Abraham Morales did not want to live with the regret of never fighting again.
That itch to return to the boxing ring resulted in winning fights and putting Morales in the position of fighting on the biggest platform, thus far, of his career.
Morales will square off against Sean Garcia on Saturday, Sept. 12, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The six-round lightweight fight will be part of preliminary action that stream live on Paramount+ at 2 p.m.
In the main event, Ryan Garcia, Sean’s older brother, will defend the WBC welterweight title against Conor Benn of England. The fight will headline a Zuffa Boxing card.
Morales (4-1, 2 knockouts), who resides in Oxnard, had a fight lined up that fell through. A phone call to trainer Marco Contreras regarding
the fight against Garcia a couple of weeks ago was too good of an opportunity for Morales to pass up.
“I was originally scheduled to fight on Aug. 29 at (the Galen Center in Los Angeles on the campus of) USC,” Morales told The Star. “I guess from what I was told the fighter I was supposed to fight backed out. So we were looking for a fight and Marco received the call to fight Sean Garcia. We were already in training camp for that Aug. 29 fight so we took it.
“Marco and I talked about Sean. We feel very motivated to fight and we’ve worked well in the gym. I’m at the age (32 years old) where I can’t pick and choose fights, so we took it knowing this is a great opportunity and we like our chances.”
Morales last fought on May 16 in Simi Valley, defeating Ricardo de la Torre by split decision.
After making his pro debut in May 2012 at the Oceanview Pavilion in Port Hueneme, a fight that he won by knockout and after graduating from Channel Islands High School a few weeks later, Morales stepped away from the ring.
Morales found work in construction and drywall, but kept wanting to go back to the gym. He had put on weight and believed exercise and boxing was the best way to get back in shape and chase his dream one more time.
“At first, I just wanted to lose weight and get back in shape,” said Morales, who has trained at Risen Gym in Camarillo and trained for the Garcia fight at New Era Gym in Oxnard. “I worked hard in the gym and I made the most of it. Then, I began working the mitts and doing roadwork. I wanted to make the most of it and I had no regrets from my time away. I’m glad I am back.”
Morales made his return to the ring on Aug. 15, 2025, knocking down Nesly Trezile en route to a one-sided decision victory.
On weekdays, Morales runs 3-4 miles a day, goes to work, and is off by 4 p.m. After a quick nap, he is at the gym by 5:30 p.m., where he trains for the next 2-3 hours. Morales trains Saturday mornings before spending the weekend with his family.
Boxing runs in the Morales family. His 15-year-old son recently competed in the prestigious Oxnard Police Activities League (PAL) tournament that draws amateur standouts from all over the world.
Saturday will mark Morales’ fifth fight in a 13-month span.
A win will mean the world to Morales, both personally and professionally. Morales hopes to continue in the sport, even after he hangs up the gloves for good, and help the youth the way boxing gave him structure and a path to being a responsible adult.
“I’m going to do everything in my power to be at my best and go for the win on Saturday,” said Morales. “My message is where I’m at today is to put your trust in God and anything and everything is possible.
“I just hope to motivate the youth and help kids out. There is a better future out there.”
Garcia (7-1-1, 2 KOs) has not fought since July 2024, when he was knocked out by Amado Vargas, who is the second oldest son of former two-time world champion and 1996 Channel Islands High graduate Fernando Vargas.
Francisco A. Salazar covers boxing for The Star. He has also written for Ring Magazine, Boxingscene and Fightnews. He can be reached on X (formerly Twitter) at FSalazarBoxing.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: CI graduate Morales will continue comeback with fight in Las Vegas
