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

[kiaba360]

So far Cruz looks like he’s adapting well to the pros. He’s extremely talented, so that helps. Cubans developed a system that worked very well in the amateurs (the so-called “Cuban School”), and it worked exceedingly well for decades — so much so that other countries would import Cuban coaches, in hopes of improving their own amateur system. But that style doesn’t usually translate well to the pros, as we’ve seen. Trouble is that it’s become so ingrained that practically all the fighters that come from the island are saddled with it for the rest of their fighting days. Old habits are very hard to break. Morrell is borderline. He’s got great power, a pleasing style and a lot of heart, but his amateur background sometimes shows. I’d say that’ll probably prove true of Andy as well.

When I watch Morrell, it seems like he's fully transitioned into a professional style, for better or worse. He's fallen in love with his highlight reel power and athleticism, and we've seen what can happen to those who rely heavily on talent and toughness. If Morrell was more than an athletic slugger, I think he would've been able to separate himself from Khataev. Cruz seems to have a better grasp on his amateur style, and maybe the difference is their IQ in addition to their trainer. After all, Cruz is the Olympic medalist. I would assume that Bozy aims to develop Cruz's one-punch power, while also acclimating Cruz to trench warfare. Let's see if Cruz can put it all together against Muratalla.

[CubanGuyNYC]

When I watch Morrell, it seems like he's fully transitioned into a professional style, for better or worse. He's fallen in love with his highlight reel power and athleticism, and we've seen what can happen to those who rely heavily on talent and toughness. If Morrell was more than an athletic slugger, I think he would've been able to separate himself from Khataev. Cruz seems to have a better grasp on his amateur style, and maybe the difference is their IQ in addition to their trainer. After all, Cruz is the Olympic medalist. I would assume that Bozy aims to develop Cruz's one-punch power, while also acclimating Cruz to trench warfare. Let's see if Cruz can put it all together against Muratalla.

I’m seeing on another site that the Muratalla fight is off. Came down five days ago. No reason given.

[hitmanjosh]

Many casuals have David losing due to an aggressive come forward guy who also had a clean knock down however he didn’t control the fight nor win the majority of any rounds, but once people start listening to these poor ass commentators the fans get all misconstrued and jump off the deep end saying it was a robbery. David is struggling at 175 in the 3 fights I witnessed with one being a loss. I do feel he barely pulled it off but I have been doing this for over 40+ years and also was a fighter and I do think he should possibly face him again but not next, move on!

[CubanGuyNYC]

Many casuals have David losing due to an aggressive come forward guy who also had a clean knock down however he didn’t control the fight nor win the majority of any rounds, but once people start listening to these poor ass commentators the fans get all misconstrued and jump off the deep end saying it was a robbery. David is struggling at 175 in the 3 fights I witnessed with one being a loss. I do feel he barely pulled it off but I have been doing this for over 40+ years and also was a fighter and I do think he should possibly face him again but not next, move on!

Agreed. Just finished watching the fight and expected to be disappointed with a “gift” decision for my boy. I may be biased, but I always at least try to be objective. It was a very competitive and enjoyable fight, with practically every round being well-contested. Several frames could’ve been ruled either way, so there will be differing opinions on who should be awarded them. (Clearly the judges experienced this.) I knew Khataev was a worthy opponent coming in, and he lived up to expectations. The announcers should’ve known this, yet they seemed surprised at Imam’s excellent performance. It seemed to affect their views, as they continually leaned in the Russian’s favor.

Imam is one tough SOB, with surprising quickness, solid skills and real power. Only thing he lacked was a gas tank. This turned out to be positive work for David; he faced a good level of adversity without being worn out in the process. It was also reasonably humbling, I imagine. As for the decision, I thought the right man won. It was interesting to note that Morrell was winning the 5th easily, but got caught back peddling for the KD. Also, one of Khataev’s trainers told him, during the break after the 8th, that he needed to “win the next two rounds, just to be sure.” Does that mean anything? Possibly that he wasn’t so convinced his man was winning. As it turns out, David arguably won the rounds in question.

[HisExcellency]

Agreed. Just finished watching the fight and expected to be disappointed with a “gift” decision for my boy. I may be biased, but I always at least try to be objective. It was a very competitive and enjoyable fight, with practically every round being well-contested. Several frames could’ve been ruled either way, so there will be differing opinions on who should be awarded them. (Clearly the judges experienced this.) I knew Khataev was a worthy opponent coming in, and he lived up to expectations. The announcers should’ve known this, yet they seemed surprised at Imam’s excellent performance. It seemed to affect their views, as they continually leaned in the Russian’s favor.

Imam is one tough SOB, with surprising quickness, solid skills and real power. Only thing he lacked was a gas tank. This turned out to be positive work for David; he faced a good level of adversity without being worn out in the process. It was also reasonably humbling, I imagine. As for the decision, I thought the right man won. It was interesting to note that Morrell was winning the 5th easily, but got caught back peddling for the KD. Also, one of Khataev’s trainers told him, during the break after the 8th, that he needed to “win the next two rounds, just to be sure.” Does that mean anything? Possibly that he wasn’t so convinced his man was winning. As it turns out, David arguably won the rounds in question.

I'm a Morrell fan but he definitely LOST that fight by at least 2-3 rounds (plus the knockdown). However, the reason I'm NOT screaming robbery is because Khataev is a known drugs cheat and only a fool would think that had zero impact on the knockdown and power facing Morrell all night (think Garcia vs. Haney/Romero). Also, I don't think it helped that Morrell had just been through a war with Benavidez but it's interesting to note his chin held up pretty well during that fight. In hindsight, I think it was a MISTAKE for Morrell to agree to face Khataev plus I can't help but think he was surprised by the PED abuser's power which put him on the backfoot for most of the fight.

[CubanGuyNYC]

I'm a Morrell fan but he definitely LOST that fight by at least 2-3 rounds (plus the knockdown). However, the reason I'm NOT screaming robbery is because Khataev is a known drugs cheat and only a fool would think that had zero impact on the knockdown and power facing Morrell all night (think Garcia vs. Haney/Romero). Also, I don't think it helped that Morrell had just been through a war with Benavidez but it's interesting to note his chin held up pretty well during that fight. In hindsight, I think it was a MISTAKE for Morrell to agree to face Khataev plus I can't help but think he was surprised by the PED abuser's power which put him on the backfoot for most of the fight.

I appreciate your objectivity, but I stand by my view: I thought Morrell won — I’d agree with the judge that had it 96-93 for David. It’s possible that Khataev benefited from PEDs in this fight, but I’m not giving it much thought. He was, however, a bull in appearance and performance. I was fairly impressed, to be honest. I agree that David showed a pretty solid chin. As I stated earlier, the knockdown happened with Morrell backpedaling. I had expected it to be worse. He took a few good shots, besides. I consider this another learning experience for the Cuban. He still has very few pro fights under his belt. Can’t forget that. His next bout should be a little bit of a lighter touch. The last two outings have been serious.

[HisExcellency]

I appreciate your objectivity, but I stand by my view: I thought Morrell won — I’d agree with the judge that had it 96-93 for David. It’s possible that Khataev benefited from PEDs in this fight, but I’m not giving it much thought. He was, however, a bull in appearance and performance. I was fairly impressed, to be honest. I agree that David showed a pretty solid chin. As I stated earlier, the knockdown happened with Morrell backpedaling. I had expected it to be worse. He took a few good shots, besides. I consider this another learning experience for the Cuban. He still has very few pro fights under his belt. Can’t forget that. His next bout should be a little bit of a lighter touch. The last two outings have been serious.

Fair enough but I still CAN'T see Morrell winning the fight (especially 96-93 given the knockdown) but each to their own. Also, I don't think you can overlook the impact of PEDs on Khataev's power (e.g. Garcia vs. Haney) and work rate (e.g. Rodriguez vs. Yafai). Therefore, it'll always be a tainted loss in my opinion. Having said that, I definitely agree that Morrell deserves an easier fight next as he's taken a LOT of punishment in his last 2 fights. However, given the close nature of the fight plus the fact that some fan's are screaming 'robbery', I wouldn't be surprised if Turki orders an immediate rematch.

[CubanGuyNYC]

Fair enough but I still CAN'T see Morrell winning the fight (especially 96-93 given the knockdown) but each to their own. Also, I don't think you can overlook the impact of PEDs on Khataev's power (e.g. Garcia vs. Haney) and work rate (e.g. Rodriguez vs. Yafai). Therefore, it'll always be a tainted loss in my opinion. Having said that, I definitely agree that Morrell deserves an easier fight next as he's taken a LOT of punishment in his last 2 fights. However, given the close nature of the fight plus the fact that some fan's are screaming 'robbery', I wouldn't be surprised if Turki orders an immediate rematch.

I would actually love to see a rematch, just not right away. I don’t mean to diminish the impact of PEDs in the sport; I just wasn’t too concerned about it with regards to this fight. But maybe you’re right; maybe I should’ve been. Imam was throwing some sharp punches with regularity — and power. He took some wicked shots from Morrell, as well. Khataev’s head snapped back a number of times from the Cuban’s uppercuts. Entertaining fight, for sure.

[HisExcellency]

I would actually love to see a rematch, just not right away. I don’t mean to diminish the impact of PEDs in the sport; I just wasn’t too concerned about it with regards to this fight. But maybe you’re right; maybe I should’ve been. Imam was throwing some sharp punches with regularity — and power. He took some wicked shots from Morrell, as well. Khataev’s head snapped back a number of times from the Cuban’s uppercuts. Entertaining fight, for sure.

Garcia destroyed Haney and dropped him multiple times but couldn't put a dent in Rolly (who'd already been stopped twice). Also, Rodriguez put a beating on Yafai and fought like a man possessed with endless stamina. Both were later popped for PEDs. Therefore, I don't think we can overlook the impact of them on Khataev's performance or Morrell's fight strategy.

As for Morrell, it'll be interesting to see what he does next but he's been in 2 VERY entertaining fights (the kind Turki loves) that I'm sure he'll either give Khataev an immediate rematch or put him in with undefeated Venezuelan puncher Ramirez or Callum Smith.