Abraham Morales never lost his love for boxing.
Even with life responsibilities, Morales continues to compete and hopes to become a contender in the sport.
Morales will face Ricardo de la Torre on Saturday, May 16, at the Simi Valley Torn Center. The four-round lightweight bout will be part of the 10-bout “Fight Night 6“ card.
The 32-year-old Morales (3-1, 2 knockouts) last fought on Nov. 22, 2025, losing by majority decision to once-beaten Diego Dominguez. It was Morales’ first loss as a pro.
The 2012 Channel Islands High School graduate trains at Risen Gym in Camarillo and wanted to return to the ring as soon as possible.
“Looking back to my last fight (in November), I learned a lot,” Morales told The Star on Wednesday. “My takeaway is (to) start applying pressure from the very first round. Working with (trainer) Marco (Contreras) has been such a blessing, working with a top-level coach.”
Morales made his pro debut a few weeks before graduating high school, scoring a third-round knockout win over Francisco Solis at the Oceanview Pavilion in Port Hueneme. Morales did not return to the ring until Aug. 15, 2025, at the Chumash Casino Resort in Santa Ynez, scoring a knockdown of Nesly Trezile en route to a unanimous decision win.
Children and work were the priority between his pro debut and the Trezile win, but he is glad to make the return back to the ring.
“I was in and out of the boxing gym after my pro debut,” said Morales, who has four children and a step-daughter. “One year went by, then two went by, and little before I knew it, I had completely drifted away from the gym and sport.
“In 2016, (I) had my first child, which added more responsibilities. I was already working construction. By the beginning of 2024, I started this journey of trying to get back in shape, which led me back to the boxing gym and fast forward to August (of last year), (when) I was able to do my comeback.”
Morales hopes a win over de la Torre would lead to more opportunities this year and into 2027.
“My mindset from when I did my pro debut is now completely different,” said Morales, who is the uncle of Channel Islands High School soccer standout Belen Morales. “I no longer look back. Just super excited for what God holds for my future.”
De la Torre (2-0, 1 KO) is originally from Hermosillo, Mexico, and now lives in Palmdale. He has not fought since a split-decision win over Giovanny Gonzalez in July 2023, which also took place in Simi Valley.
Saturday’s card will also have talent from Ventura County.
In the main event, Wesley Vanderlinden of Simi Valley will face Russia’s Konstantin Kupianskii (4-2, 1 KO) in a six-round middleweight bout. The 40-year-old Vanderlinden (4-2-1, 4 KOs) is hoping to bounce back from a defeat to Dante Kirkman on Oct. 23 in Costa Mesa.
Benji Gomez (1-9) of Oxnard will square off against Eloy Secundino Tello (4-2-1, 1 KO) of Pacoima in a four-round lightweight bout.
Doors are scheduled to open at 5:30 p.m. For tickets, call 805-206-9403.
Francisco A. Salazar covers boxing for The Star. He has also covered boxing for Ring Magazine, Boxingscene and Fightnews. He can be reached on X (formerly Twitter) at FSalazarBoxing.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Channel Islands grad Morales returns to ring in Simi Valley
Reporting by Francisco A. Salazar, Special to Ventura County Star / Ventura County Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
