On Saturday night at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19-year-old Zaquin Moses made his highly anticipated pro boxing debut as he defeated Michael Ruiz by way of unanimous decision.
The match against Ruiz was never in doubt, as Moses was in full control of the bout from start to finish. He displayed a versatile offense and solid defense as he cruised his way to his first victory as a pro.
As an amateur, Zaquin Moses was a 3-time national champion. He placed everyone on notice at the amateur level when he defeated Curmel Moton back in March 2023. Moses experienced a lot of success as an amateur, but on the night of November 9th, he started a new chapter in his boxing journey.
In the opening round of his pro debut, Moses looked extremely poised as he took his time and consistently landed his southpaw jab. At the midpoint of the first round, Moses stunned Ruiz when he landed a hard left hand.
Moses continued to calmly work off his jab in the second round as he targeted Ruiz’s body. As the second round progressed, Moses was able to land sharp combinations on multiple occasions. Halfway through his pro debut, Moses swept the first two rounds with his accuracy, and good punch placement.
In the opening minute of the third round, Ruiz was able to connect with a solid counter right hand, but Moses responded by landing a three-punch combination. In the 4th and final round, Moses started the round by landing a sharp counter left-hand shot.
Seconds later, Moses connected with a hard left hand that visibly hurt Ruiz. Moses was on the attack as he appeared to be going for the knockout, but Ruiz was able to survive and make it through the final round. At the conclusion of the 4-round contest, all three judges scored 40-36 in favor of the winner, Zaquin Moses.
Zaquin Moses (1-0) is the younger cousin of the WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson. During his post-fight interview with IFL TV, Moses credited Stevenson in regards to preparing him for the moment as he spoke about the advice Stevenson gave him prior to the fight.
“To stay focused and have fun. You have your best performances when you’re having fun. Don’t let the moment be bigger than what it is.”
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