World-rated light heavyweight contender Imam Khataev will return for the first time since losing to David Morrell on Thursday.

Khataev, The Ring's No. 7-rated operator at 175 pounds, had been geared up to face Richard Rivera but will instead face experienced former world title challenger Adam Deines at Lac Leamy Casino, Gatineau, Canada.

"Nothing really changes for me mentally, I will accept fighting anyone that is put in front of me, I'm totally zoned in for December 11 and looking forward to getting back to my winning ways after that controversial decision loss to Morrell," Khataev (10-1, 9 KOs) told The Ring.

"The only adjustment I have made is previously being scheduled to fight an orthodox fighter in Rivera and now fighting Deines, a southpaw.

"My last opponent was a southpaw, so I'm already conditioned to that stance change and actually now even more excited to face another."

Deines has previously shared a ring with former Ring and undisputed champion Artur Beterbiev, as well as top contender Albert Ramirez, suffering stoppage defeats in March 2021 and August 2024 respectively. Khataev isn't putting pressure on himself to better their results, though admits if he can, it would throw down a marker to the rest of his rivals.

"My goal is to always challenge myself and keep improving," he said. "I watched Beterbiev-Deines, was still an amateur forging my path to the professional ranks back then."

"If my wins come by way of knockout, that's a credit to my work ethic. This fight is no different and yes, making a statement by bettering Beterbiev and Ramirez's victories is great because it puts the division further on notice: I'm not going to stop until I get what is mine, to become a world and undisputed champion. Insha'Allah, I will soon show you the best version of myself."

Looking back, he feels he was hard done by against Morrell and hasn't been deterred.

"Despite all the hype and build-up, I sensed fear in him early on," he recalled. "I definitely beat him and the whole world witnessed it, after that controversial decision everyone on social media and boxing platforms commented saying I won. No matter how hard they try to duck me, not Morrell nor anyone else will escape me, they are all on my radar.

"In fact, I should be the one fighting WBO interim champion Callum Smith not Morrell. Yes, my name and profile has become bigger after that fight, I consider myself to be an elite boxer and Morrell was not a high-level boxer in my opinion. Right now, I'm only focusing on Adam Deines."

In doing so, he has changed his head trainer. Out goes Anton Kadushin and in comes his brother Shamil, a boxer himself, until an eye injury forced him to retire last year.

"My brother Shamil and I have been working together since the very beginning of my boxing career," he said. "I just never involved him as a coach until recently. We know each other very well, and I feel very comfortable working with him. His trainer methods are nothing new to me and to add further, Shamil actually brings more attacking energy to my already aggressive style."

Eye of The Tiger President Camille Estephan was pleased to be able to get a like-for-like opponent when Rivera was unable to fight.

"Be it [Deines] or Rivera they're very good fighters," said the promoter. "I believe Imam showed with his performance against Morrell that he's on a whole different level and I feel he beat him.

"We want to bring him back and show he can beat anybody, we'll prove it in the ring."

Deines (24-3-1, 14 KOs) turned professional in 2015 and won his first seven fights before being held to a draw by Karel Horejsek before besting his rival with a sixth-round stoppage during their direct rematch, propelling him forward.

The 34-year-old German southpaw came up short in a 12-round decision loss despite dropping Fanlong Meng during their IBF eliminator in June 2019 but after rebounding with two stoppage wins, was able to face then-unified champion Beterbiev in Moscow.

Despite producing a solid effort on away territory, Beterbiev scored a 10th-round stoppage in March 2021. Since then, he's won five of six outings - losing to another EOTT-backed 175-pound contender, the aforementioned Ramirez after seven rounds in August 2024.