David Morrell can throw himself into the mix to fight the Dmitry Bivol vs. Artur Beterbiev winner for the undisputed light heavyweight championship if he’s victorious against Radivoje “Hot Rod” Kalajdzic on August 3rd at the BMO Stadium in Los Angeles.
This will be the talented Cuban Morrell’s debut at 175 after moving up from 168, where he was avoided by the top fighters. Many eyes will be on Morrell to see whether he performs well at a new weight because he could be next in line to fight for the undisputed at 175.
Morrell’s Chance to Shine at 175
Morrell (10-0, 9 KOs) and ‘Hot Rod’ Kalajdzic (29-2, 21 KOs) fight for the vacant WBA light heavyweight title in a 12-round contest on ESPN+ PPV. The winner will be one of two fighters that could face the Bivol-Beterbiev victor. WBC interim 175-lb champion David Benavidez is the other fighter vying for that vital fight.
If Morrell, 26, looks especially impressive in his performance against the former light heavyweight world title challenger Kalajdzic on the loaded August 3rd card, he could get the pick to fight for the undisputed championship against whoever emerges with their hand raised from the Bivol vs. Beterbiev battle.
Benavidez looked awful in his debut at 175 against former WBC light heavyweight champion Oleksandr Gvozdyk on June 15. He labored to an unimpressive twelve-round unanimous decision in a fight that was closer than the scores handed in by the three judges.
The fight highlighted Benavidez’s lack of power and stamina at 175, showing that he’s not the same fighter when facing opposition the same size as him. Fans saw that Benavidez wasn’t designed to fight at 175, and he was just an average fighter. 175 is kryptonite for Benavidez, and he goes from Superman to just a bottom-shelf fighter. His career will evaporate if he stays at 175.
David Morrell might be a different story due to his power, technical skills, stamina, and ruggedness. 175 might be perfect for him.
It would make Benavidez unhappy if Morrell gets selected by His Excellency Turki Alalshikh to fight the Bivol vs. Beterbiev winner, but he’s got to go with the fighter that looks the best. An impressive win by Morrell in his debut at light heavyweight against ‘Hot Rod’ on August 3rd might impress Turki to have him fight for the undisputed.
“David Morrell, I think he’s pound-for-pound quality, and I think everyone in boxing knows how good he is. He’s probably vastly avoided,” said promoter Eddie Hearn to Matchroom Boxing about the talented Cuban David Morrell Jr., who fights Radivoje “Hot Rod” Kalajdzic on August 3rd.
“‘Hot Rod,’ if you’ve ever seen him fight, he just does not stop coming to war. Morrell moving from 168 to 175, we’ll see how that works out for him, but ‘Hot Rod’ is a good, strong, honest 175 world-class fighter who will test David Morrell.
“Morrell is a bit special. There are pound-for-pound greats on this card, thrown in with a bit of Eminem. Riyad season on August 3rd, it’s going to be unforgettable,” said Hearn.
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