Comments Thread For: David Morrell Jnr holds off Imam Khataev in brutal 10-rounder

[Joseph]

Morrell needs another fight in 2025. Maybe Joshua Buatsi vs Morrell will be another intriguing fight.

I think he should take a break and regroup until 2026. His run at 175 has underscored some of his flaws. Granted, he went straight after a sliding scale of killers rather than soda cans and stood his ground, and that should be commended, but all that talent means very little if he isn't learning anything new. I think he's gone as far as he can with Shields. Someone needs to help him develop a jab.

[kiaba360]

He also waits until the other guy is done throwing to let his own punches go. He needs to learn to punch with a guy and not wait so much. Head movement wouldn't kill him either.

He appears to have the physical talent to be a devastating counter-puncher, but maybe he doesn't trust his punch resistance enough to risk exchanging with an opponent. He'd rather go tit-for-tat because he can then safely anticipate and brace himself for his opponent's offense. He doesn't want to get caught with something he doesn't see.

[CubanGuyNYC]

He also waits until the other guy is done throwing to let his own punches go. He needs to learn to punch with a guy and not wait so much. Head movement wouldn't kill him either.

Lara used to confuse me with that approach. He would shell up, wait for the other guy to stop throwing, then return fire. They just don’t teach inside fighting in the Cuban amateur system. It doesn’t appear that Shields works on that aspect of the game enough.

[JonDP]

These Ring cards are rigged from top to bottom. From the announcers to the judges and the replay choices down right to the bogus punch stats shown during the fights. Those middle eastern guys know no better than totalitarianism.

[TMLT87]

Khataev absolutely should have gotten the nod there. Morrell seemed largely toothless until the later rounds, then theres the KD on top of that.

Morrell has looked pretty underwhelming in his last 2 fights tbh.

[CubanGuyNYC]

Khataev absolutely should have gotten the nod there. Morrell seemed largely toothless until the later rounds, then theres the KD on top of that.

Morrell has looked pretty underwhelming in his last 2 fights tbh.

I didn’t see this last fight, but Morrell looked plenty good versus Benavidez. The Mexican was just better. It’s easy to look great versus lesser opposition. Makes you appreciate the truly special athletes. Those guys look great versus anyone.

[Joseph]

I’m always going to pull for Morrell because of what he does away from the ring with autism. As a parent to an autistic child, he has my total respect.

He’s a great fighter, not complete, but he would probably beat anyone not named Bivol, Beterbiev, or Benavidez. But he could be that guy. He needs someone to instill discipline into his game; he currently has little.

[Brittney1229]

Morrell lost! He lost at least 5 rounds, plus a knockdown! He lost!! Khataev was robbed!!

[Gary Coleman]

Morrell would go a long way if someone pressured him to use his exceptionally long reach. He has no jab game.

Yup. Manny Steward would have been perfect for a guy like Morrell.

[kiaba360]

Lara used to confuse me with that approach. He would shell up, wait for the other guy to stop throwing, then return fire. They just don’t teach inside fighting in the Cuban amateur system. It doesn’t appear that Shields works on that aspect of the game enough.

That's why I think Cruz made a wise decision by choosing Bozy Ennis. The Cuban + Philly fusion could create a formidable boxer-puncher. I'm very interested in seeing Cruz/Muratalla.