Boxing
David Morrell stops waiting and returns to fight on May 9
Last July, Morrell was scheduled to face Smith for the WBO interim lightweight heavyweight title. Since then, the fight has dragged on through lengthy negotiations, a delayed announcement and then a cancellation when Smith pulled out of the scheduled April 18 fight due to injury. No replacement date confirmed.
This is a classic move to save your career by David Morrell. While the path to the WBO interim title with Callum Smith looked good on paper, the reality, with drawn-out negotiations, Smith’s injury-forced withdrawal from the April 18 event and zero clarity about a reschedule, quickly became a trap.
For a 28-year-old Morrell player who should be successful, waiting forever is a form of professional suicide. He is coming off a win over Imam Khataev and should be aiming for significant fights at 175 pounds. Instead, almost a year passed with no real progress. Mandatory positions can support a challenger, but they can also stall a career when the other side can’t move.
Chelli provides Morrell with rounds, classes and a paycheck, but it’s not a destination. This is a sign that Smith’s route has become unreliable.
Smith may still return this year and the WBO may still maintain order, but Morrell cannot spend his prime months on paperwork and recovery schedules that are not his own. Players lose more than dates when they remain idle. In a crowded division, they lose visibility, timing and position.
May 9 isn’t so much about Zak Chelli as it is about Morrell refusing to let 2026 slip away while others were deciding his next move.
Just a few years ago, opening the door to the third fight between Anthony Joshua and Oleksandr Usyk seemed unrealistic. Now it seems possible, even after two defeats and the friendship that has developed between the pair outside the ring.
That shift became more pronounced this week when promoter Eddie Hearn admitted Joshua would still “love” another chance to fight Usyk, despite losing twice to the Ukrainian southerner in 2021 and 2022. Historically, a heavyweight rivalry rarely continues after one fighter wins his first two fights cleanly. Boxing usually goes further. This situation seems to be heading in the opposite direction.
Joshua (29-4, 26 KO) has spent recent years rebuilding his career and public standing after successive defeats to Usyk. During this time, the relationship between the two heavyweights changed completely. They trained together, appeared publicly comfortable in each other’s company and shed the bitterness that often accompanies major heavyweight rivalries.
This, among other things, is what makes Hearn’s comments extraordinary.
“I don’t think so,” Hearn said this week when asked whether Joshua’s friendship with Usyk would stop another fight. “But boxing is a humorous venerable game. Part of AJ always wants to fight Usyk because he has been beaten twice. Same with Fury. They are competitors. They want to try to fight him again.”
The heavyweight division began to operate under different rules during the Saudi era. Awareness and commercial value now carry almost as much weight as unfinished competitive business. Tyson Fury is also openly seeking a third fight with Usyk, even though he has lost twice.
In previous eras, a fighter who lost two title fights in a row to the same opponent would usually end the chapter. Joshua-Usyk III would completely reverse this logic. Instead of competitive tension driving demand, it would be legacy and personal redemption.
Joshua still has something to work on before the discussion becomes stern. He returns in July against Kristian Prengi before an expected showdown with Fury later this year. Hearn made it clear that the immediate focus would be on these two fights.
“His ultimate goal is to win the heavyweight championship of the world again,” Hearn said. “I want to beat Tyson Fury and win the world heavyweight championship again.”
However, the idea is still hanging. Not long ago, the sight of Joshua running alongside Usyk on the beach would have seemed impossible. Now there’s a possibility that two fighters who became training partners after a one-sided rivalry will end up sharing the ring for a third time anyway.
Click here to sign up for our FREE newsletter
Related boxing news:
Last updated: 17/05/2026 at 17:44
Ryan Garcia names Conor Benn as his next Kick Stream opponent
Derek Chisora CONFRONTS Agit Kabayel – ‘CUT THE CAMERAS!!’
Anthony Joshua Oleksandr Usyk 3 Talk defies boxing tradition
-
Opinions & Features1 year agoPacquiao vs marquez competition: History of violence
-
MMA1 year agoDmitry Menshikov statement in the February fight
-
Results1 year agoStephen Fulton Jr. becomes world champion in two weight by means of a decision
-
Results1 year agoKeyshawn Davis Ko’s Berinchyk, when Xander Zayas moves to 21-0
-
Video1 year agoFrank Warren on Derek Chisora vs Otto Wallin – ‘I THOUGHT OTTO WOULD GIVE DEREK PROBLEMS!’
-
Analysis1 year agoRobert Garcia discusses the debate on the greatest Mexican warrior in history
-
Video1 year ago‘DEREK CHISORA RETIRE TONIGHT!’ – Anthony Yarde PLEADS for retirement after WALLIN
-
Results1 year agoLive: Catterall vs Barboza results and results card