PROSPECT WATCH: CURMEL MOTON
“Floyd has given me a boost into a new platform. But Floyd can only do so much. What if you suck? I bring the skills. I perform. People are excited to watch my fights. I’m doing these things and the fans are loving what I’m doing. So it’s Floyd’s backing and my performances.” Moton got Mayweather’s attention
him training in the gym. I slowly started loving the sport, and soon enough, I wanted to be the best at it. “We had a dream and took a gamble. There wasn’t anyone who was pushing us. It was just me and my dad. We had a dream, and we’ve been working harder than everybody to get to where we want to be.”
of the top guys reassured in myself. I’m working, doing my thing. I know that I have the skills, and I believe in myself a thousand percent.” Although Moton is entirely focused on etching his own identity, he also understands the constant juxtaposition with “Tank” Davis.
You know how boxing goes. I trust my team. I’m ready to get busy. I’m young and I’m not taking any punishment. I don’t see why I can’t be more active to handle my business.” Moton also maintains that he’s going to handle his business outside of the ring and not get into any trouble like his father, Mayweather, Davis and many other rising stars have before him. “I am going to make sure I stay on the right path,” says Moton. “I would be dumb not to listen and learn from others. Yes, the temptations are going to be there. Success and a great life is around the corner. All of that stuff is going to come tenfold. I just have to stay focused.” In the meantime, Mayweather has taken Moton under his wing by spending more personal time together at his mansion for occasional dinners and on the road for special events. Moton can even say he fought on the undercard of the fighter he idolized, as was the case for his fifth pro fight two years ago when he was featured on a Mayweather exhibition in Mexico. Even when Moton has been slotted across untelevised undercards, Mayweather has been in the front row supporting his pupil. During a show at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas last year when Moton was fighting in front of a few hundred fans at 4 p.m., Mayweather was hollering instructions nearby. Moton plans on having an incredibly active 2026 campaign to capture “Prospect of the Year” honors before evolving into a contender, crownholder and potentially a bona fide superstar, ticket seller and P4P king. He already banked his first shot by aligning himself with an idol and all-time great. Time will tell if he’ll strike gold twice by cashing in on his prodigious proclamations. “I was handed nothing and had to earn everything from years of hard work and winning. I will continue to prove myself,” says Moton. “I plan on taking this to the very top. I don’t have any limits for myself. I work hard every day, and I am dedicated to reaching my dreams.”
“I get why the comparisons are always there,” says Moton. “We’ve both been Floyd’s No. 1 guy. We have the skills. We’re in the same weight class. We’re short. We have light brown skin – I get it. But I’ve never wanted that. I’m my own person on my own path and I’m not attaching my name to anybody.” Davis, meanwhile, has grown disdainful of Moton after his relationship with Mayweather soured, going as far as calling Moton “all hype” and throwing shade at him on social media. With
with a very focused and dedicated plan. He was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, on June 4, 2006, and moved to Las Vegas in 2013 with his father Curtis for the sole intent of getting closer to the desert’s bustling boxing scene, and especially the famed Mayweather Boxing Club. Two years following his arrival to Sin City, and after frequenting several other gyms in the area, Moton first set foot inside the Mayweather gym while “Money May” was preparing to face Andre
“Floyd has given me a boost into a new platform. But Floyd can only do so much. What if you suck? I bring the skills. I perform.”
Berto. Moton soon became a regular, training at the gym and sparring with other young fighters around his age. “I was outshining the other kids and making a name for myself. I started getting the attention from the pro fighters who were at the gym at the time,” says Moton. “I was a really hard worker, so they respected me. Floyd’s people started reporting back to him saying, ‘There’s this young kid …’ That’s how I got established in the Mayweather gym. Eventually I met Floyd, and he’s shown me love ever since.” Before Mayweather entered the picture with a father-figure-like presence, Curtis was – and still is, as his son’s coach – running the show. Moton says his father “had a cup of coffee” as an amateur boxer but got caught up in the street life trying to provide for the family and was locked up in jail during Curmel’s days as a toddler. “My dad tightened up his act and has been with me since I was 5, and that’s when I first started boxing; he showed me the way,” says Moton. “My dad tells me all the time that I saved his life, in a way. He was a huge Mayweather fan and he instilled that passion into me. We would watch Floyd’s fights and clips of
Moton says he competed in his first amateur fight at the age of 8 in the Desert Showdown tournament, a respected, 25-year-old invitational held in California, and brought back home two belts. “Ever since then, I knew I was going to be special,” says Moton. “I knew I was going to be the one.” As the titles and trophies kept coming, Mayweather quickly realized the talent was real and started sponsoring Moton’s travels to ease the family’s financial burdens. “That’s when I knew Floyd took a real liking to me and supported me,” says Moton, who was 11 years old at the time. By the age of 15, a motivated Moton was already sparring Gervonta Davis at a time when Davis was beating the likes of Leo Santa Cruz, Mario Barrios and Isaac Cruz. Soon after, Moton started getting high-level work from the likes of Shakur Stevenson, Keyshawn Davis, Richardson Hitchins, Luis Alberto Lopez and Angelo Leo. “I definitely get people’s respect when we spar. It’s always real work,” says Moton. “Not that I’ve ever doubted myself, but I’ve left my sessions with all
less than 10 pro fights under his belt, the teenager says he’s ready to settle the beef with Davis in the ring. “I’m ready for the top guys. I’m confident,” says Moton. “I don’t have a time stamp, but I feel like I can become a champion in the next 365 days.” Mayweather believes Moton is up for the challenge as well. Last summer, the Hall of Famer was ready to finance a fight against Lamont Roach Jr. while Roach was stuck on the sidelines waiting for a rematch against Davis. It never came to be, but it got everyone wondering: Could the kid actually pull it off? Moton made his pro debut on September 30, 2023, with a first-round stoppage of Ezequiel Flores on the undercard of Canelo Alvarez’s win against Jermell Charlo. During the post- fight press conference, Mayweather made sure that Moton had his moment under the sun and was properly introduced to the world. Mayweather declared that Moton was going to be the next face of the sport, while Moton said he can be a lot better than Naoya Inoue once it’s all said and done. “I’m proud of you. It’s up to you to know what you want in this world.
Moton scored a first-round stoppage on the Benavidez-Morrell undercard.
You stay positive, keep believing, and anything can happen,” Mayweather told Moton at the time. “I really want him to be better than I was. [...] Soon, he’ll be in a position where he’s beating everybody, and everyone will be calling him out.” Swiss banker turned boxing power broker Richard Schaefer, a right-hand man for Mayweather, Canelo, Oscar De La Hoya and Al Haymon throughout the years, later lobbed further praise toward Moton by labeling him a “generational talent who’s going to become not only a world champion but a superstar of the sport.” Those are certainly some big shoes to fill for Moton, who’s listed at 5-foot-4 on BoxRec but says he actually stands at 5-foot-7 and is still growing. Now
he needs to start picking up the pace with activity to begin building some serious momentum. Moton, who’s co-trained by former junior middleweight contender Kofi Jantuah, fought just twice in 2025 after dealing with a November 2024 debacle in which he was nearly 15 pounds over the weight limit for a 133-pound catchweight bout. “I learned a lot from that mistake, and it was my fault. I should have been more prepared,” says Moton. “We’re trying to get fights, but they’ve fallen through.
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