Callum Smith Moves Closer To Dmitry Bivol With Morrell Fight

Interim status could move Smith into mandatory range

Callum Smith fights David Morrell for the WBO interim light heavyweight title with Dmitry Bivol waiting at the top of the division. The outcome could shift the championship picture at 175.

Callum Smith understands how this division works. The fight with David Morrell in Liverpool is about moving himself directly into mandatory range. The WBO interim belt would strengthen his claim if the champion postpones a defense or looks elsewhere.

Interim belts are paperwork until a fighter enforces them with rounds won and damage inflicted. Smith has to do that against a southpaw who does not give away exchanges.

Morrell works behind his jab and waits for mistakes. He sets his feet and lets the combinations rip from the floor up. At 175, small errors turn into knockdowns. Smith has to keep his workrate steady. Make Morrell react.

Speaking to Matchroom Boxing, Smith did not hide the target.

“For the time being, Dmitry Bivol is the man in the division,” Smith said. “He’s got most of the belts, so it all depends on what he is going to do. For the winner of this fight, they could fight him or get elevated for the belt. I wouldn’t mind either option, to be honest with you!”

He also addressed the immediate threat in front of him.

“He is a good fighter with good skills. He has good experience and has fought at a good level since his second or third fight in, which shows just how good a fighter he is. So he is going to pose some problems for me. But I believe I can beat anyone in the world. To become a two-weight world champion, I need to beat David Morrell.”

The Interim Belt Only Lives if Smith Wins the Exchanges

This is where it turns into a real fight. Morrell is not there to play opponent. He waits on the lead, shifts his feet just outside the line of attack, and fires back combinations. If Smith paws with the jab or reaches with the left hook, he will get split by the straight left. If he keeps his base under him, works behind a firm jab, and invests to the body early, he can take some rhythm out of Morrell’s legs and force the Cuban to exchange on his terms.

The fight will be decided in the middle rounds. Smith has to impose himself without loading up. Morrell has to show he can hold position against a former champion who knows how to manage a twelve-round pace.

Bivol stays at the top with the belts in his possession. The WBO interim title only has substance if Smith wins decisively and leaves the sanctioning body little room to maneuver. If Morrell beats him to the jab and dictates the exchanges, that interim tag becomes paperwork and the division advances without Smith in the picture.