Notebook: Morrell 'in complete beast mode' as he aims to rebound
Faces Khataev on Ring mag card; $250k bonus at stake on Taylor-Serrano show; Crocker-Donovan 2 set for vacant 147 title; Rodriguez tests positive; Harrison plans comeback; Quick hits; Show & tell
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Light heavyweight David Morrell did not look for a soft touch in his return from his first loss, which cost him the WBA “regular” title and a chance to win the WBC interim belt.
He dropped a unanimous decision — 118-108, 115-111 and 115-111 — in a crowd-pleasing fight with David Benavidez on Feb. 1 in the main event of a PBC on Prime Video pay-per-view view at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Morrell (11-1, 9 KOs), 27, a Cuban southpaw fighting out of Minneapolis, will return to action on the Ring magazine card headlined by Edgar Berlanga-Hamzah Sheeraz on Saturday (DAZN PPV, 6 p.m. ET, $59.99) at Louis Armstrong Stadium in Queens, New York.
Morrell will face Imam Khataev (10-0, 9 KOs), 30, a 2020 Russian Olympic bronze medalist now based in Australia and said the loss has increased his motivation.
“I’m in complete beast mode right now,” said Morrell, who is trained by Ronnie Shields. “Every day is another day toward greatness. I'm running more, hitting harder, and staying focused on everything. Losing that fight to Benavidez woke me up. I'm coming to hurt something.
“Everybody thinks I’m done or I’m not that guy anymore. Well, they're gonna see. I’m coming to prove I’m still here, and I’m still scary. This fight is personal for me and my mindset. A win here? Man, it changes everything. It puts me back on the map. All the top guys are gonna have to look my way again. I'm taking over.”
