David Morrell, Jr. Defends His WBA World Super Middleweight Title June 27th At Armory
Minneapolis Armory Welcomes Pro Boxing Back with a Nationally Televised PBC Fight Card
World championship boxing returns to the Minneapolis Armory on Sunday, June 27, as hometown hero David Morrell Jr. defends his WBA world super middleweight title against undefeated contender Mario Abel Cazares in a Premier Boxing Champions event.
Morrell, a native of Cuba now fighting out of the Circle of Discipline gym in Minneapolis, is ready to put on a good show for the fans as the Armory hosts its first boxing match since the pandemic-induced hiatus. The fight, part of thePremier Boxing Champions series, will be televised live on national FOX at 7 p.m. Central/8 p.m. Eastern/5 p.m. Pacific.
“I’m very excited to return to The Armory, where I have never lost,” said Morrell, who holds the WBA regular super middleweight belt. “I have been training hard with my Circle of Discipline teammates in Barnum, Minnesota, and I can’t wait to get back in the ring in Minneapolis.”
Before COVID-19 forced the shutdown of in-person sporting events, The Armory established itself as one of the elite boxing venues in the U.S. Rich in boxing history, The Armory was built in the 1930s for the Minnesota National Guard and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Tickets for the June 27th card are on sale now through the Armory box office.
Since 2018, the beautifully renovated venue has hosted six nationally televised boxing cards featuring world championship fights and numerous other bouts involving top local, national and international talent.
Morrell (4-0, three knockouts), an emerging star in the sport, has appeared on national TV in all four of his pro fights.
Morrell, 23, arrived in the U.S. in 2019 and immediately began to show the same prodigious talents that made him a standout in Cuba’s iconic amateur scene. In August 2019, the young boxer made his pro debut at The Armory with a first-round TKO victory. Morrell followed that up in November 2019 on FS1, knocking out an opponent in Quinton Rankin, who entered the fight with a 15-6-2 record and had gone the distance with former champion Chad Dawson.
Last August, Morrell won the WBA interim world super middleweight title with a decision victory over previously unbeaten Lennox Allen. He followed that up in December with an emphatic knockout win over veteran Mike Gavronski.
As the defending WBA champion, Morrell faces a tough test in Cazares (12-0, five KOs). Fighting out of Mexico, Cazares is coming off an impressive win over former world champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. in his most recent fight.
The reigning WBA interim welterweight champion, Minneapolis native Jamal “Shango” James, has been working with Morrell at the Circle of Discipline’s training camp in Barnum, Minnesota. James (27-1) is expected to return to action at The Armory in the near future.
Steeped in boxing tradition, The Armory has hosted fights featuring all-time greats that include Sugar Ray Robinson, Henry Armstrong and Fritzie Zivic, and local legends such as Glen Flanagan and Jack Gibbons.