The upcoming battle between Callum Smith and David Morrell will no longer be happening.
Smith last fought in February 2025 when he was involved in a fight of the year contender against Joshua Buatsi, claiming the unanimous decision win in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia to secure the WBO interim light heavyweight title.
Over 12 months on from that bout, he was set to make his long-awaited return against Morrell in his hometown of Liverpool on April 18, but with less than two weeks to go until the showdown, disaster has unfortunately struck.
According to journalist Mike Coppinger, the Liverpudlian has been forced to pull out of the bout after sustaining an injury whilst training.
“Callum Smith suffered an injury in training camp and is withdrawing from his light heavyweight fight vs. David Morrell on April 18 in Liverpool, sources tell Ring Magazine.”
Smith was hoping to move one step closer to becoming a two-weight world champion, having previously reigned as WBC super-middleweight champion thanks to a win over George Groves in 2018 before he lost that belt to Canelo Alvarez in 2020.
That prompted the move to 175lbs, and despite a defeat to Artur Beterbiev in January 2024, Smith remained one of the key fighters in the light heavyweight division.
The bout against former WBA Regular champion Morrell was set to serve as a tough test for Smith, with Morrell only having lost to David Benavidez in his career so far, but now it is unknown whether or not the clash between the two men will be rescheduled.