Cuban talent David Morrell (10-0, 9 KOs) will make a career change on August 3rd, moving up to 175 lbs to fight for the vacant WBA ‘regular’ light heavyweight title against Radivoje Kalajdzic (29-2, 21 KOs) at the BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, California.
It’s a smart move for the 26-year-old Morrell, as it was clear there was no point in him staying at 168, holding onto his WBA ‘regular’ title when the sanctioning body had made no indication that they would order the ‘Super Champion’ Canelo Alvarez to face him to eliminate one of those two belts.
Morrell’s First Test at 175
Morrell’s first fight at light heavyweight will be against #6 WBA-ranked Radivoje Kaldajdzic, who is coming off of a tenth-round knockout over 42-year-old Cuban Sullivan Barrera last March.
By fighting Kaldajdzic, Morrell can avenge the loss of his fellow countryman, Barrera, by knocking him out.
Morrell vs. Kaldajdzic are fighting on the undercard of Terence Crawford vs. Israil Madrimov. There’s an excellent chance their fight will upstage the main event, as Morrell and Kaldajdzic are both sluggers and won’t waste time trying to box the way Crawford typically does.
Title Ambitions for Morrell at 175
Morrell’s decision to move up to 175 is more of a situation where younger, talented fighters are avoided and not given opportunities to fight by the well-known, established fighters in the sport.
If Morrell had been able to get fights against fighters like Canelo, David Benavidez, Caleb Plant, and even Edger Berlanga, he would have stayed at 168, but none of those guys showed interest in fighting him. Hence, he’s decided to move up to 175, where he’s got a better chance of getting opportunities against the courageous champions Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol.
Obviously, the sport needs to change for it to stay relevant. The careful match-making done by fighters has prevented entertaining fights for the fans and set up a situation where the top guys are only taking sure-thing mismatches, which have no entertainment value.
It’s unknown if David Morrell will find success in the light heavyweight division against the top guys, Beterbiev and Bivol. Morrell has power and top-notch boxing skills from his upbringing in Cuba, fighting outstanding fighters, but he hasn’t fought anyone on the level of the two champions at light heavyweight during his short professional career.
Morrell’s fight with Kalajdzic, a fighter that Beterbiev destroyed in five rounds in 2019, will give an indication of whether his ability will carry over to the 175-lb division.