Triller Triad Combat results: Alexander Flores edges Matt Mitrione despite knockdown

Matt Mitrione’s big knockdown wasn’t enough to beat Alexander Flores at Triller Triad Combat.

[autotag]Alexander Flores[/autotag] was the closest to getting stopped in the Triller Triad Combat co-main event, but still he got his hand raised against [autotag]Matt Mitrione[/autotag].

In a fight that went the distance, Flores was rewarded for his work in the latter rounds to take a unanimous decision over UFC veteran Mitrione by scores of 68-64, 67-65 and 68-64.

The heavyweight fight took place at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas.

The pair came out throwing absolute bombs in the first round, coming close so inflicting some major damage. That moment didn’t happen until Round 2, though, when Mitrione connected with a huge right hand that floored Flores and had him hurt. He barely made it up before the 10-count, then the fight wore on.

Some controversy came in Round 3, when Flores locked up a Dagestani handcuff from a clinch position, which is illegal. Mitrione was irate and complained to referee Dan Miragliotta, but he gathered his wits. Mitrione landed a spinning back fist, which was the first of the event.

The pace slowed down on the back half of the fight. There was a lot more clinching and fighting from in close, and both men had difficulty landing that big shot to change the trajectory of the fight.

Flores was arguably more effective in that situation, and a moment in Round 7 where he knocked Mitrione’s mouthpiece. That seemingly made the difference, as he got the nod from the judges.

The latest Triad Combat results include:

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Luis Ortiz knocks out Alexander Flores in only 45 seconds

Heavyweight contender Luis Ortiz knocked out Alexander Flores in only 45 seconds Saturday in Los Angeles.

Luis Ortiz’s comeback fight was quick and emphatic. And the ending was strange.

The heavyweight contender stopped Alexander Flores only 45 seconds into a scheduled 10-round bout Saturday night at Microsoft Theater in downtown Los Angeles.

The fight was just getting started when Ortiz’s right biceps muscle seemed to hit Flores in the face while he was throwing a hook to the body, putting Flores down.

The Los Angeles area-fighter was able to stand before the count of 10 but he couldn’t continue.

Flores said afterward that he had a problem with his left eye, the apparent result of the arm to the face. He told a FOX reporter that his vision went black and legs went numb.

Ortiz (32-2, 27 KOs) was coming off a seventh-round knockout loss in his rematch with Deontay Wilder in November of last year.

The 41-year-old Cuban was hoping that this fight would lead to another shot at a world title.

Flores (18-3-1, 16 KOs) has had success on the club level but he has failed against top-level opponents. He was also stopped by Charles Martin and Joseph Parker.

Luis Ortiz knocks out Alexander Flores in only 45 seconds

Heavyweight contender Luis Ortiz knocked out Alexander Flores in only 45 seconds Saturday in Los Angeles.

Luis Ortiz’s comeback fight was quick and emphatic. And the ending was strange.

The heavyweight contender stopped Alexander Flores only 45 seconds into a scheduled 10-round bout Saturday night at Microsoft Theater in downtown Los Angeles.

The fight was just getting started when Ortiz’s right biceps muscle seemed to hit Flores in the face while he was throwing a hook to the body, putting Flores down.

The Los Angeles area-fighter was able to stand before the count of 10 but he couldn’t continue.

Flores said afterward that he had a problem with his left eye, the apparent result of the arm to the face. He told a FOX reporter that his vision went black and legs went numb.

Ortiz (32-2, 27 KOs) was coming off a seventh-round knockout loss in his rematch with Deontay Wilder in November of last year.

The 41-year-old Cuban was hoping that this fight would lead to another shot at a world title.

Flores (18-3-1, 16 KOs) has had success on the club level but he has failed against top-level opponents. He was also stopped by Charles Martin and Joseph Parker.

Luis Ortiz, 41, says he has a lot more work to do

Luis Ortiz, motivated by his daughter’s illness and his desire to become champion, fights on at 41 years old.

Luis Ortiz isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. The fact he’s 41 years old is irrelevant, at least to him.

The Cuban defector has too many reasons to fight on. He wants to continue to bring attention to the plight of his daughter, Lismercedes, who suffers from a debilitating skin condition. He won’t give up on his dream to become a world champion. And, off course, he wants to make a good living for as long as he can.

Not even his disappointing losses to Deontay Wilder could convince him to give up.

Ortiz, who returns to the ring against Alexander Flores on Saturday, failed in two attempts to take down then-titleholder Wilder. In the first fight, the Cuban almost stopped Wilder in Round 7 only to get knocked out himself in Round 10. And in the second bout, a year ago, Ortiz was winning on the cards when Wilder ended matters with a single right hand in Round 7.

Luis Ortiz (left) has success against Deontay Wilder until he got caught with a fight-ending right hand a year ago. AP Photo / John Locher

Ortiz could almost feel the championship belt around his waist in both of those fights only to let it slip away. The last thing he wants to do is walk away from the sport with that bad taste in his mouth.

“Those kind of fights can keep you up at night,” Ortiz said through his trainer, German Caicedo. “I have faith in myself, faith in God. You have to have a little bit of amnesia to move forward because, if not, you can dwell on that, obsess over that.

“It’s unfortunate but it’s not what controls me now.”

The first setback was easier for Ortiz (31-2, 26 KOs) and his camp to accept. The challenger’s training was limited, Caicedo said, because he was recovering from a hand injury. He wasn’t in ideal shape when he stepped through the ropes.

The circumstances in the second fight were different. Ortiz was fully prepared yet came up short. Caicedo said his fighter made a mental error that allowed Wilder to land the big right.

“We had a 12-week camp in the mountains outside Las Vegas,” Caicedo said. “That’s why [the second knockout] hurt so much for everyone involved. Luis does what he’s asked to do. He’s a thousand percent professional. You just don’t win all the fights.

“Luis started boxing at 10 years old [in Cuba]. He’s always had that pro style regimen. That’s what we’re calling on now.”

Ortiz says he’s ready for Flores and what might follow. He took around a month and half off after the second loss to Wilder and had short breaks as he navigated coronavirus restrictions in Miami. Otherwise, he’s been in the gym.

And he says he feels good. He dismisses comments about his age with the same refrain: “Anyone who is critical of my age should get into the ring with me and see what 41 feels like.”

What’s his secret? Caicedo compared him to Bernard Hopkins. Ortiz doesn’t drink or smoke or have other vices that might eat away at his body. There is also his motivation.

He’s like any other fighter: He wants to be a world champion. And as long as he feels he’s capable of realizing that goal, he said, he’s going to continue to try.

However, that’s secondary to his family. The money he earns allows him to support those he loves and, along with the platform he has, places him in an optimal position to fight his biggest fight: Finding a cure for epidermolysis bullosa, the painful condition that afflicts his 12-year-old daughter.

That’s why he defected to the United States about a decade ago.

“That fuels everything,” Ortiz said. “The reason I’m still driven is the platform I found in heavyweight boxing, at high levels, to be able to address my daughter and her illness. That’s why I work so hard, why I can do things now that I couldn’t do at 35. As long as I can bring light to this cause, that’s what I’m going to do.

“I’ll fight until I’m 60 if that’s what it takes to find a cure.”

[lawrence-related id=15258]

Luis Ortiz, 41, says he has a lot more work to do

Luis Ortiz, motivated by his daughter’s illness and his desire to become champion, fights on at 41 years old.

Luis Ortiz isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. The fact he’s 41 years old is irrelevant, at least to him.

The Cuban defector has too many reasons to fight on. He wants to continue to bring attention to the plight of his daughter, Lismercedes, who suffers from a debilitating skin condition. He won’t give up on his dream to become a world champion. And, off course, he wants to make a good living for as long as he can.

Not even his disappointing losses to Deontay Wilder could convince him to give up.

Ortiz, who returns to the ring against Alexander Flores on Saturday, failed in two attempts to take down then-titleholder Wilder. In the first fight, the Cuban almost stopped Wilder in Round 7 only to get knocked out himself in Round 10. And in the second bout, a year ago, Ortiz was winning on the cards when Wilder ended matters with a single right hand in Round 7.

Luis Ortiz (left) has success against Deontay Wilder until he got caught with a fight-ending right hand a year ago. AP Photo / John Locher

Ortiz could almost feel the championship belt around his waist in both of those fights only to let it slip away. The last thing he wants to do is walk away from the sport with that bad taste in his mouth.

“Those kind of fights can keep you up at night,” Ortiz said through his trainer, German Caicedo. “I have faith in myself, faith in God. You have to have a little bit of amnesia to move forward because, if not, you can dwell on that, obsess over that.

“It’s unfortunate but it’s not what controls me now.”

The first setback was easier for Ortiz (31-2, 26 KOs) and his camp to accept. The challenger’s training was limited, Caicedo said, because he was recovering from a hand injury. He wasn’t in ideal shape when he stepped through the ropes.

The circumstances in the second fight were different. Ortiz was fully prepared yet came up short. Caicedo said his fighter made a mental error that allowed Wilder to land the big right.

“We had a 12-week camp in the mountains outside Las Vegas,” Caicedo said. “That’s why [the second knockout] hurt so much for everyone involved. Luis does what he’s asked to do. He’s a thousand percent professional. You just don’t win all the fights.

“Luis started boxing at 10 years old [in Cuba]. He’s always had that pro style regimen. That’s what we’re calling on now.”

Ortiz says he’s ready for Flores and what might follow. He took around a month and half off after the second loss to Wilder and had short breaks as he navigated coronavirus restrictions in Miami. Otherwise, he’s been in the gym.

And he says he feels good. He dismisses comments about his age with the same refrain: “Anyone who is critical of my age should get into the ring with me and see what 41 feels like.”

What’s his secret? Caicedo compared him to Bernard Hopkins. Ortiz doesn’t drink or smoke or have other vices that might eat away at his body. There is also his motivation.

He’s like any other fighter: He wants to be a world champion. And as long as he feels he’s capable of realizing that goal, he said, he’s going to continue to try.

However, that’s secondary to his family. The money he earns allows him to support those he loves and, along with the platform he has, places him in an optimal position to fight his biggest fight: Finding a cure for epidermolysis bullosa, the painful condition that afflicts his 12-year-old daughter.

That’s why he defected to the United States about a decade ago.

“That fuels everything,” Ortiz said. “The reason I’m still driven is the platform I found in heavyweight boxing, at high levels, to be able to address my daughter and her illness. That’s why I work so hard, why I can do things now that I couldn’t do at 35. As long as I can bring light to this cause, that’s what I’m going to do.

“I’ll fight until I’m 60 if that’s what it takes to find a cure.”

[lawrence-related id=15258]

Joseph Parker expected to make return in February: report

Joseph Parker plans to resume training in Las Vegas with hopes of getting back into the heavyweight title mix with a fight in February.

Joseph Parker plans to resume training in Las Vegas with hopes of getting back into the heavyweight title mix with a fight in February.

Parker manager David Higgins told Sky Sports that he will leave New Zealand for Vegas within a few days for a fight against an opponent not yet announced by promoter Eddie Hearn.

“There are concrete plans, which it’s not my place to announce,’’ Higgins said. “But there is a date and a venue, and it’s the opponent we’re waiting on.

“We’ve just been told it will be late February and in the United States.’’

Hearn’s next major card in the U.S. features Mikey Garcia vs. Jessie Vargas in a welterweight bout on Feb. 28 in Frisco, Texas on DAZN.

Parker, who lost a heavyweight belt to Anthony Joshua on March 31, 2018, was scheduled to fight Dereck Chisora in October. However, he withdrew, reportedly from illness suffered from a spider bite.

Parker (26-2, 20 KOs) has fought three times since his loss by unanimous decision to Joshua in Cardiff, Wales. He won two and lost one, losing to Dillian White and beating Alexander Flores and Alex Leapai.