“It was something that was pretty bad. There was no way back. It’s not something that’s fixable in three or four weeks,” Hearn said.
That left the promotion with a decision to make. Rather than cancel the show, Matchroom moved forward, reshuffling the card despite losing one of its strongest fights.
My math shows we have hit 270 days since this whole process began with the Smith vs. Morrell fight being ordered by the WBO on July 21, 2025. That is nearly nine months of waiting, only to have the rug pulled out right at the end.
The WBO is already tightening the screws on Callum Smith. They have moved quickly to ensure David Morrell isn’t left in limbo for another nine months.
The WBO issued a formal notice following the cancellation, giving Smith’s team exactly 10 days to submit a certified medical report. They need a specific diagnosis, a clinical prognosis, and a definitive return-to-training date.
“You’ve got to suck it up, take the hit financially and go,” Hearn said. “Everybody knew what a great fight Smith-Morrell was, and you’re incredibly deflated in that moment.”
With the original bout off, the focus now shifts to timing. Hearn said the intention is to revisit the matchup once Smith is fully recovered, with Liverpool still the target location.
“We’d like to do it back here in Liverpool,” he said.
No date has been set for the rescheduled fight, and no alternative plans have been outlined for Morrell while Smith recovers.
The WBO’s priority is terminating the interim status so the winner can face the Bivol-Eifert winner. If Smith’s injury is as bad as Hearn suggested, the WBO will likely pull the trigger on stripping him by the start of summer to keep the division moving.
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