September 30th saw a series of lethal fights at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Shortly after Canelo Alvarez had established his absolute dominance over Jermell Charlo through a unanimous decision fight, another showdown took its course that left spectators in awe. 17-year-old Curmel Moton undertook his maiden professional fight against Ezequiel Flores, in which he soared to victory minutes after the gong heralded the first round.

Being trained by the legendary boxer, Floyd Mayweather himself, Moton made sure the boxing realm knew that his first-round stoppage was just the beginning of the storm he was bringing to the boxing ring. Moton took ultimate control of the bout by dropping Flores (4-1, 3 KO) in the second minute of the first round. However, the latter tried recovering by the count of five, but the referee stopped the contest at the 1:48 mark. In the wake of this groundbreaking victory, another legendary boxer has opined about Moton’s promising career in the boxing world.

“he loves to compete,” Shawn Porter sees himself in Curmel Moton

The boxing world cannot keep calm about this young fighter who swirled a storm in the boxing ring. In his first ever pro-fight, ‘Big Deal’ did indeed justify his moniker. A scathing knockout of his opponent, he has amassed a huge base of admirers in his name. One of them remains former welterweight champion, Shawn Porter. Despite not having watched Big Deal’s fight, Porter was in awe of the young fighter.

While outlining how young fighters need to work out a trajectory in sport, he said, ” He’s young. And y’all know how I feel about young fighters turn the party at a young age. You’re gonna get there faster, and if you don’t get there faster, and if you don’t get there faster with the men’s strength, and with that men maturity, its just like for guys to move slow that are younger, so move them slow. I don’t doubt that they’re gonna move him incorrectly or whatever the case maybe but he’s gonna be a force.”

Despite being inactive in the realm now, Porter is still seen as a notable fighter. An inspiration for many, but he sees a lot of himself in the young Moton. Explaining Big Deal’s mentality, he said, “Its a lot like me.” He further elucidated, “But when I say what’s his mentality, when its like mine, where he loves to compete, and he loves to bang. He loves to look good. He’s not flamboyant with it. I just want to look good when I get in the ring.”

Moton hopes to be better than Naoya Inoue

Moton’s stellar victory on the 30th of September has laid the premise of his career trajectory. It has furnished him with a confidence that pushes him to seek one of the best fighters of today as his potential opponent. When he learned that Shakur Stevenson compared his boxing prowess to Japanese fame, Naoya Inoue, he exuded the confidence he earned from his recent victory.

While talking about the bond he shared with ‘Sugar’ Stevenson, Moton said, “I’ve known Shakur for a long time, throughout the amateurs.” But when it came to comment on his comparison with Inoue, he said, “I mean, Inoue is a solid fighter. He has skills. He’s fast, strong. But I feel like I’ll be a lot bigger than him. I’ll be a lot better fighter than him when it’s all said and done. And I’m just getting started. I’m 17. This is my pro debut, and I feel like I have a lotta potential, and I’mma show it.”

Also Read: “Shamelessly Using [Naoya] Inoue’s Name for Clout”: Hours Before Pro Debut on Canelo vs. Charlo Undercard, Floyd Mayweather’s Prodigy Under Hot Waters as Recent Brag Doesn’t Sit Well With Boxing World

It won’t be an easy feat to surpass Naoya Inoue’s boxing career. The Japanese fighter is a four-weight world champion. He is popularly considered one of the top three boxers, pound-for-pound, in the boxing realm. He made history last December when he defeated Philadelphia’s Stephen Fulton to become the first fully unified bantamweight champion. But with the start that Moton has had, it seems like he is adept enough to contest Innoue’s career trajectory.

Do you think Curmel Moton is able to do enough of what Inoue has? Let us know in the comments section below.

Watch This Story: Curmel Moton vs. Ezequiel Flores Stats: Record, Height, Reach, Age, and Knockout Ratio