For all of the allure surrounding the top two fights on the card, with Edgar Berlanga vs, Hamzah Sheeraz and Shakur Stevenson vs. William Zepeda, the first fight on the Pay-Per-View could be the best one on July 12.

David Morrell and Imam Khataev will clash in a 10-round light heavyweight bout at Louis Armstrong Stadium in Queens, New York, as part of the “Ring III” card on DAZN PPV.

Morrell (11-1, 9 KOs) enters the bout coming off the first loss of his career, a unanimous-decision defeat to WBC light heavyweight champion David Benavidez (30-0, 24 KOs) on Feb. 1. The 27-year-old Cuban held his own, but Benavidez’s pace and experience proved to be the difference.

Khataev (10-0, 9 KOs) will be in by far the most high-profile fight against the toughest test of his career. The hard-hitting, undefeated Russian began his career with nine consecutive knockouts before going the distance in his last fight when he earned a unanimous decision over Durval Elias Palacio (15-4, 11 KOs) on March 22.

In a relatively thin light heavyweight division, the winner could be on the doorstep of a big fight the next time they step into the ring. Here are the keys to victory for Morrell and Khataev:

Morrell is the taller and longer fighter against Khataev. Using both advantages would be to his benefit against a shorter pressure fighter with power such as Khataev.

Khataev’s best chances would be if the fight took place in a phone booth, which would give him opportunities to throw his powerful hooks and straight right hand to the head and body. Morrell has the athleticism, speed and punching power to do damage without allowing Khataev to be in range to fire back.

Morrell isn’t your typical decorated Cuban amateur who enters the pro ranks as a slick boxer who leans heavily on his defense and ability to outbox opponents. He typically goes after them and uses his explosiveness and power to do damage.

However, it’d be wise for Morrell to dial it back a little and use his height, reach and speed advantage to pick off Khataev until he breaks or the final bell rings.

The level of danger Morrell will be in depends largely on who is on the front foot.

While Khataev, 30, can box and counter off his back foot, he’s far more dangerous when he’s moving forward and battering his opponents with combinations to the head and body. Morrell’s ability to push Khataev back while not fighting on the inside will be imperative in determining how difficult his path to victory will be.

If Morrell can push Khataev back and keep him at the end of his punches, particularly his jab and straight left hand, he’ll have the inside track to getting back into the win column.

Morrell’s lack of head movement was largely responsible for his demise against Benavidez.

The southpaw shelled up and depended on his ability to block punches as his primary form of defense. That plan backfired against Benavidez, who consistently broke through Morrell’s guard with his volume and combination punching.

Learning from those defensive miscues will be paramount for Morrell. Moving his head more will allow him more opportunities to counter Khataev, which in turn will allow him to do more damage.

And if Morrell can consistently make Khataev miss and make him pay, he’ll be well-positioned to land arguably his most impressive win to date.

It’s no secret what the best plan is to slow down a quicker opponent.

If Khataev is going to mitigate his speed disadvantage, he must go to the body early and often to slow down Morrell. Going downstairs was also an area where Benavidez found plenty of success against Morrell. Of Benavidez’s 224 punches landed, 76 were to the body.

Khataev needs to emphasize going to the body early and often to slow him down, which could give him a chance to use his pressure and power to take over in the latter stages.

Khataev went the distance for the first time in his last fight and he looked the part of someone who hadn’t been used to going deep into fights.

He labored for much of the second half of his unanimous-decision victory over Palacio. While Khataev still had enough in the tank to hold off a much more experienced Palacio, who had fought at least 10 rounds six times, the Russian took his fair share of damage as the fight progressed. Along with taking more damage, Khataev’s punches lost their steam, which made it more difficult for him to hold off Palacio.

Running out of gas against Morrell will be a recipe for disaster for Khataev. Khataev must be in better shape, or fight at a pace he can maintain, or else he could see his zero in the loss column disappear by night’s end on July 12.

When Khataev is in a rhythm, he’s letting his hands go and he’s attacking the head and body.

He needs to find that form against Morrell if he’s going to have a chance at pulling off the upset. It’ll be especially important to throw in combinations if Morrell is shelling up with his guard on the inside, as Khataev’s punches could eventually find their way through the Cuban’s guard.

Volume and variance paid dividends for Benavidez. Khataev would be remiss not to follow a similar game plan if he’s going to land the most important win of his career.