"With Nothing But Jeans and a T-Shirt, I Left Cuba: Missing My Grandmother's Death Was My Toughest Moment"

DAVID MORRELL left Cuba and his family behind with just a T-shirt and pair of jeans – and no cash in those pockets.

Morrell – who grew up fighting in the streets from the age of nine – was a champion in the unpaid amateur ranks.

David Morrell left Cuba and his family behind with just a T-shirt and pair of jeans Credit: Jacob De Leon/Team Morrell

But with professional boxing – before it was overturned in 2022 – fighters from the South American nation were forced to defect.

Often this came with dangers, with some even dying in their and pursue their prizefighting dreams.

Usually, it would end in arrests and Morrell was no different when he first tried to leave Cuba.

It initially left his mother Betty distraught but she eventually gave her blessing for Morrell to try again after he grew disillusioned with the amateur game.

He told SunSport: “I was arrested on the first illegal departure I made in Cuba, and it was Mother’s Day.

“I have this memory. She got very upset with my dad. I spent the whole year far from my family, I only went to my house twice a year for a week, two weeks.

“The day that I left, I spoke with her, I asked her permission, I told her what was happening, what was occurring, how I felt with everything that had happened in the national team.

“I wasn’t going to take any more injustice that was happening at that moment with me and I asked for her blessing.

“She gave it to me and thank God I was able to arrive in Mexico.”

Morrell with his mum BettyCredit: Refer to source

Pro boxing was banned in Cuba by then-president Fidel Castro so the focus could instead be on the national amateur programme.

And Cuba dominated the amateurs with only the United States having more Olympic boxing medals.

The ban of pro boxing forced Cubans to dangerously attempt to defect to Europe or America, often on speedboats or old trucks.

Some would dye their hair, change their appearance or in some cases even dress up as women just to go undetected.

Morrell successfully defected first to Mexico in 2018 on a speedboat, kissing his mum once more before also waving farewell to his old life.

But heartbreakingly, he never got to say goodbye to his grandmother, which still haunts him to this day.

He said: “It was one of the most difficult things because of the process that I have gone through to get to the United States.

“Apart from that being here, the passing of my grandmother, I left without saying goodbye to her and I couldn’t see her anymore.”

Morrell’s grandmother, who encouraged him to defect Cuba

Morrell boarded the speedboat with just a pair of jeans, a T-shirt, trainers and a light windbreaker to his name.

Asked how much money he had, he shrugged: “None.”

He eventually arrived in Mexico – where he spent time establishing legal residency.

Morrell was then signed by Cuban expatriate Luis DeCubas Sr and Leon Margules.

He initially set up in California’s Santa Clara before switching to Minnesota before relocating now to Las Vegas.

Morrell would achieve what he set out to do, become world champion and make enough money to provide for his family back home in Cuba.

He won world titles at super-middleweight and light-heavyweight while welcoming a son and daughter with his partner Isis Rodriguez.

Morrell often thinks back to the last piece of advice his nan gave him – and knows that despite all the heartache of defecting – it was the right decision.

He said: “My grandmother always told me, ‘You know, your future is going to be big, just keep your feet on the ground and do things right’.

“But in that moment I never understood it until I arrived here and saw everything how it was, everything how it was flowing and I said ‘wow’.”

Morrell was initially due in England on April 18 to face Liverpool’s Callum Smith –

Thankfully, promoter Frank Warren was able to put the Cuban on Saturday’s bill

Morrell will take on Zak Chelli – a powerhouse of 20 wins, three losses and one draw.

And Morrell beamed: “It’s a great opportunity for me. It’s the big boxing community in England.

“I feel happy for this moment, the new experience, the new country in my life for the fight too, so I feel happy for this opportunity.”