Callum Smith vs David Morrell Jr official for April 18th in Liverpool
After an agonizing series of delays, Callum Smith and David Morrell Jr are officially set to meet in a tantalizing light heavyweight showdown for the interim WBO title on April 18th at Liverpool’s M&S Bank Arena.
Hometown fighter Smith (31-2, 22 KO) is coming off a cracker of a fight with Joshua Buatsi last February, which saw him overpower his undefeated opponent and prove that he still had something left in the tank after the prior year’s destructive loss to Artur Beterbiev. Despite being 35 with a number of donnybrooks under his belt, he’s a legitimate player at 175 now that the Bivol-Beterbiev era appears to be winding down.
It’s questionable whether the same can be said of Morrell (12-1, 9 KO), a monstrous super middleweight who’s looked worryingly mortal at light heavyweight. Since capping off his run at 168 with a two-round mauling of Sena Agbeko, he’s taken a decision over Radivoje Kalajdzic, lost his 0 to David Benavidez, and taken a highly controversial split decision over Imam Khataev in which Morrell hit the canvas for the first time.
In terms of action potential, this is among the best fights on the schedule. We’ll keep you posted as the undercard comes together.
Czechia Seeks Revenge Against Canada in Olympic Quarterfinals
Czechia knows what to expect when they face Canada in the quarterfinals of the men's Olympic tournament, hoping for a better result than the 5-0 thrashing they received in the opener. 'We let them win the first one because we knew we were not going to win two in a row against Canada,' said Czech forward Martin Necas.
The game is scheduled for 10:40 a.m. ET/7:40 a.m. PT on Thursday. 'It might be the best team ever, so maybe we have to put the respect aside a little bit and try to take their game to them,' added David Pastrnak. This will be the first Canada-Czechia men's hockey playoff game with NHL players at the Olympics since 1998, when Czechia won 2-1 in a semifinal.
Alcaraz Wins Doha Return
World number one Carlos Alcaraz returned to competitive action with a commanding performance in Qatar, securing his first match since completing the Grand Slam poker in Australia. The young Spaniard needed just 1 hour and 47 minutes to overcome French opponent Arthur Rinderknech.
In other tennis news, Jaume Munar faces an extended absence of at least six weeks due to a right arm injury, forcing him to withdraw from upcoming tournaments in Doha, Dubai, Indian Wells, and Miami.
Benfica vs Real Madrid - Champions League LIVE: Latest score, team news and updates as Jose Mourinho looks to cause an upset against his former side plus Monaco vs PSG and more
Follow Daily Mail Sport's live blog for the latest score, team news and updates from Tuesday's Champions League games featuring Benfica vs Real Madrid and Monaco vs PSG.
Fenerbahce vs Nottingham Forest: Match preview, predicted line-ups, team news, and prediction
Fenerbahce host Nottingham Forest at Sukru Saracoglu Stadium in the UEFA Europa League knockout play-off first leg on Thursday evening.
Fenerbahce played out a 1-1 draw at FCSB in their final league phase fixture, while Forest thrashed Ferencvaros 4-0 at the City Ground.
Match preview
Fenerbahce are in the race with Galatasaray for the Super Lig title, but have struggled in the Europa League.
The Yellow Canaries gathered 12 points in eight games, scoring 10 goals and conceding seven during the league phase.
At home, Fenerbahce have been decent, winning twice, drawing once and losing once.
The Turkish giants have averaged 56.7 per cent possession per game — the third-highest in the competition.
In contrast to Fenerbahce, Forest have struggled domestically, but have fared better in Europe.
The Tricky Trees collected 14 points during the league phase, finishing just two points outside the automatic qualification spot for the round of 16.
Forest have been strong offensively, creating the highest number of big chances (32), and have been decent defensively, conceding seven.
Thursday’s clash is manager Vitor Pereira’s first game in charge of Forest. It remains to be seen how the visitors’ tactical set-up will look under him.
Team news
Defender Archie Brown is Fenerbahce’s only injury concern ahead of this fixture.
Goalkeepers Matz Sels and John Victor, as well as Chris Wood, Murillo, Nicolo Savona, and Willy Boly are sidelined for Forest. Elliot Anderson is back from suspension.
Predicted line-ups
Fenerbahce (4-2-3-1): Ederson, Mert Muldur, Jayden Oosterwolde, Milan Skriniar, Nelson Semedo, N’golo Kante, Matteo Guendouzi, Kerem Akturkoglu, Marco Asensio, Dorgeles Nene, Talisca
Nottingham Forest (4-2-3-1): Angus Gunn, Neco Williams, Morato, Nikola Milenkovic, Ola Aina, Ryan Yates, Elliot Anderson, Dan Ndoye, Morgan Gibbs-White, Igor Jesus, Callum Hudson-Odoi.
Prediction
We predict a 2-1 win for Fenerbahce.
Stats from whoscored.com & sofascore.com