Callum Smith vs. David Morrell: Eddie Hearn’s Riyadh Negotiations for Ring IV Fight

Promoter Eddie Hearn revealed this week that Callum Smith vs. David Morrell is being negotiated for the Ring IV event on November 22nd in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Hearn is in talks with PBC and Turki Alalshikh to get the Morrell-Smith fight done. He’s optimistic in getting the fight done “soon.”

Smith vs. Morrell Negotiations

Hearn says he would have preferred Callum Smith (31-2, 22 KOs) to be fighting one of the light heavyweight world champions rather than defending his WBO interim 175-lb title against Morrell (12-1, 9 KOs). However, the World Boxing Organization ordered Smith to defend his interim title while the current WBO champion Dmitry Bivol is focusing on fighting a trilogy with Artur Beterbiev.

Callum, 35, has little choice but to face the Cuban talent, Morrell. If he vacates his WBO interim belt, he’d lose his golden ticket needed to get a title shot against the winner of the Bivol-Beterbiev 3 trilogy. It’s a risky fight for Smith, but Hearn is hoping that he can produce a similar performance to his last fight when he defeated Joshua Buatsi by a 12-round decision in a war last February in Riyadh.

“We’ve been talking to PBC. Callum Smith is up for the David Morrell fight. Obviously, he’d prefer it to be for a world title rather than his [WBO light heavyweight] interim, but it’s a great fight,” said promoter Eddie Hearn to Pro Boxing Fans about the David Morrell vs. Callum Smith contest that is being targeted for November 22nd in Riyadh.

“We’re negotiating that fight with PBC and His Excellency [Turki Alalshikh]. I hope to wrap up the Callum Smith vs. David Morrell very soon,” said Hearn.

Morrell’s Recent Victory

Morrell, 27, is coming off a thrilling 12-round split decision win over Imam Khataev on Turki’s July 12th event in Queens, New York. The Morrell vs. Khataev fight stole the show on the card as the most exciting fight of the night.

Morrell was dropped early in the fight by the Beterbiev-like Khataev in round five and had to rally in the championship rounds to pull out the victory. The two fighters battled back and forth in the last two rounds, both landing huge shots that had the crowd involved.