Former super-middleweight champion to return in huge clash.
It has been almost a year since Callum Smith last appeared in the ring. On that occasion, he fought tooth and nail to overcome Joshua Buatsi, winning a unanimous decision to claim the WBO interim light-heavyweight title.
The fight was lauded as one of the very best of 2025, and both men walked away as winners in the eyes of the fans. After all, nobody can truly lose a fight like that.
Since then, we have seen Buatsi get a very unpopular decision over Zach Parker, but Smith has yet to fight again.
But on the 18th of April, that will change, as Smith will be defending his interim belt against Cuba’s David Morrell at the M&S Bank Arena in his native Liverpool.
Morrell is a former super-middleweight who was seen as an unstoppable monster at the 168-pound class, having won the WBA (Regular) title in his 5th fight and made five successful defences of it.
Since moving up to light-heavyweight, Morrell has appeared exponentially more human. His first foray in the division saw him win a close decision over Radivoje Kalajdzic to pick up his second WBA (Regular) title. Morrell would then lose for the first time against David Benavidez, who he nonetheless managed to drop.
Morrell would be dropped himself in his very next fight, a razor-thin split-decision victory over Imam Khataev. Doubts have surrounded his true quality since.
Callum Smith is also a former super-middleweight, and he was once considered the very best in the world. The winner of the 2017-2018 World Boxing Super Series, Smith was the WBA (Super) and The Ring champion, favoured by many to win his unification fight with Canelo Álvarez.
Smith would ultimately lose to the great Mexican in the first defeat of his career, but would record two startling knockouts afterwards, including over Mathieu Bauderlique in a WBC title eliminator up at light-heavyweight.
When Smith got his shot against three-belt champion Artur Beterbiev, he would be dropped and stopped for the first time in his career, but he has notched a pair of victories since, with the most significant being over Joshua Buatsi.
The fight between Callum Smith (31-2, 22 KOs) and David Morrell (12-1, 9 KOs) is an absolutely fantastic one. Both former 168-pounders have something to prove, and both will do whatever it takes to do so.
Smith has only lost to the very best, and his Liverpool faithful will be cheering him on to get the job done. However, the talented and gritty Morrell is bound to pose the heavy-handed Scouser a world of problems.
Though it took a while to get made, it is finally here, and it is simply a contest nobody will want to miss out on.
What. A. Fight. 💨
Liverpool’s own @CallumSmith23 defends his WBO Interim World Light Heavyweight Title against Cuba’s David Morrell 🔥 #SmithMorrell live from the @MandSBankArena, April 18 👊 @DAZNBoxing pic.twitter.com/Z128fRvi0F
— Matchroom Boxing (@MatchroomBoxing) February 17, 2026
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