A lot has changed since Arturo Moreno started boxing ten years ago.
“When I first walked in here I was a small little chubby kid and I was very emotional,” Moreno said.
Now, Moreno, who trains at Smitty’s Mid-West Boxing Gym in Springfield is a pro boxer with a 5-0 record.
The Central High School graduate is also the IBC Welterweight Champion.
“That’s a stepping stone title, but those titles are the titles that get you a stepping stone and get you moving up the rankings and get you in line for those bigger major titles,” said Darrell “Coach Smitty” Smith.
Smith, who owns Smitty’s Mid-West Boxing Gym, has trained Moreno for years.
Now, Moreno is on his way up, with his next fight being his biggest one yet.
It will be in Las Vegas against Roberto Duran Jr.
“I’ve never fought in a card as big as this one before,” Moreno said.
“First time he’ll be on this kind of stage,” Smith said. “It’s very, very important to get this kind of opportunity.”
Duran Jr. is the son of Roberto Duran; a former pro boxer who held titles in four different weight classes.
The elder Duran fought boxers like “Sugar” Ray Leonard and Thomas “The Hitman” Hearns.
But the big names and the big stage – don’t faze Moreno.
“This is definitely something that I’ve wanted for a long time,” he said. “I have to think of it just like any other fight, at the end of the day it’s just going to be me and him in that ring. This is definitely my time to show everybody in the boxing world why I’m still in it. Why I’m still doing it and why I’m here.”
Moreno takes on Duran Jr. on April 29 at Virgin Hotels in Las Vegas. You can watch the fight at fite.tv.
