Curmel Moton is set to return to the ring Saturday, but it is his recent run-in and viral moment with Giorgio Visioli in a Las Vegas gym that has drawn even more attention.

Moton will face Wilfredo Flores in a 10-round welterweight bout this weekend at Turning Stone Resort & Casino in Verona, New York.

Moton, 8-0 (6 KOs), is a Floyd Mayweather Jnr protege who is building on a distinguished amateur career in the pros and has created a lot of traction on social media, where he has a huge following. Visioli is a lightweight who has emerged as a top up-and-comer. Both Moton and Visioli made BoxingScene’s list of top-10 prospects to watch in 2026.

In fact, the fighters sparred about a year ago, and according to Moton – a 19-year-old from Las Vegas – their interactions were cordial and respectful. He described their sparring as “good work.” But when Visioli – a 22-year-old from Aldershot, England – returned to the UK, his account of their sparring wasn’t as gracious. Matchroom head Eddie Hearn did much of the talking, but in one interview, Visiolo himself described the sparring action with Moton as “my way all the time.”

When the fighters eventually crossed paths again, Moton wound up nose to nose with Visioli and voiced his displeasure. “We got into it,” Moton told BoxingScene.

“Just talking spicy. Eddie was doing his job as a promoter, trying to get his guy to take some [shine] off my name. I guess it worked. For the past year, he has been talking spicy, trying to build a fight up.”

Moton has established himself as a presence in boxing without even having yet headlined a card. He is often mentioned as one of the most promising fighters in the sport, and he has fought from featherweight to junior welterweight. When asked about being perceived as a future star in the sport, Moton says the reputation was hard-earned.

“I did a lot of work when I was young to be in the position that I am,” Moton said. “I like the limelight. I like to perform for the fans.”

Moton’s fight against Flores, 12-6-1 (5 KOs), is his first scheduled 10-round bout as a pro. Flores – a 36-year-old from Puerto Rico who now lives in North Tonawanda, New York – has lost three of his past four fights. His most recent bout saw him lose a unanimous decision to Matthew Gonzalez last October. Flores has been stopped only once in his career, by Gary Cully in 2023.

When asked how many times, in a perfect world, that he would fight in 2026, Moton answered four to five. That would be a stark contrast to the two times he fought last year. In fact, rumors have already circulated that Moton could be featured on the Floyd Mayweather Jnr-Manny Pacquiao II undercard in September, given his ties to both fighters. (He is close to Mayweather and will be fighting on a Manny Pacquiao Promotions card on Saturday.)

“I trust my team,” Moton said. “I am going to handle business tomorrow night, then we are going back to the drawing board and see what they have for me next.”

Lucas Ketelle is the author of “Inside the Ropes of Boxing,” a guide for young fighters, a writer for BoxingScene and a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Find him on X at @BigDogLukie.