In what promises to be a historic night of boxing, local fan favorite David Morrell Jr. will return to The Armory in Minneapolis on Saturday, Dec. 16, to defend his WBA “Regular” Super Middleweight world title against highly regarded knockout artist Sena Agbeko of Ghana.
Morrell (9-0, 8 KOs), a native of Cuba who now calls Minneapolis home, is a big draw at The Armory, one of boxing’s premium venues. A win over Agbeko (28-2, 22 KOs) would solidify his standing as one of the elite boxers in the 168-pound division and put him in line for even bigger opportunities, including a potential mega-fight with unbeaten rival David Benavidez.
The Premier Boxing Champions card will be memorable for another reason: It’s the last televised boxing card for Showtime Championship Boxing. After 37 years of televising pro boxing, Showtime plans to exit the sport. The Armory card will be Showtime’s last boxing telecast.
“I’m coming home because it’s going to be the last Showtime card,” Morrell said. “I am blessed that they picked me to be the last fighter fighting on this epic boxing series.”
Another motivating factor will be the ringside presence of Morrell’s parents, who recently immigrated from Cuba and will be in attendance for the first time in his professional career.
“I’m so happy. It has been a long, long time since I have seen my family. I am very excited that my family is here to share this with me,” Morrell said.
Hoping to spoil Morrell’s family reunion is Agbeko, who launched his boxing career in Ghana and now fights out of Nashville, Tennessee. In October, “The African Assassin” called out Morrell after stopping Bruno Leonardo Romay (22-11) in Sioux City, Iowa.
Now riding a five-fight winning streak, Agbeko was three-for-three last year. His body of work in 2022 includes an upset win over previously unbeaten Isaiah Steen (16-0 at the time), and stoppage victories against Winfred Harris, Jr. (22-1-1), and Apollo Thompson (19-4).
Agbeko is determined to pull off another upset when he steps into the ring against Morrell, and he’s not expecting the fight to go the distance.
“I’m coming into Minnesota. It’s his adopted hometown and I know that I am going to have to pull out a stoppage to win,” he said. “Everybody knows me to be a power puncher. My plan is to stop him and I am training to stop him. He wants to do the same. He wants to cement himself as the boogeyman in the division. But my prediction is I am going to stop Morrell on Dec. 16.”
Morrell is coming off one of his most explosive knockouts as a pro, a first-round blowout of Yamaguchi Falcao (24-1-1) in April at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. He vows to score another big win in his return to The Armory, where he launched his pro career in 2019 and has a perfect 5-0 record.
“I just had a big fight in Las Vegas. Vegas is another level, but it’s a dream come true fighting again at The Armory,” he said.
Morrell says he’s unfazed by his opponent’s prediction of a knockout.
“That’s normal. I am used to it. In the ring, we are going to see who the best is. I am going to do my work and I am going to shut him up like I always do. I am ready. I am going hard. Right now is one of the hardest parts in camp, but I am ready to go,” he said.
Supporting the main event is a compelling rematch between super featherweight contenders Chris Colbert (17-1, 6 KOs), of Brooklyn, New York, and Jose Valenzuela (12-2, 8 KOs), a native of Mexico now living in Renton, Washington. In March, Colbert narrowly defeated Valenzuela on the scorecards.