ALANTEZ FOX
Age: 24
Hometown: Forestville, Maryland
Weight class: Middleweight
Height: 6 feet 5 inches (196 cm)
Amateur record: 170-30 (approximate)
Turned pro: 2010
Pro record: 21-0-1 (10 knockouts)
Trainer: Trey Fox
Manager: N/A
Promoter: DiBella Entertainment / New Legend Boxing, Inc.
Twitter: @SlyAzaFox

Best night of pro career: Fox knocked out his most recent opponent, Ronald Montes, on September 30. The bout was broadcast on NBC Sports.

“I guess it might have been the last one, against Montes,” Fox told RingTV.com. “I think that was an equal show of skill and power ’cause I ended up stopping him in the second round with a body shot.”

Worst night of pro career: Not surprisingly, Fox feels disappointed with the one blemish on his otherwise perfect record.

“I’m least happy with my draw with Frank Galarza,” he said. “I know I made some mistakes that could have prevented me from winning but we were in his backyard.”

Next fight: Fox will meet Kenneth McNeil (10-2, 7 KOs) this Saturday on the undercard of Deontay Wilder’s WBC heavyweight title defense against Gerald Washington.

The fight will take place in McNeil’s hometown of Birmingham, Alabama. Fox is unfazed by venturing into the lion’s den.

“I’m very excited. I’ve been waiting for a title shot,” he said enthusiastically. “This is going to open a lot of doors and it’s a great opportunity. It is on the undercard of Deontay Wilder. I can’t live up to that power but I can live up to showing my skill and put in a great performance.”

McNeil, 26, is a solid middleweight who appears to be a step up for Fox. His only losses were to Samuel Clarkson — a split decision at 168 pounds — and Ievgen Khytrov, who claimed a 10-round unanimous decision over McNeil 11 months ago.

Why he’s a prospect: Although Fox turned professional at a young age, he did amass somewhere in the region of 200 amateur fights. During that time, he won several junior tournaments including the Under 19 Nationals, Ringside twice and the National Golden Gloves.

He became disenchanted with the amateur scene and made his way into the pro ranks at 18 years of age.

“I heard they may be taking the headgear off and I thought there’s no need to take the headgear off and not get paid,” he explained. “Although they didn’t do it until (the) 2016 Olympics, I thought they would do it in 2012.”

Fox didn’t fight internationally for America but had been due to represent his county in Azerbaijan. Unfortunately, the trip was canceled due to the same volcanic ash cloud in Europe which also threatened to curtail Carl Froch’s first meeting with Mikkel Kessler in Denmark in April 2010.

In the amateurs he split two fights with David Grayton and lost to Julian Williams.

Since making the transition to the pros, Fox has sparred with former world-title challengers Dominic Wade and Julian Williams. He has also completed rounds with world-ranked fighters such as Immanuwel Aleem, Demond Nicholson, Jarett Hurd and the Peterson brothers, Lamont and Anthony.

Fox feels his ability to adapt inside the ring is his biggest asset. “If I need to fight on the inside, I fight on the inside. If I need to keep someone long, I can control the distance,” he said. “I can box (and) I can bang. I can do pretty much anything in the boxing ring.”

Why he’s a suspect: Fox is a well-rounded pro who has learned on the job. He possesses height and reach advantages over all his opponents, standing at a gargantuan 6 feet 5 inches tall. Those advantages are troublesome for the opposition, but they could potentially cause Fox difficulty if an opponent could work his way inside. Also, draining himself to make 160 pounds is a process that will become more difficult as he gets older.

Fox feels his weakness is that he can fight down to the level of his opposition.

“Because I can do a lot in the ring, I do a lot,” he said. “Sometimes it comes down to using some of the tools instead of all the tools to get it done.”

Fox has a 45 percent KO ratio, however, it should be noted that he has won six of his last seven inside the distance.

“I guess I can improve on power but I’m doing well now,” he explained. “I like to box anyway. It’s not really a big thing. I guess if I did have to improve (anything) it would be power.”

Storylines: Fox is from Forestville, Maryland. His parents split up when he was young but both played an integral part in his upbringing. He has a brother, Mykal, who is 3 1/2 years younger. Mykal is also a professional boxer with a record of 12-0 (5 KOs)

The brothers had a solid upbringing and were kept on the straight and narrow, but things were far from easy.

“There were times the lights were turned off (or) the water might be cut off,” recalled Fox. “You didn’t want to go to school stinking. Kids were mean. If you go to school stinky one day, you’re ‘stinky kid’ (for) the rest of your life.”

Fox played football and basketball but gravitated toward boxing at 8 years old. His father used to train him in the morning, go to work at a barber shop, pick up both brothers and then take them to the gym before a night shift. His mother didn’t like boxing but always supported her sons.

His hero for a number of reasons is Floyd Mayweather Jr. “Nobody has ever made more money and had as many wins without a defeat,” said Fox. “That’s amazing to me; to be a multi-millionaire. To me that’s the dream. I’m not in boxing just for a legacy. I do want to make money. I want to make sure everybody is good in my family.”

Fox doesn’t have any children and remains focused on boxing. He does like to watch all sports, read, listen to music and spend time with friends.

Fight-by-fight record:

2016

Sept. 30 – Ronald Montes – KO 2
July 21 –  Paul Valenzuela Jr – RTD 5
May 8 – Milton Nunez – RTD 4

2015

Nov. 13 – Todd Manuel – RTD 4
Oct. 17 – Eric Mitchell – DQ 5
July 18 – Guillermo Valdes – KO 1
Apr. 17 – Franklin Gonzalez – TKO 2
Jan. 9 – Patrick Day – MD 8

2014

Sept. 20 – Jonathan Garcia – UD 6

2013

Sept. 7 – Zain Shah – UD 6
Apr. 25 – Keith Collins – UD 6
Mar. 2 – Greg Hackett – UD 6
Jan. 12 – Julius Kennedy – UD 6

2012

Dec. 8 – Jimmy LeBlanc – TKO 1
Sept. 22 – Frank Galarza – D 8
Feb. 17 – Fitzgerald Johnson – UD 4

2011

Nov. 3 – Corey Preston – UD 4
July 16 – Mike Denby – UD 4
May 13 – Warren Snapp – TKO 3

2010

Nov. 10 – Charles White – KO 1
Oct. 21 – Dustin Parrish – TKO 1
July 31 – Kelvin Kibler – UD 4