Callum Smith will defend his WBO interim light heavyweight title against David Morrell on April 18 in what shapes up as another high-stakes clash in boxing’s thriving 175-pound division. The bout will headline a Matchroom Boxing card at the M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool, England, and will stream live on DAZN, marking Smith’s first fight in his hometown in more than six years.
Smith (31-2, 22 KOs) captured the interim belt in February 2025 with a unanimous decision victory over Joshua Buatsi. The former WBA super middleweight champion previously lost his 168-pound title to Saul “Canelo” Alvarez in 2020 and fell short in a 2023 light heavyweight title bid against Artur Beterbiev.
Watch Beterbiev vs. Smith highlights: Watch
Morrell (12-1, 9 KOs), a former two-division WBA (regular) champion, enters off a split decision win over Imam Khataev in July, rebounding from the first loss of his career — a firefight with David Benavidez in February 2025.
The matchup was ordered by the WBO, and the winner is expected to be positioned as the mandatory challenger to unified champion Dmitry Bivol, who has also been ordered to defend against IBF mandatory Michael Eifert.
Fight card:
▪️Callum Smith vs. David Morrell, 12 rounds, for the WBO Interim World light heavyweight title
▪️Leo Atang vs. TBA, 6 rounds, heavyweight
▪️Molly McCann vs. TBA, TBA, super bantamweight
