Fort Stockton, Texas’ Abel Mendoza might not have faced the toughest opponents in his 9-year-long career, but he sure talks a big game. The undefeated 29-year-old has largely flown under the radar, fighting journeymen on club shows with sprinkles of debutants. However, his latest comments about Gervonta Davis have caught the eye of Curmel Moton—the protégé of Floyd Mayweather. 

Moton, one of the brightest prospects in boxing, has trained under the watchful eyes of former five-division champion Mayweather and is often referred to as the next big thing in the sport. The 18-year-old is coming off a one-sided win over Frank Zaldivar last weekend, stopping the Cuban with a 3rd round knockout. 

Regardless, the entire situation between Moton and Mendoza began when an X user posted a side-by-side graphic of the fighters, asking for a potential fight between them. Initially, Moton responded to the fight proposal on the social media platform by claiming he would beat Mendoza easily. “I’d do him so bad,” Moton wrote. 

Following this, Mendoza appeared in an interview with Jay Fiore on YouTube, where he claimed, “I’ll tell you what. After I knock out ‘Tank,’ I’ll give you [Curmel Moton] a shot—once you become a contender.” It’s worth mentioning that there’s no evidence that Gervonta Davis has any intentions of fighting Mendoza. 

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Instead, Davis is slated to lock horns with WBA super featherweight champion Lamont Roach Jr. on March 1st in Brooklyn. Regardless, after discovering Mendoza’s comments about Gervonta Davis and him, Moton explained he was at a loss for words. “Both these 🥷🏽 so corny and delusional. I don’t even know how to respond to this shii🤦🏽‍♂️,” Moton wrote on X.

Even though this surprising rivalry seems like it can turn into an intriguing fight between Mandoza and Moton, the 29-year-old Fort Stockton native seems to be threatening to overtake Floyd Mayweather’s achievement. 

Able Mendoza may overtake Floyd Mayweather 

Abel Mendoza is inching closer to Floyd Mayweather’s legendary 50-0 record, sitting at 42-0. However, the undefeated lightweight has yet to face elite competition, with most of his wins coming against journeymen. Unlike Mayweather, who had won world titles in five divisions by this stage, Mendoza isn’t ranked by any major sanctioning body at 135 lbs.

Despite his unblemished record, Mendoza has drawn criticism from rising prospects like Curmel Moton and J’Hon Ingram, who dismissed his resume as weak. Previously, Moton even mocked Mendoza’s resume with three trash can emojis on social media.

Mendoza insists his goal isn’t to surpass Mayweather but to win a world title, even if it means going 100-0. However, without facing top contenders, his record will hold little weight. If he truly wants to be taken seriously, stepping up his competition is a must before overtaking Mayweather’s legendary milestone becomes a realistic discussion.

That said, Curmel Moton doesn’t seem to think Abel Mendoza is skilled enough to defeat him, or Gervonta Davis, for that matter. However, this back-and-forth has fans talking, which could make for an interesting fight. Do you think Curmel Moton should fight Mendoza?