In this episode of The Ak & Barak Show, the hosts speak to Gabriel Flores Jr. about his immediate future and potential opponents.
Gabriel Flores Jr. is coming off an impressive unanimous-decision victory over Josec Ruiz on June 18 in an MGM Grand ballroom in Las Vegas on national television, thereby raising his stock in the boxing world.
What’s next for the slick, unbeaten lightweight prospect? The Las Vegas resident expects to fight for a world title within a year.
In this episode of The Ak & Barak Show, courtesy of DAZN, hosts Akin Reyes and Barak Bess speak to Flores about his immediate future and potential opponents in and around his weight division.
The Ak & Barak Show is available on DAZN and Sirius XM Fight Nation, Channel 156.
Gabriel Flores Jr. made the most of his opportunity to fight in a main event on national TV, defeating Josec Ruiz by a shutout decision.
A door was opened for Gabriel Flores Jr. when the scheduled main event Thursday in Las Vegas was pulled off the card. And Flores walked through like a champ.
The talented 20-year-old from Stockton, California gave a mature boxing performance against willing, but overmatched Josec Ruiz, winning by a shutout decision in a tightly controlled MGM Grand ballroom on national television.
One could complain that Flores didn’t take the risks necessary to punctuate his performance with a knockout but, hey, that’s quibbling. The young man dominated from beginning to end. And, for the record, he said afterward that he entered the ring with a lower back injury.
All in all, it was an excellent performance, especially considering it was Flores’ first 10-rounder.
“He was a tough guy, but he was not on my level,” Flores said in the ring afterward. “Going 10 rounds for the first time in my career was a valuable learning experience.”
Gabriel Flores Jr. celebrates a good night’s work. Mikey Williams / Top Rank
The pattern of the fight was evident moments after the opening bell, with the athletic Flores sticking and moving and landing more than enough power shots to control round after round while using his quick feet to stay out of Ruiz’s range.
The fight could’ve ended in Round 2, when Flores hurt Ruiz with a left hook and then put him down with a straight right about two minutes into the stanza. However, Ruiz, whose durability was his greatest quality on Thursday, survived and was never seriously hurt again.
Meanwhile, Ruiz (21-3-3, 14 KOs) had moments here and there. Round 4 stands out. Trying to push the action, he landed a few eye-catching power shots but they were the exception, not the rule. Flores was largely untouchable.
Flores’ father/trainer, Gabriel Flores Sr., pushed his son to stand his ground in the second half of the fight to give himself a chance to score that KO but the younger Flores – perhaps suffering to some degree because of the back injury – was content to cruise to an easy victory.
All three judges scored it 100-89, 10 rounds to none.
Flores (18-0, 6 KOs) is gearing up for what seems to be an inevitable shot at world title even at his young age. He and his father recently moved from Stockton to Las Vegas, a center of boxing from where he feels he can take the next step in his promising career.
“I see a world title in the next 12 months,” he said. “That’s my goal. But we have to see what’s out there first. I’m training in Vegas now, and the sparring and training out here has helped elevate my game.”
Jose Pedraza and Mikkel LesPierre were scheduled to fight in the main event Thursday but the fight was postponed after LesPierre’s manager tested positive for COVID-19.
Clay Collard (right) rearranged the face of David Kaminsky on the undercard. Mikey Williams / Top Rank
In preliminaries, Clay Collard (7-2-3, 2 KOs) of Cache Valley, Utah spoiled the perfect record of another prospect, defeating David Kaminsky (6-1, 3 KOs) of Israel by a split decision in a six-round super middleweight bout.
Collard, a former mixed martial artist with an amateur boxing background, has an awkward style, throws a lot of punches and is durable, a combination of qualities with which his 19-year-old opponent couldn’t cope. Two judges scored it for Collard 58-56. One, Patricia Morse Jarman, somehow had it for Kaminsky.
The teenager suffered a gash above his left eye in the opening round and left the ring with a face so bruised and swollen that it looked as if he had been in a tough 12-rounder. He was taken to a hospital by ambulance as a precaution.
Collard has spoiled the plans of a number of young prospects. He has taken down four unbeaten opponents.
“I honestly thought he would hit harder,” Collard said. “But once I felt his power, I pressed the action. I didn’t know if the cut came from a punch or a head butt at first, but I knew being aggressive would be the key to victory.
“I was nervous when the cards were being read, but I felt I’d done more than enough to earn the decision.”
Adrian Servin (right) didn’t last two full rounds with Robert Rodriguez. Mikey Williams / Top Rank
In a scheduled six-round bantamweight bout, Robert Rodriguez (8-0-1, 4 KOs) of Riverside, California stopped Adrian Servin (9-1-1, 3 KOs) of Phoenix at 2:48 of Round 2.
Rodriguez and Servin were fighting on roughly even terms when the former landed a short right that forced the latter to take a knee in the second round, which was the beginning of the end. Rodriguez followed with a series of heavy blows that prompted referee Robert Hoyle to stop the fight at 2:48 of the round.
Rodriguez weighed in at 120¼, 2¼ over the bantamweight limit. Servin weighed 118.
Frevian Gonzalez (3-0, 1 KO) of Puerto Rico outboxed Jose Martinez (2-1, 1 KO) of Los Angeles in a four-round junior lightweight bout, winning a unanimous decision by scores of 40-36, 39-37 and 39-37. And Victor Rodriguez (3-0, 1 1 KO) of Stanton, California outclassed Justin Horsley (0-2) of Las Vegas in a four-round junior welterweight bout, winning a shutout decision (40-36 on all three cards).
The Jose Pedraza-Mikkel LesPierre fight scheduled for tonight in Las Vegas is off.
The Jose Pedraza-Mikkel LesPierre fight scheduled for tonight (Thursday) in Las Vegas is off.
The manager of LesPierre tested positive Wednesday for COVID-19, forcing the Nevada State Athletic Commission to cancel the fight as per its coronavirus protocol.
Jose Tavers, the manager, reportedly tested negative when he entered the MGM Grand bubble on June 14. However, he tested positive after the official weigh-in Wednesday. The result was returned Thursday morning.
The Pedraza-LesPierre fight reportedly will be rescheduled. Meanwhile, the co-feature between Gabriel Flores and Josec Ruiz has been elevated to the main event tonight.
“We had no choice in the matter because this is the commission’s protocol via the contact tracing,” Top Rank COO Brad Jacobs told Yahoo Sports.
This is the second featured fight to be canceled in the Top Rank-ESPN post-lock down series. The bout between Mikaela Mayer and Helen Joseph set for June 9 was canceled after Mayer tested positive.
Flores (17-0, 6 KOs), a prospect from Stockton, California, will be fighting in his first scheduled 10-round bout. Ruiz (21-2-3, 14 KOs) is from Honduras but has fought in the U.S. beginning early last year.
An anonymous person bet almost $200,000 to win only $4,000-plus on Gabriel Flores Jr. to beat Jozec Ruiz on Thursday night in Las Vegas.
Someone believes strongly in Gabriel Flores Jr.
The anonymous person bet almost $200,000 to win only $4,000-plus on Flores to beat Josec Ruiz Thursday night in Las Vegas, according to the head of communications and public relations for BetMGM.
Elisa Richardson Tweeted: “Woah! For the boxing match tomorrow at MGM Grand, @BetMGM took a $187,847.35 bet to win $4,173.95, bet was placed [at] MGM Grand, Gabriel Flores, Jr. at -4500.”
Flores vs. Ruiz is on the undercard of the Jose Pedraza-Mikkel LesPierre fight at a tightly controlled ballroom at the MGM Grand. The card will be televised on ESPN and ESPN Deportes.
Woah! For the boxing match tomorrow at MGM Grand, @BetMGM took a $187,847.35 bet to win $4,173.95, bet was placed ar MGM Grand, Gabriel Flores, Jr. at -4500. 😮👀👀
Flores (17-0, 6 KOs) obviously is a huge favorite – -4500 is 45-1 – but $200,000 to make $4,000 is a significant risk for relatively little gain. Yahoo Sports reported that the odds on Flores to win went to -5000 shortly after the large wager was made.
The lightweight prospect from Stockton, California will be fighting in his first scheduled 10-rounder.
Ruiz (21-2-3, 14 KOs) is a +1200 underdog. He’s from Honduras but has fought in the U.S. since early last year.
