Story byAlbuquerque Journal, N.M.

Moreu, dad and son, hope Indy can grease the wheels

Rick Wright, Albuquerque Journal, N.M.Sun, July 26, 2026 at 3:04 AM UTC·4 min read

When you’re a power-punching southpaw with an impressive amateur background, but without an Olympic medal around your neck, you can’t expect breaking into the pro ranks to be easy.

For Albuquerque’s Yoruba Moreu Jr., it’s been, if anything, more difficult than expected.

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To be clear, Moreu’s difficulties haven’t come in the ring; he’s 3-0 with three knockouts as a pro. The hard part has been getting fights.

Moreu and Yoruba Moreu Sr., his son’s trainer, are hoping that’s about to change. The younger Moreu, 21, is scheduled for his fourth pro fight on Aug. 8 on a card in Indianapolis against an opponent yet to be announced; Moreu Sr. texted the Journal the boxrec.com listing for a prospective opponent but said that fighter had yet to sign a contract.

Moreu Jr. made his pro debut on a Christy Martin Promotions card in Nashville, Tennessee on Aug. 2, 2025 with a victory by second-round TKO, flooring an inept Ndira Spearman seven times (or maybe it was nine; it was easy to lose count).

Moreu was back in the ring just 18 days later, traveling to Rosarito, Baja California and defeating Mexico’s Bernardo Solis by third-round knockout.

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Since then, progress has been slow.

Almost five months passed before, on Jan. 9 on a Tapia Promotions card at Albuquerque’s Cananas Night Club, Moreu made it 3-0 with a first-round TKO of Jonah Cahill.

Now another six months have gone by.

Moreu Sr. said in a phone interview that he’d hoped to get his son on new Albuquerque promoter Donald Sanchez’s debut card, scheduled for Aug. 8 at the Embassy Suites. The two parties could not come to an agreement on financial terms.

The opportunity in Indianapolis came about, Moreu Sr. said, when his son was training at UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada “in front of the right eyes, people who wanted to put money up for him to fight.

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“We actually had (an opportunity) in Miami as well, but we chose to do this one in Indianapolis. … This is a good opportunity for my son to get seen in a different market, especially when we’re trying to step him up to where he can get signed to one of these promotional companies.”

The Indianapolis card is being staged by Indiana-based 4 Champs Promotions, headed by Damon Howard, who promotes regularly in Indianapolis and in Hammond, Indiana, a suburb of Chicago.

The Moreus also have engaged a manager, Sam Garcia of Salinas, California. Garcia’s clients, according to his listing on boxrec.com, include Colombian lightweight Ruben Cervera (20-4, 17 KOs) and Oakland, California lightweight Tony Hirsch (9-0-2, five KOs).

Moreu Jr. meanwhile, just wants to fight.

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“It’s been a wait,” he said of the process, “It sucks, because we had dates fall through. … But now we’ve fully locked in, so I definitely can’t wait. I’m excited.”

DSP DEBUT: Sanchez’s inaugural card on Aug. 8 is taking shape, as he has said, as a springboard for some of New Mexico’s young boxers. All fights listed thus far are scheduled for four rounds.

Kaleb Medina, among the state’s better amateurs of recent years, is scheduled to make his pro debut on the DSP (Donald Sanchez Promotions) card. Medina is from Las Vegas, New Mexico but lives and trains in Albuquerque.

Also on the card: Albuquerque’s. Jorge Villarruel (3-0, two KOs) and Santa Fe’s Aiseah Achesah (3-0, one KO).

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The listed main event matches Santa Fe’s Leanna Martinez (5-5, three KOs) against Albuquerque’s Amanda Lovato (1-4-1, no KOs).

BLESSED EVENT: Welcome to the world, Analeia Irene Perez.

Albuquerque boxer Abraham Perez and his partner, Megan Almager, have a new daughter — born just days ago.

It’s Perez’s first. Almager has two sons by a previous relationship.

Perez (15-0, seven knockouts), who defeated Puerto Rico’s Jonathan Gonzalez by split decision for the IBF interim world flyweight title on June 14, is expected back in the ring later this year.