Unbeaten super middleweight David Morrell will face Alantez Fox on December 18, Premier Boxing Champions announced Thursday evening.

The 12-round bout will take place at The Armory in Morrell’s adopted hometown of Minneapolis, Minnesota and will headline a ‘FOX PBC Fight Night’ telecast (8 p.m. ET/ 5 p.m. PT).

Morrell (5-0, 4 knockouts), a former amateur star out of Cuba, scored a highlight-reel opening round knockout over Mexico’s Mario Cazares, who had a recent victory over Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr., on June 27. The win over Cazares came six months after Morrell knocked out fringe contender Mike Gavronski in round 3.

The 23-year-old southpaw has demonstrated power and aggression in his last couple of fights. Promoter Tom Brown is confident Morrell could become a legit contender in the next year or so.

“David Morrell Jr. is quickly becoming a fan-favorite at The Armory in his new hometown of Minneapolis, and he’ll look to continue his rise up the super middleweight division taking on the always tough Alantez Fox on December 18,” said Brown, president of TGB Promotions. “The Armory was rocking for David in June and he delivered a memorable first-round knockout for everyone watching. I expect another incredible atmosphere for this whole (December 18) card.”

Morrell does have his sights set on facing the upper echelon of the 168-pound division. He is hoping to make a statement at the expense of FOX.

“We had a great night there in June and we’ve been building on that all training camp,” said Morrell. “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 KOs), who resides in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, also fought on the same June 27 card, stopping Manny Woods in round 5.

After beginning his career at 154 pounds, Fox made his way up to middleweight, suffering his first defeat as a pro at the hands of Demetrius Andrade in October 2017. Fox would win his next three bouts before losing by knockout to Liam Williams in December 2019.

The 29-year-old will have a three-inch height advantage, along with a reach advantage and number of fights as a pro, over Morrell. Fox believes he can utilize these intangibles and come victorious.

“This is an early Christmas gift,” said Fox, who is the older brother of fringe welterweight contender Mykal Fox. “Get your shopping done early, 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.”

In the co-feature, lightweight prospect Jose Valenzuela will square off against Austin Dulay in a 10-round bout.

Valenzuela (10-0, 6 KOs), who is originally from the boxing hotbed of Los Mochis, Mexico and now resides in Seattle, Washington, defeated Colombia’s Deiner Berrio in his last bout on September 18. The fight took place four weeks after Valenzuela stopped Donte Strayhorn in round 4.

The 22-year-old is a stablemate of super middleweight contender David Benavidez, who fights Kyrone Davis on Saturday night.

Dulay (14-2, 10 KOs), who resides in Nashville, Tennessee, rebounded from a loss to former world title challenger Diego Magdaleno on February 15 of last year to defeat Jose Gallegos by unanimous decision over nine months later.

Francisco A. Salazar has written for The Ring since October 2013 and has covered boxing in Southern California and abroad since 2000. Francisco also covers boxing for the Ventura County (California) Star newspaper. He can be reached by email at [email protected] or on Twitter at FSalazarBoxing