A final plea was made by the WBO for the teams surrounding Callum Smith and David Morrell Jnr to pick up the pace for a bout ordered months ago.
All involved parties were cautioned that terms must be reached by Friday to avoid a purse bid hearing for their mandatory WBO interim light heavyweight title fight.
The WBO first ordered the bout on July 21 and agreed to stand down after receiving promises that Matchroom Boxing (Smith) and Warriors Boxing (Morrell) were on the verge of delivering a date and location. Instructions were given during the annual WBO convention last month in Bogota, Colombia, to put a bow on the matter.
Another reminder was issued on Thursday by WBO president Gustavo Olivieri.
“The WBO will grant the parties until [Friday] 4:00 p.m. (AST) to reach terms,” warned Olivieri. “Failure to do so will result in ordering purse bid proceedings.”
Should the bout push forward, the winner will become one of three mandatory challengers in waiting to Dmitry Bivol, 24-1 (12 KOs). The lineal and unified WBA, IBF and WBO champion, Bivol has recovered from surgery and resumed training for a planned January return.
England’s Smith, 31-2 (22 KOs), currently holds the secondary version of the WBO belt.
Smith, a 35-year-old from Liverpool, UK, claimed the title in a February 22 unanimous decision win over then-unbeaten countryman Joshua Buatsi in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. He has yet to return to the ring, despite what were deemed as positive talks with the respective camps for both WBC light heavyweight titlist David Benavidez and veteran contender Anthony Yarde.
Ironically, those fighters are set to face each other atop a November 22 Riyadh Season show.
Morrell, 12-1 (9 KOs), rebounded from a hard-fought loss to Benavidez in February with a nailbiting, split decision win over unbeaten Imam Khataev.
The 27-year-old Cuban southpaw Morrell survived a fifth-round knockdown to prevail by the slimmest of margins (95-94. 96-93, 94-95) in the thrilling 10-round clash with Khataev on July 12 in Queens, New York. He was then summoned just nine days later to begin talks with Smith, though subsequent rumors suggested that the bout was on target for either November or January.
Neither appear to be true at the moment, given the near four-month stretch since the WBO first ordered the fight. There is still the possibility of a January showdown; Riyadh Season is rumored to be putting together a January 31 event, with several bouts already rumored for the card.
Whatever plans are hoped for relating to Smith-Morrell, the WBO will need confirmation by close of business on Friday.
