Cuban David Morrell captured the WBA 175 Lbs world title, defeating Serbian Radivoje Kalajdzic last Saturday, August 3rd, winning a twelve-round unanimous decision at the BMO Stadium in Los Angeles. The scores were 117-111, 117-111, and 118-110.
The fight was the 26-year-old Morrell’s debut at 175, following David Benavidez’s move up in weight from 168. There were a lot of expectations for the Cuban Morrell (11-0, 9 KOs) going into the fight last Saturday against Kalajdzic (29-3, 21 KOs). Physically, Morrell looked fine, but his performance wasn’t as dominant when he campaigned at 168.
The Mental Hurdle
Despite his youth and power advantage, Morrell didn’t show the aggressiveness we were accustomed to seeing while fighting at Super Middleweight. We were hoping to see Morrell have less trouble settling into this weight class. But indifference took over the fight, as Morrell did not want to take risks, choosing to keep distance and throw very few shots.
Morrell had the opportunity to shine at the important Riyadh Season event and show boxing fans that he could get great results at 175 lbs, but he didn’t even try. His corner, Ronnie Shields, tried to encourage him to fight more aggressively, but it was in vain. Morrell settled for winning comfortably round after round.
During the few rounds where Morrell was motivated to throw punches and be more aggressive, we felt he could have won that fight more decisively. Unfortunately, that happened very few times and for very short moments. Then, Morrell would walk away or decide not to go out to look for Kalajdzic, and the minutes passed, and the end of the fight arrived without him finishing off his opponent.
Building a Champion’s Mindset
If Morrell doesn’t understand that fans attend these events to see great fights, someone must talk to him and make him understand the importance of winning the public’s appreciation by giving his best in every fight. The empathy of the casual fan is very important to building stars. The hardcore fan knows a little more and examines fights with different eyes than the casual boxing public.
Giving Morrell the benefit of the doubt, we want to believe that the weight transition could have affected his performance. Maybe he has to settle gradually into the 175-lb weight class. In this division, there are bigger and stronger guys. Maybe that was the difference, but he needs to try to adapt and do it soon.
Interest in seeing great fights is forged based on performances that convince the fans. When you win by giving your best, you raise the adrenaline of the audience that watches the TV broadcasts and those who attend events with electrifying fights and overwhelming victories. Half the job’s done.
You’re only as good as you looked in your last fight. Most fans are the casual variety, and they have short memories. Their lack of knowledge about weight categories is reflected in their desire to see two men jump into the ring with a desire to defeat each other and finish fights with impressive knockouts. That’s what they’re looking for, and that’s what you have to give them, otherwise you’ll be punished and you’ll be reproached.
We want to believe that Morrell is more in this weight class than we saw in David Benavidez in his recent debut at 175 last June against Oleksandr Gvozdyk.
Unfortunately, Morrell’s skills were displayed in fleeting moments against the 33-year-old Kalajdzic, a fighter destroyed in five rounds by IBF light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev in May 2019.
Morrell must believe in himself if he’s to progress in the light heavyweight division. While Morrell’s abilities are admirable, if he’s not motivated to use them and perform at his best, his chances of achieving great victories in this weight class are slim.
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