Moreu Jr. prepares for Olympic Trials
ABQ southpaw continues family tradition in the ring
It was not preordained that Yoruba Moreu Jr. would become a boxer. He could have chosen not to follow older sister Sharahya into the ring, chosen not to have his father, Yoruba Sr., train him in the Sweet Science. But, yeah. He did. The payoff, at least thus far, for the 18-year-old Albuquerque southpaw: a spot in the 125-pound division in next week’s USA Boxing Olympic Trials in Lafayette, Louisiana.
“It felt good,” Moreu Jr. said of the moment he received word he’d gotten the invitation to the Trials as a wild-card entry. “You put in the hard work and stuff like that, and just to get the word that you get to fight in the Olympic Trials. …
“My sister did it, now I get to do it. That’s something cool, you know? That’s something special.”
Moreu Jr. spoke to the Journal from Colorado Springs, where he’s been training for the Trials with coach Troy Nash. Yoruba Moreu Sr. said he and Nash have a longstanding relationship.
“We talk on the phone every day, an hour or two hours a day, for the last five years,” the elder Moreu said.
Moreu Sr. said he’s not sure he’ll be able to attend the Trials because of job responsibilities but added he knows his son will be in more than capable hands with Nash in his corner.
“Even when we go to tournaments and I’m there,” he said, “Troy Nash is always in the corner with us.”
In Colorado Springs, Moreu Jr. has benefited by working with two other boxers ticketed for the Trials: Kenario Davidson at 112 pounds and Troy Nash Jr. at 139.
It’s the same situation that helped Moreu Jr. fight his way to the semifinals of USA Boxing’s Last Chance Qualifier in Pueblo, Colorado in September — a performance that earned him his wild-card entry.
“It makes it a better environment,” Moreu Sr. said. “… They can focus on training full time. They do yoga, they do strength and conditioning, they see the doctor, they train three times a day.”
Boxing has long been a Moreu family enterprise. Sharahya Moreu had a long and successful amateur career, fighting for several national titles and representing the United States in tournaments in India and Bulgaria. She won her pro debut in July.
Moreu Jr. — “Li’l Ru” — has been in and around the sport since he was 5.
“Not really training (at that age),” his dad said, “but he was in there with (pro boxers) Hollewood (Ray Montes), Yorden (Hernandez) and Frankie Archuleta while they were hitting bags. He was a little terror in the gym.”
Moreu Jr., though, was into other sports as well. His sister, after all, had played basketball and run cross country at Highland while still competing as a boxer.
“I was interested in soccer and basketball,” he said.
Ultimately, though, it was boxing by — yeah, that’s right — unanimous decision.
“I grew up seeing my pops, seeing my sister … I’d see them doing their thing,” he said. “I’d see my sister winning her fights. … I was like, damn, is she really doing that? Pops must be doing something right. “Everything after that is history.” At 18, a spring 2023 graduate of Technology Leadership Charter School, unseeded among the 14 Trials qualifiers at 125 pounds, Moreu Jr. must be considered a dark horse in Lafayette. Horses of any color sometimes finish first.
“It’s boxing,” he said. “Anything can happen, so I believe I’ve got a good shot.”
Moreu Jr. will be joined at the trials by two more New Mexicans: Albuquerque’s Leroy Clark at 203 pounds and Las Cruces’ Ariana Carrasco at 146. Clark is seeded fourth in his weight class.
Four more New Mexicans are listed as participating in the National Championships: Hobbs’ Isaiah Ortiz in the 106-pound Elite Division, and Las Crucens Joscelyn Olayo-Muñoz (106, Junior Division, the No. 1 seed), Victoria McAuliffe (119 Junior) and Austin Sanchez (85 Bantam).