Gregory “Goyo” Morales last fought in Mexico City on July 15, 2023 on the undercard of Picasso vs. Ngebinyana. With a record of 15(9 KOs)-1-0, he may not be a well known boxer outside of his hometown, but he has been fighting for Golden Boy since 2020. His manager, Ricardo Maldonado was the driving force that got him onboard with Golden Boy Promotions. The fight in Mexico City was a great opportunity and one he took advantage of, sealing the deal with a 5th round stoppage. His opponent, Ernesto Salcedo, 15-3-1, proved to be a tough fighter that made the match competitive, until it wasn't! In the end, Morales picked up the win by TKO. Stopping your opponent is always preferred to letting the judges decide your fight, especially when you are a U.S. fighter in Mexico matched against an opponent fighting in his hometown–who knows how they may have scored it. This was, according to Morales, his most memorable fight to date.
But while Morales may have been brought in from the U.S. to fight in Mexico City, he is no stranger to Mexican soil. Although born in the U.S. (Boxrec erroneously lists his birthplace as Mexico), he does have strong ties to Mexico. In fact, he has dual citizenship, which had permitted him to once compete for the Mexican National Team. His first fight, in 2017 at the age of 17, was about 45 miles South of the U.S border in the Mexican town of Villa Union. That fight ended in the first round, earning him his first victory by TKO. His opponent from a nearby Mexican municipality, was also having his first–and apparently only–professional fight of record on that night. Morales would go on to have several more fights in Mexico.
Morales found his way into boxing at age 7 when his father brought him to Tony Anaya’s gym in San Antonio. He needed an outlet to quell his energy level but that only lasted 2 months. Having a rambunctious kid in a gym full of older boxers who were serious about training was not a good fit. After getting into trouble at school, he once again sought an outlet to deal with both his energy and weight, so they found another gym. He said he was hooked on boxing after his first fight, and by age 15, he knew he wanted to turn pro. For Morales, the gym had become an escape from the difficulties of life.
And what about that one loss on his record? It would come on the undercard of Ryan Garcia vs. Emmanuel Tagoe at the Alamodome in San Antonio on April 9, 2022. Morales, then 13-0-0, was matched against Katsuma Akitsugi, then 8-0-0. The 8 round fight went to the scorecards and the judges gave Akitsugi the win by unanimous decision. For Morales, this would be his worst moment of his boxing career, not only taking his first loss as a professional fighter, but having it happen before a hometown crowd. Since then, he has gained two solid wins, including that TKO in Mexico City.
His next fight is on January 27, 2024 in Phoenix on the undercard of Munguia vs. Ryder. He knows that he needs to be consistent and stay focused in order to continue to advance and be successful—success would also allow him to help his family financially. While he is from San Antonio, he is currently training in North Hollywood for his upcoming fight date, something he has been doing to prepare for his fights for the past few years. His coach, Carlos Chavez, accommodates him and only asks that in return he gives it his all at the gym and in the ring. Needless to say, Morales is truly appreciative of the hospitality that Chavez extends to him. That hard work and determination will be put to the test when 23 year old Morales enters the ring for his 17th professional fight next week.
Update: Gregory Morales (16-1, 9 KOs) won by unanimous decision against Ronal Ron (14-5, 11 KOs) with the jusges scores of 80-72, 79-73 and 78-74.
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