David Morrell Jr. is set to make his light heavyweight debut, a long-awaited move that was finally necessary after a fight with Saul “Canelo” Alvarez or David Benavidez failed to materialize.
Morrell will face Radivoje Kalajdzic on Saturday in a 12-round bout as part of the Riyadh Season pay-per-view undercard at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles.
Morrell (10-0, 9 KOs), 26, previously competed at super middleweight. The light heavyweight division, where his peer Benavidez recently fought Oleksandr Gvozdyk, will see an undisputed champion crowned in October when Dmitry Bivol is scheduled to face Artur Beterbiev. If Morrell, originally from Cuba, makes a statement in his debut, he could quickly become a top contender in the division. Comparisons to Benavidez’s debut add intrigue to Morrell’s fight.
“All the champions at super middleweight have looked elsewhere, as none of them wanted to fight me,” Morrell told BoxingScene. “I don’t need to mention any names, but everyone knows who has been ducking me. So now I take my talents to the light heavyweight division, where I believe I will shine even more.
“Training in Houston with Ronnie Shields has been great,” Morrell said. “For this camp, we worked on setting up more power shots and pacing my work rate in case the fight goes the distance, being that it will be my first fight at light heavyweight. I had tremendous sparring and I’m looking sharp with the timing of my punches.”
Morrell fought twice in 2023, going only three rounds. He knocked out Yamaguchi Falcao in the first round on the Gervonta Davis-Ryan Garcia PPV undercard in April and followed that with a second-round stoppage of Sena Agbeko in December.
Kalajdzic (29-2, 21 KOs), 33, has rebuilt himself since his definitive loss to Artur Beterbiev, who stopped him in five rounds in 2019. Since then, Kalajdzic, from St. Petersburg, Florida, has won five straight fights, including a victory over former title challenger Sullivan Barrera. Known as “Hot Rod,” Kalajdzic is seen by Morrell as another avoided fighter.
“It’s my understanding that no one wants to fight Kalajdzic, so I believe his confidence is at an all-time high,” Morrell said. “I know he’s on a nice winning streak as well, so I’m expecting a tough fight. He’s fought at the world championship level and has more experience than me in the pros, but I have many amateur fights that have prepared me for any style he will bring to the ring. I will make adjustments as the fight goes on, and I see myself with my hands raised in victory, either by knockout or by decision.”
When asked about the new weight class, Morrell expressed confidence.
“The added weight feels comfortable, and my power is still there,” Morrell said. “I’m dedicating this fight to all my people back home in Cuba, all my family, all my friends, and all my people that have been supporting me in the States.”
Lucas Ketelle is a proud member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and author of “Inside The Ropes of Boxing” (available on Amazon). Contact him on X @LukieBoxing.