David Morrell (12-1, 9 KOs) had to overcome a fifth round knockdown to come on strong late to defeat 2020 Olympic bronze medalist Imam Khataev (10-1, 9 KOs) by a 10-round split decision in a thrilling fight on Saturday night at the Louis Armstrong Stadium in Queens, New York.

The scores

95-94 for Khataev
96-93 for Morrell
95-94 for Morrell

Khataev landed a lot of heavy punches during the fight, taking advantage of Morrell backing up against the ropes and covering up behind a high guard.

Morrell Hurts Khataev Ninth 

Things were looking bleak for Morrell after the fifth, but he responded well, attacking Khataev with hard punches to the head and body. He jabbed effectively. When Khataev held in rounds eight through ten, Morrell frequently made him pay by landing hard shots when they would break.

In rounds nine and ten, Morrell rocked Khataev with shots. He looked out on his feet in the final 30 seconds of the final round, from the hard punches Morrell had landed.

Power Punch Stats

David Morrell: 97 of 213 for 46%

Imam Khataev: 129 of 352 for 37%