Moreu ventures south of the border for pro fight No. 2

Have gloves, will travel.

Tengo guantes, voy a viajar.

Saturday, 28 days after winning his professional debut in Nashville, Tennessee, Albuquerque boxer Yoruba Moreu Jr. is scheduled for his second pro bout — this one a super bantamweight four-rounder in Rosarito, Baja California.

Why so soon, and why Mexico?

Yoruba Moreu Sr., his son’s trainer, and Jacob Maes, Moreu Jr.’s manager, say it’s part of a campaign to rapidly gain the experience, exposure and promotional connections needed to advance their 20-year-old fighter — whom both men believe possesses championship potential — toward his goal.

“It’s a (keeping) busy fight,” Moreu Sr. said during an interview on Wednesday at Jack Candelaria Community Center, the day before he and his son were to leave for Mexico. “An opportunity to go international.

“We fight a Tennessee guy in Tennessee, now we fight a Mexican guy in Mexico. … We’re becoming that road warrior.”

That Mexican guy, Bernardo Solis, presents far more of a challenge than did that “Tennessee guy”, Ndira Spearman. In Nashville, Moreu Jr. dropped Spearman seven times before the bout was halted in the second round. Spearman came into the fight with a 1-16 record.

Solis, in contrast, enters Saturday’s bout with a 2-1 record. The 21-year-old will be fighting just up the road from his hometown of Ensenada.

A YouTube viewing of Solis’ two victories reveals a boxer with solid skills, but with vulnerabilities. He was knocked down in the second round of his victory by unanimous decision over Cesar Hernan Ulloa on Dec. 7, an outcome that seemed to prompt disagreement from the Spanish-language commentators.

In his pro debut, Solis lost by third-round TKO to Jeovani Fernando Barajas, now 4-0-1, in March 2024.

Moreu Sr., who found video of the Solis-Barajas fight, said Solis didn’t appear to be seriously hurt. “Kind of a weird stoppage,” he said.

Moreu Jr. said he hopes Solis will provide more competition, and more of a showcase for his skills, than Spearman did in Nashville.

“He’s a tough guy, durable. These are the fights you want,” he said. “Hopefully he takes me three rounds at least.

“I figure I’ll get him out, especially how I’m cracking lately. But I think he’ll probably give me more rounds than the other dude (Spearman), for sure.”

No matter how easy or difficult the fight, getting to Rosarito, a coastal resort city some 10 miles southwest of Tijuana, didn’t promise to be easy for the Moreus and co-trainer Manuel Anaya.

“Fly to San Diego,” Moreu Sr. said. “We’re gonna catch a bus to downtown, (take) the trolley to the border. Then we’re gonna cross the border and figure it out from there.”

Moreu Sr., who’s of Puerto Rican heritage, said he speaks enough Spanish to get by if necessary.

It’s the first time south of the border for the Moreus. Anaya went to Cancun a decade or so ago to work a fight for Albuquerque super lightweight Fidel Maldonado Jr.

Once in Rosarito, hotel accommodations have been arranged by Maes. There should be no language barrier there, since co-promoters Victor Flores and Tomas Urbaneja work with U.S. fighters regularly.

Albuquerque heavyweight Leonid Grachev (5-0-2) is scheduled to fight on Saturday’s card, as is Californian Carson Crawford (1-0), who fought Sharahya Moreu, Yoruba Jr.’s sister, as an amateur.

In a text sent Thursday afternoon Moreu Sr. reported their party had arrived in Rosarito.

“All is good,” he texted, adding a video of the group taking in the scenery on the beach.

Maes, who signed the Moreus in June, secured Saturday’s fight through contacts of his in Southern California.

“I just put the word out there,” he said. “… I like that (Moreu Jr.’s) gonna get a different look. This guy (Solis) is gonna come to fight and I like the experience we’re gonna get.”

Maes said he’d been told Saturday’s card would be streamed but had no information as of Thursday afternoon.