By Ian S Palmer
Original article; https://www.sportsbetlistings.com/boxing/david-morrell-vs-radivoje-kalajdzic-betting-odds-and-prediction/24046/
Undefeated former WBA Super Middleweight Champion David Morrell of Cuba will be moving up in weight this Saturday, August 3rd and battling it out with Radivoje Kalajdzic of Serbia for the vacant regular WBA Heavyweight Belt. The 12-rounder from Los Angeles, California, can be seen live in most nations on pay-per-view including ESPN and DAZN. Morrell last fought in December when he stopped Sena Agbeko in the second round. Kalajdzic last boxed in March when he halted Sullivan Barrera in the 10th and final round.
The 26-year-old southpaw Morrell is well known for his amateur exploits as he reportedly compiled a 130-2 record and captured gold medals at the 2016 Youth World Championships, the 2017 Cuban National Championships and the India Open International Boxing Tournament in 2018 in the light heavyweight division. Morrell made his pro debut in August, 2019 when he stopped Yendris Rodriguez Valdez in just 65 seconds and has boxed just 42 rounds since.
He stopped Quinton Rankin in the second round three months later before beating Lennox Allen by unanimous decision for the interim title. He’s defended it by stopping Mike Gavronski in the third round and Mario Cazares in the first round before before halting Alantez Fox and Kalvin Henderson in four, Aidos Yerbossynuly in 12, Falcao in 142 seconds and Agbeko in two rounds. Morrell now stands at a perfect 10-0 with 9 Ko’s.
It’s obvious that he has excellent power in his punches as he boasts a current knockout ratio of 90 per cent but he hasn’t taken on any elite top-ranked opponents as of yet. Morrell also has good size as he stands 6-feet-1-inch tall with a reach of 78.5 inches. Like most Cuban national champions, Morrell is a polished boxer with plenty of skills and could potentially be offered some big-money fights in the future as he’s hoping to land a bout with David Benavidez or Canelo Alvarez.
Kalajdzic is 32 years old and fights out of Saint Petersburg, Florida, but many fans have never really heard of him even though he was stopped by Artur Beterbiev in the fifth round back in 2019 in a shot at the IBF Light Heavyweight Belt. He’s owns a fine record of 29-2 with 21 Ko’s and has plenty of power as well as 72.4 per cent of his wins have come by stoppage including his last four. He’s also won five fights in a row since his loss to Beterbiev. ‘Hot Rod’ stands 6-feet-3-inches tall with a 76-inch, so is two inches taller than Morrell but gives up 2.5-inches in reach.
Kalajdzic and his family fled the Bosnian War in 1992 and ended up in America as refugees in 1998. He turned pro back in 2011 and has boxed 110 rounds since. His first loss came to Marcus Browne in 2016 when he dropped an eight-round split decision for the vacant WBC United States Light Heavyweight Title. Kalajdzic was decked in the very first round but returned the favour by flooring Browne in the sixth stanza. The other recognizable names on his list of opponents are Barrera, Otis Griffin, Lionell Thompson, and Denis Grachev.
Prediction…
Both boxers have plenty of power and it’ll be interesting to see if Morrell’s comes with him as he’s going from 168 to 175 lbs. Most of his stoppages aren’t of the one-punch variety though as he simply overwhelms his opponents with aggressive and relentless attacks. It’s going to be hard for Kalajdzic to keep the volume-punching Morrell off of him for 12 rounds as he can’t match him for speed and relentlessness. I’m expecting Morrell to remain unbeaten and win a new title by eventually stopping Kalajdzic with his fan-friendly style.
