Floyd Mayweather’s Protégé Curmel Moton Details How 5X World Champion Played Important Role For Him Growing Up

Curmel Moton, at 17, is a name that is not alien to boxing fans. His rise to notoriety is a result of his boxing prowess and association with Floyd Mayweather with whom many identify him. However, to reach this position, who were his inspirations?

In his maiden professional boxing match last year, Moton left his mark by defeating Ezequiel Flores in a first-round technical knockout. The young fighter then followed suit in his career’s second fight by defeating Hunter Turbyfield in a first-round knockout. Today, on the precipice of his third fight, he walks the path of Mayweather to be the next ‘Pretty Boy’ in the sport. While he does that, he remembers the fighters he followed in his formative days. Who were they? Let’s find out.

Floyd Mayweather and who?

Cigar Talk’s Naji Grampus in his visit to the infamous TMT Gym of Las Vegas met Moton. The fighter who trains at the space owned by Mayweather was asked about the fighters his father introduced him to before he became a boxer. Remembering the days when he had not yet moved to Las Vegas, where he currently resides, the young fighter gave a very expected answer.

“Definitely Floyd. When I was born and before we moved out here to Vegas like before I even started boxing, my dad he would always put on Floyd and like all these people from the Mayweather Gym on the YouTube and they used to tell me like well, you gonna be up there with them one day and all that.” However, apart from the undefeated champion, he also had other fighters he sought inspiration from.

He added, “And then, when I started like really boxing, they he showed me like all the old school fighters, Sugar Ray Leonard, Marvin Hagler and all them guys.” Sugar Ray Leonard, one of the best fighters of his time, is known for his agility in the sport. He won world championships in five different weight classes and was the first fighter to earn more than $100 million in prize money. Hagler, on the other hand, earned global fame for his 12 successful title defenses, all through knockouts except for one.

While he grew up watching these fighters and looks to reach the levels of Mayweather eventually, in recent days, he’s been compared to a new-age champion. However, ‘Big Deal’ does not approve of the parallels drawn.

Moton wants to make his own name

Like Moton, Gervonta Davis, the current undefeated fighter also spent his early career days in the stables of Mayweather. His impressive trajectory in the sport has now led fans to place young Moton in his shadows. Tank 2.0, they call him. Earlier, while he cherished the parallels drawn, he now distances himself from them. However, he cites no hostile reasons.

In the same conversation with Naji, Moton explained, “I used to take it as a compliment when I was an amateur. I [took] it as a compliment [because] they [compared] me to ‘Tank.’ He [is the] face of boxing like the biggest names in the sport, real high skill.” He continues, “but now, I feel like I want to make a name for myself. I don’t want to be 2.0 or nobody. I want to be the first me and make my own name.”

Also Read: Boxing Updates: Floyd Mayweather’s Protégé, Curmel Moton Announces Next Fight Date

Curmel Moton will certainly make a name for himself in the boxing realm with the way he’s going. However, will it be away from the shadows of Floyd Mayweather like Gervonta Davis? What do you think? Tell us in the comments section below.

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