Solidifying his link to Minneapolis and the historic Armory in the heart of the city, WBA super middleweight champion David Morrell Jr. announced today that he is tapping Minneapolis Entrepreneur and Armory Visionary Ned Abdul to be part of his management team.
Morrell, a native of Cuba now fighting out of Minneapolis, made the announcement shortly after his successful defense of his WBA World Super Middleweight championship Sunday night at the Armory.
With his victory over previously unbeaten Mario Cazares, Morrell improved his record to 5-0 — and burnished his credentials as rising star in the boxing world. After winning 130 of 132 amateur fights as part of the famed Cuban national team, the hard-hitting boxer-puncher became a world champion in just his third professional bout.
“My life in and out of the ring is in a really good place,” Morrell proclaimed minutes after extending his unbeaten record last night. “I love fighting here before these Minnesota fans and my affiliation with the Armory is sweet. Now to add my new found big brother Ned as a mentor and confidant is a huge step. I’m blessed to have such a top-notch team.”
As part of his management team, Abdul will lean on his business acumen to advise the boxer. He joins a team that includes Minneapolis-based trainers Sankara Frazier and Adonis Frazier of the Circle of Discipline Gym, and promoters Leon Margules and Luis DeCubas of Warriors Boxing.
“I’m flattered David has asked me to help manage his affairs,” Abdul said. “David has built a talented team around him and that will continue. None of that changes.”
Investing in a major renovation, the highly successful entrepreneur transformed an underutilized building into a go-to place for sports, concerts and other events – including world championship boxing.
Under Abdul’s tenure, the Armory has hosted a number of nationally televised boxing cards featuring top local and national talent. In 2019, the Armory hosted more Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) boxing cards than the Staples Center in Los Angeles, and the Barclay Center in Brooklyn, New York.
Among the top talents to fight at the Armory is Morrell, who burst onto the national scene with a KO victory at the downtown Minneapolis venue.
With Abdul as his advisor and the rest of his team firmly in place, Morrell believes his career is on the right path. What’s more, Morrell further establishes the Armory as his home base, where he aims to entertain fans in his adopted hometown for years to come.
Abdul likes what he sees in Morrell: a highly skilled and dedicated young man who lives, eats and sleeps boxing and has a good head on his shoulders.
“I’m excited to work with David to reach his goals in and out of the ring and help guide him for all the lives he’s going to touch along the way,” Abdul said. “It’s not just the belts he wins. David is so much more than a world-class fighter. He’s a superb human being. A class act.”
“A lot of kids are really good and talented, but this kid is focused and hungry on top of it,” Abdul added. “He lives a clean life. He’s not doing this to get famous. He’s doing it so he can make a life for himself and his family.”
“I’ve been around combat sports my whole life. This is the right opportunity in our hometown with the right guy.”
Morrell is among the latest in a long line of champion boxers to step through the ropes at the Armory. Also making a name for himself at the Armory is Morrell’s stablemate Jamal “Shango” James, a Minneapolis boxer and fellow world champion.
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.
Featuring all-time greats that include Sugar Ray Robinson, Henry Armstrong and Fritzie Zivic, and local legends such as Glen Flanagan and Jack Gibbons. 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.
(info courtesy of Minneapolis Armory)