LAS VEGAS – Without saying it, Curmel Moton said it.
“There’s a lot of hype around me, and I’ve got big shoes to fill,” Moton told Boxing Scene on Friday. “I’m ready for it, and that’s why I’m putting in all the work.”
Piling the daunting pressure of being the “Next Floyd Mayweather Jr.” on a 17-year-old is beyond unfair.
Yet, Moton, of Las Vegas, is off to a 2-0 start and embracing the grind that it’s going to require to transfer his limitless skills to the type of accomplishments his mentor achieved during his Hall of Fame career.
So many career-makers around the sport understand completely what’s coming.
When undefeated and top-ranked Phoenix middleweight Elijah Garcia fell ill on Friday, his fight was scrapped from the subscriber-only opening portion of Saturday’s Amazon Prime Video pay-per-view card, headlined by the Tim Tszyu-Sebastian Fundora two-belt junior middleweight title fight at T-Mobile Arena. Replacing it on the bill will be Moton’s bout against Antony Cuba (7-0-2, 3 KOs).
Moton told Boxing Scene that the plan is for him to be inserted in swing bouts on as many PBC Amazon Prime Video cards as possible, to both ensure his activity and position him for the type of exposure so many believe he deserves.
Not long after Moton turned 5 years old, his father, Curtis Moton, introduced his son to boxing, moved the family to Las Vegas and started showing his son Mayweather fight videos.
“That made me dream,” Moton said. “I wanted to be a world champion, and I took it from there.”
By age 8, Moton was led inside the Mayweather Boxing Club and had the good fortune of observing Mayweather go through his entire routine while he was preparing for what would become the most lucrative prizefight of all time, his 2015 bout against Manny Pacquiao.
“I was just studying him and watching how he did his camp,” Moton said. “Not long after that, I started training at the gym and started sparring some of the kids they had in there.
“And I whupped on them. Word got back to Floyd. I became cool with everyone around the gym, and then I started going to tournaments and bringing [belts] back to the gym.”
Mayweather took notice. One day, he saw Moton carrying the belts and summoned the young fighter to his luxury car, handing him a hat. Mayweather then began sponsoring Moton in prestigious tournaments, paying for his flights, Moton said.
Mayweather followed a similar trek, so he knows with 20-20 hindsight exactly how to advise his protege.
“Believing in myself, listening to my team, dedicating myself and working hard,” Moton said of his mentor’s lessons. “It’s not that hard. My dad makes sure I stay on the right track. Without him, it’d be more difficult, but I know what I want to do. I don’t want to let anyone down. I know I need to focus.
“I want to be a world champion one day, so I’m on the right track.”
How is the process going? Moton has sparred against multi-division world champions Gervonta “Tank” Davis and Shakur Stevenson, top contenders Richardson Hitchins and Kenneth Sims, and former featherweight titleholder Robiesy Ramirez.
Leonard Ellerbe of Mayweather Promotions told reporters Friday that he and Mayweather aspire for Moton to join Wilfred Benitez as one of only a few teenage world champions.
“That’s happening,” Ellerbe said. “We’re waiting for the right opportunity, sizing guys up.”
Ellerbe said he seriously explored trying to match Moton against featherweight titleholder Leigh Wood.
“You don’t need 18-19 fights [to fight for a title], like when Floyd was coming up,” Ellerbe said. “All these guys he’s sparred say [Moton’s] the real deal.”
After Saturday, it’s back to the gym.
“I’m working hard on improving every day and definitely sharpening my skills,” Moton said. “I’m all around the board, working on everything. In this sport, you know what it takes. You’ve got to dedicate yourself. It’s a lifestyle, not just a sport. I’m ready for it.
“The plan is to get on as many of these [Prime Video] cards as I can and keep moving up through the ranks.”
What’s clear so far is that it’s going to be a rapid ascension.