Yoruba Moreu II is focusing on the positive.
Yes, the Albuquerque boxer has had several fights fall through since he last fought in January. But on the plus side, he believes the work he put in while preparing for those fights has made him a better fighter.
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Saturday at the Inn of the Mountain Gods in Mescalero, he plans to put those newly polished skills to good use.
Moreu (3-0, three knockouts) is scheduled to face Denver’s Jesus Ariel Moreno (11-2-1, eight KOs) in a six-round bout super bantamweight (122-pound) bout.
Yoruba Moreu, his son’s trainer, sees Moreno’s vast edge in pro experience as another positive. A victory over a far more experienced opponent, particularly an impressive one, could be the leap forward the Moreus are looking for.
The elder Moreu has formed a promotional company with a family friend, Keith “Pancho” Quiñones, with the younger Moreu projected to be the company head. They hope to stage a card in Albuquerque sometime in the first quarter of 2027.
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They remain open, however, to fighting elsewhere. Toward that goal, Moreu Sr. said, “A lot’s riding on this win right here (on Saturday). We’ve gotten a couple of calls already, and it all depends on how we do in this fight.”
Thus far, the hard-punching Moreu II’s three fights have lasted a total of 13 minutes, 31 seconds. He said he’d be fine going rounds against Moreno, who has been stopped only once in his 13 pro fights.
Then again, he said, keeping his knockout streak alive wouldn’t be a bad thing.
“If I’m able to get some rounds, I’m with it,” Moreu II said. “At the end of the day, the goal is to win.
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“I want to dominate. If the KO comes early it comes, but if it doesn’t, it’s gonna be a dominant win (on the scorecards). Whether it’s a six-round win, a fourth-round knockout or a first-round knockout, either way it’s gonna be dominant.”
Moreu II and Moreno are both southpaws, which the elder Moreu sees as an advantage for his son. In looking at Moreno’s fight-by-fight listing on boxrec.com, he didn’t see another left-hander.
Also on the card: Las Cruces’ Ayanna Orona and Bloomfield’s Rolyn Nez.
Orona (8-2-1, one KO) is matched against Yeni Arias (2-0, two KOs) of Pereira, Colombia in a six round bout, weight class unknown.
Nez (7-0, four KOs) is scheduled to face Mexico’s German Perez (3-13, 1 KO) in a four-round welterweight bout.
