Smith (31-2, 22 KOs) will defend his WBO interim light heavyweight title against the talented Cuban on April 18. Their fight will take place at the M&S Bank Arena in Smith’s hometown of Liverpool, England.

Smith, ranked third among The Ring’s 175-pound contenders, hasn’t boxed since February 2025, when he won the WBO interim belt with a thrilling 12-round decision victory over Joshua Buatsi in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

All of the 35-year-old Smith’s biggest nights have taken place on foreign soil.

In December 2020, Smith traveled to San Antonio in Texas to box a prime Canelo Alvarez in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Smith lost their super middleweight unification match by unanimous decision.

In January 2024, he crossed the Atlantic to challenge the fearsome Artur Beterbiev in Quebec City, Canada, near Beterbiev’s adopted hometown of Montreal. Beterbiev successfully defended his WBC/WBO/IBF light heavyweight titles with a seventh-round stoppage.

Even Smith’s 2018 seventh-round stoppage of George Groves in the final of the prestigious World Boxing Super Series – a win which earned him The Ring and WBA 168-pound titles – took place in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Smith hasn’t boxed in Liverpool since beating John Ryder in 2019, but finally has the opportunity to bring a major fight to his hometown.

“It's a massive thing,” Smith told The Ring.

“It's huge for me. It’s been a long time since I've been able to fight in front of my own fans. I've said before I'm proud to be from this city, proud to represent them and they always back their own. I've had great support from day one. I’ve been on a bit of a world tour over the last few years, so it's good to finally get one back at home.”

“It's a massive fight as well. I think when people see me in Liverpool they kind of assume it's a routine defense, but this is a very high-level championship fight and I'm very fortunate that I do get to have it in my backyard.”

Morrell (12-1, 9 KOs) will box outside of the United States for the first time in his professional career.

At the very highest level, the margins are so fine that tiny details can make massive differences.

The 28-year-old southpaw will have to deal with what is expected to be a large, loud crowd, but a hostile fight night atmosphere is just one of the factors a traveling fighter needs to contend with.

As well as acclimating to a different climate and time zone, they need to find places to eat and kill time. They have to put their trust in unfamiliar faces and importantly, need somewhere comfortable to make weight. Smith has been through the process time and time again and is pleased that, for once, he can concentrate solely on the fight.

“I know he's Cuban,” Smith said, “but he's based in the States, so making him come out of his comfort zone will be a bit of a bonus and then me being in my comfort zone back at home, them little percentages can make a difference. Especially at this level.

“The small percentages can be the difference between winning and losing. Fingers crossed that if the fight does get tough, then I've got a crowd cheering me on and trying to pull me through it. I'm excited to put in a big performance and hopefully come away with a win.”