Callum Smith Says He Will Beat David Morrell

Former super middleweight champion defends interim WBO light heavyweight belt in Liverpool

Callum Smith says he is confident he can defeat David Morrell. The two will meet April 18 in Liverpool in a WBO-ordered light heavyweight fight.

Smith believes he has the experience and ability to defeat David Morrell when the two meet next month, even though the WBO-ordered fight places the 35-year-old interim champion in a difficult defense against a younger puncher.

“Very confident in my own abilities,” Smith said to iFL TV. “Believe I’ll have a good camp, get the tactics right, and I go in there, and I always believe at my best I can beat anyone in the world, and I believe I’ll beat David Morrell.

“I rate him as a fighter. I think he’s a very good fighter. He’s going to possess some problems that I need to overcome, but I’m excited to be back in Liverpool, happy to put on a show for my own fans. So I’m confident I can go in there and do a good job.”

The fight arrives at an important point in Callum’s career. After being stopped by Artur Beterbiev in early 2024, the former super middleweight champion rebuilt his position with two consecutive victories, including a 12-round unanimous decision win over Joshua Buatsi. That fight was over a year ago, on February 22, 2025, and Smith hasn’t fought since. It’s unclear how the long layoff will affect him, especially going up against the young 28-year-old Morrell.

That stretch put Smith back near the front of the light heavyweight picture and earned him the interim WBO belt. The ordered defense against Morrell now determines whether he remains in position for a shot at a full title.

Morrell enters the bout with his own questions to answer. The Cuban southpaw built an early reputation as a dangerous contender before suffering a clear decision loss to David Benavidez early last year.

He returned last summer and edged Imam Khataev by split decision over ten rounds, a result that kept him in contention but did little to quiet doubts about his standing among the top fighters at 175 pounds. Some fans believe Morrell’s true record should be 0-3 since moving up to the light heavyweight division in 2024.

His two wins at this weight against Khataev and Radivoje Kalajdzic were competitive contests in which he appeared tentative. Morrell replaced trainer Ronnie Shields with Cuban coach Ismael Salas after the Khataev fight. The Smith fight will show whether Morrell can follow his corner’s directions, as that was his problem in his last three fights at 175.

Smith is attempting to defend his position late in his career, while Morrell is looking for the kind of win that restores the reputation he carried earlier in his rise through the division.