Sharahya Moreu was a decorated amateur, is now a promising lightweight prospect and has a deep well from which to draw her inspiration.

Moreu (2-0, 1 KO), who last month recorded her first professional knockout, stopping Jessie Clark in the first round, is also part of the Team Combat League’s Philadelphia Smoke. Moreu is on the leading edge of a novel, if not entirely new, concept in the TCL, which is in its second season.

Team Combat League is, more or less, exactly what its name suggests – a boxing organization that assigns its fighters to “teams” that compete against one another over the course of a season and playoffs competition.

Moreu, 24, of New Mexico, is also hoping to blaze another trail – one that those close to her may find a little bit easier to walk by following her lead. Sharahya is the oldest of three children raised by their father, Yoruba Moreu, a single parent who, in addition to working a full-time job, also trained his brood to box.

Sharahya, whose younger sister and brother both fight in the amateurs, is clear about the importance of her father’s presence in her life and career.

“He works full-time, then when he gets off, he goes straight to the gym,” Sharahya said. “This has become his lifestyle – his therapy, too. He loves boxing and he gets to see his children succeed in it.”

Sharahya, who has won multiple amateur national championships – most notably the 2017 Youth Nationals and 2016 and 2017 Youth Open – receives more than just inspiration from Yoruba. She gets honest assessment about her performance and progress. No sugar-coating, no “yes” men.

“At the end of the day, I know he always has the best interests for me,” Moreu said of her father.

After dispatching Clark on March 30, Moreu came back to fight for the TCL’s Smoke last Wednesday. Although she lost both “fights” – in TCL competition, each bout lasts only a round – the experience is invaluable to Moreu.

“She is young,” said Jolene Mizzone, whose Fighters First Management is taking the lead on guiding Moreu’s career. “We want to move her the right way, and with the TCL it worked out because she is going to get in there and see different styles.”

Even Moreu’s relationship with Fighters First Management, a Texas-based company 

claiming to take a more ethical approach to boxing by “educating, protecting and guiding its clients on their professional journey,” makes her something of a pioneer.

In any case, it’s all part of the journey and another in a growing list of firsts for Moreu.

“She is away for camp in Philadelphia, she is away from home,” Mizzone said. “She is going to be able to check that off her list.”