abilities and energy give him an actual shot. As we noticed with Benavidez in his debut at 175 final month towards 37-year-old Oleksandr Gvozdyk on June fifteenth, he’s not minimize out for the sunshine heavyweight division. Benavidez is a six-round fighter at 175 and has no energy for this weight division.
“David Morrell, I believe, is pound-for-pound high quality, and I believe all people in boxing is aware of how good he’s,” mentioned promoter Eddie Hearn. “He’s most likely vastly prevented, and ‘Sizzling Rod,’ if you happen to’ve ever seen him struggle, he by no means stops coming to conflict.”
Morrell will open up plenty of eyes along with his efficiency on August third towards ‘Sizzling Rod’, and he might steal the present from the primary occasion conflict between Terence Crawford and Israil Madrimov.
“Morrell, shifting from 168 to 175, we’ll see how that works out for him. However ‘Sizzling Rod,’ , robust, trustworthy 175 world-class fighter that can check David Morrell,” mentioned Hearn.
When Morrell fought at 168, he appeared like he was able to struggle at 175 in his final two contests. His energy was monumental and was destroying his opposition too simply.
10-0 Cuban David Morrell makes his Mild Heavyweight debut towards Sizzling Rod on August 3! 💥
175lb conflict in Los Angeles ⚔️ #MorrellKalajdzic #CrawfordMadrimov #RiyadhSeasonCard pic.twitter.com/9IdBzq2T5F
— Matchroom Boxing (@MatchroomBoxing) July 15, 2024
