Damoni Cato-Cain is a fighter getting a long-overdue opportunity from Zuffa Boxing on Sunday.

Cato-Cain will face unbeaten Christian Morales in an eight-round bout at the Meta Apex in Las Vegas on Paramount+.

Cato-Cain, 8-1-2 (7 KOs), hasn’t fought since a December 2024 draw against Jorge Maravillo.

“We had six fights fall out in 2025,” Rogelio Delgadillo, Cato-Cain’s manager, told BoxingScene. “It was the five-year mark, and honestly, I was crying, because in business, that is an important year and milestone.”

Delgadillo has managed Cato-Cain’s career since he turned pro. They had taken the trips out of pocket to Las Vegas and Omaha, Nebraska, to spar the likes of Terence Crawford and Keyshawn Davis. Outside of a 2023 loss to Eric Tudor, Cato-Cain has not been able to show his ability on a world-class level.

Zuffa Boxing is now a hot topic. This week, a story by Thomas Hauser came out highlighting the contracts. The piece explored some potential red flags. Then you have Cato-Cain, who is looking for a fight date, something Zuffa can provide for him, rather easily. Cato-Cain is a 28-year-old from Oakland, California, with a dream and an opportunity.

“We have been putting in work without getting the recognition for it,” Cato-Cain told Boxingscene. “That is because people have been catting off, signing contracts, and then saying they don’t want to fight anymore a couple of weeks later.” 

Cato-Cain’s team spoke to the difficulty of matching him, especially on smaller shows with smaller budgets. 

“It is hard for us to get fights,” Delgadillo said. “Whether it is bad luck, or people look at him as a dangerous fighter.” 

“It has been so frustrating trying to keep him active,” Arvin Jugarap, Cato Cain’s trainer, told BoxingScene. 

Even so, Cato-Cain enters as a slight betting underdog ahead of his upcoming fight against the 22-year-old Morales. Morales, 7-0 (7 KOs), is relatively untested, fighting exclusively in Mexico, despite training in Las Vegas. 

“I am enjoying the process. I am enjoying the journey, but at a point it starts to get long overdue,” Cato-Cain said. “All of this is happening, with God’s timing, and we are going to take full advantage of the blessing.”

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.