Okay, seriously, somebody needs to pick a different date.
December 18th is now even more bloated with boxing, as David Morrel Jr. will defend his WBA “world” super middleweight title against Alantez Fox at The Armory in Minneapolis on FOX.
The card will go head to head with both Jake Paul vs. Tommy Fury on PPV and Zurdo Ramirez vs. Yunieski Gonzalez on DAZN.
You may recall the WBA ordering Morrell (5-0, 4 KO) to fight John Ryder back in January, but “The Gorilla” reportedly passed, as he’s since been linked to a light heavyweight title shot against Dmitry Bivol. Morrell instead took on Mario Cazares, who’d parlayed an upset of Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. into a title shot that lasted all of 2:32 before Morrell blasted him into oblivion.
“I’m thankful to my whole team for this opportunity to once again perform in front of my fans at The Armory in Minneapolis,” said Morrell. “We had a great night there in June and we’ve been building on that all training camp. I can’t wait to feel the energy of the fans again and continue to show why I’m a force in the super middleweight division.”
Fox (28-2-1, 13 KO) lost his two biggest fights at 160, a decision against Demetrius Andrade and TKO against Liam Williams, but has recently begun plying his craft at 168. A bout with Habib Ahmed ended in a no contest due to headbutts, and he’s since beaten Marcos Hernandez and Manny Woods.
“I’m excited to be fighting for my first world title — it’s ‘SlyAza’ Fox on FOX!” said Fox. “This is an early Christmas gift. Get your shopping done, get home and be ready for a show. I always stay ready and I’m going to make sure to take full advantage of this opportunity. I’ve been waiting my whole life for this shot and I’m going to bring the title back home with me.”
The co-feature pits lightweight prospect Jose Valenzuela (10-0, 6 KO) against Austin Dulay (14-2, 10 KO). Dulay fell short against Chris Colbert and Diego Magdaleno in his most notable bouts, but still represents a step-up for the 22-year-old Valenzuela.
“I’m thankful to be on this big stage and in a position to show off my talents for the world on FOX,” said Valenzuela. “I’m getting better and better and more and more dangerous as I continue to grow and learn. Dulay is another tough opponent, but I’m going to be prepared for anything he tries to do in the ring. I’m working hard every day and I’m hungry to prove myself again on December 18.”
“I’m feeling really strong coming off my leg injury and my movement and explosiveness is back and better than ever,” said Dulay. “I expect this to be an exciting and highly entertaining fight, as we have some style similarities. I know Valenzuela is going to be a game opponent and he comes from a strong stable, but I’m looking to use this fight to restart my career. He’s going to have to deal with the best version of Austin Dulay on December 18.”