David Morrell knows exactly when he arrived in the United States: July 15, 2019, 10:15 in the morning. “One year and three months go,” he said in English.
And who could blame the former amateur star from Cuba for having that stamped on his brain? His arrival ended a trying year and a half in Mexico, his direct destination when he defected from his native land by motor boat on a harrowing two-day journey, and marked the beginning of his career as a professional boxer.
In Mexico, he lived with other emigres while he waited for a visa to start his new life north of the border.
“I had a lot of difficulties,” said Morrell, a super middleweight contender who fights Mike Gavronski on Saturday in Los Angeles (FOX). “I left Cuba on a boat, in the ocean, scared for my life. Then a year and a half in Mexico, by myself really.
“Yes, it was difficult.”
Morrell could’ve made his home in Miami, which has a large Cuban community and is the town most Cuban boxers call home. However, he wasn’t comfortable with that idea. It was too much like Cuba, too many distractions.
He wanted to be in an environment where he could focus intently on realizing his boxing dreams. With that in mind, his promoter, Luis DeCubas, gave him three choices: Los Angeles, Las Vegas or Minneapolis.
He chose Minneapolis, which couldn’t be much more different from Cuba. Around 10% of Minneapolis residents are Hispanic and a fraction of that number are Cuban.
“I told (DeCubas) that I choose Minneapolis,” Morrell said. “He said, ‘The thing about Minnesota is it’s really cold.’ I said, ‘I’ll get better at English because I won’t be around a lot of Cubans.’”
And what about the climate?
“I’m adapting now,” he said with a laugh. “At first, yes, it was freezing.”
Just as he planned, he has been able to focus on boxing, although he has had the same COVID-19-related challenges. For example, he couldn’t find sparring partners before his last fight, a wide decision over Lennox Allen on Aug. 8.
He’s content, though. He is comfortable working with trainers Sankara and Adonis Frazier, who also work with welterweight contender Jamal James. And while he has yet to reunite with his parents and siblings — which is his goal — he has a girlfriend of Cuban descent in Minneapolis.
Someone suggested that he found the only Cuban in Minnesota. He laughed and said, “Yes, it’s true.”
“I’m alone here when it comes to blood,” he said. “I’m by myself. Thank God I have a girlfriend who is also Cuban. And she and her family treat me like I’m one of their own. I’m grateful for that.”
And he’s grateful for the opportunities that professional boxing has provided.
Morrell (3-0, 2 KOs) was a youth champion as an amateur, both at the national and world level. That foundation has allowed him to progress quickly as a pro. His first fight was a scheduled six-rounder, his second eight and his third 12, in which he defeated the previously unbeaten Allen to win the vacant WBA “interim” title.
The plan all along was for Morrell to progress rapidly, just not necessarily that rapidly.
“It was just how everything presented itself,” he said. “It came quicker than we thought. I was asked about the [Allen] fight, whether I wanted to take it. I was ready. I said, ‘I’ll take it.’ I believe in myself, my team believes in me, so I went ahead and took the fight.”
The result was impressive, in spite of the lack of sparring: He outboxed and outworked his veteran opponent, winning 120-108, 119-109 and 118-110.
Now, three fights into his career, he’s in line to fight the WBA titleholder sometime soon. Who is that champion? Canelo Alvarez.
Is he ready for that? Well, Morrell was asked how long he believes he’ll have to wait before he fights for a world title. He didn’t want to answer directly, simply acknowledging that he is still developing as a fighter and that his time will come.
He also has big dreams. He was asked what he wanted to accomplish in boxing and used the word “legend” three times.
“As of right now I can’t really answer that question,” he said, referring to his time table. “That’s more of a question for my team. As my career goes on, I feel better and better. I’ll be ready when the world title shot comes.”
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