Fast Results from the Bubble: Flores Blanks Ruiz; Collard Mauls Kaminsky

Gabriel Flores Jr, the pride of Stockton, CA, appeared in his first 10-rounder tonight and when the main event fell out, he became the headline attraction. Flores (18-0, 6 KOs) didn’t disappoint – he pitched a shutout, winning all 10 rounds on all three cards – but the wow factor was missing.

It appeared that Flores was going to close the show early when he knocked Ruiz down in the second round with a sweeping left hook followed by a pair of underhand rights. Ruiz, who fell to 21-3-3, had supposedly never been knocked down.

From that point on, Flores became what an old-time fight fan would have called a “dancing master.” He was content to circle out of harms way while using his superior hand speed to pick up points. Had there been a good-sized crowd in the room – rather than just a handful of observers – the boos would have been audible.

In the post-fight interview, Flores effectively gave himself an “A+” for conditioning. We would concur. He also said that he had suffered a lower back injury in training and that he was only about 50 percent of his true self. If so, Flores, who turned 20 just last month, will evolve into an outstanding fighter. But he needs to crank up his offense to get to the next level.

Other Bouts

Victor Rodriguez, a super lightweight from Stanton, CA, advanced to 3-0 with a 4-round unanimous decision over Justin Horsley (0-2). A former college wrestler from Bountiful, Utah, Horsley was a willing mixer but was outclassed. The scores were 40-36 across the board.

Frevian Gonzalez, a 19-year-old Puerto Rican, improved to 3-0 with a unanimous decision over Jose Martinez (2-1) in a 4-round contest in the 122-pound weight class. The scores were 39-37 twice and 40-36.

Super middleweight Clay Collard, a UFC vet from Cache, Valley, UT improved to 7-2-3 with a well-deserved 6-round split decision over previously unbeaten David Kominsky (6-1). A buzzsaw who makes up for his inelegant style with a high workrate, Collard is becoming boxing’s premier spoiler. Including Kaminsky, his 12 opponents were a combined 65-3 when he fought them.

It’s back to the drawing board for Kominsky, an Israeli by birth who signed with Top Rank at age 17 and trains at his father’s gym in Reseda, CA. The fight was barely 90 seconds old when Kaminsky sported a reddish welt on his right cheek. He ended the contest looking as if he had been in a Pier Six brawl and was taken to a hospital for an observation.

In the first bout of the evening, a 6-round bantamweight contest, Robert Rodriguez advanced to 8-0-1 (4) with a second-round stoppage of Adrien Servin (9-1-1) who took the fight on short notice and was moving up in weight. Rodriguez knocked Servin to the canvas in round two with a left to the body followed by a short right hand to the head. He was snapping Servin’s head back with sharp combinations when Robert Hoyle interceded and waived the fight off. The official time was 2:48.

Rodriguez, from San Antonio, is a member of Robert Garcia’s Lone Star contingent at the Garcia Boxing Academy in Riverside, CA. San Antonio natives Hector Tanajara and Joshua Franco are stablemates.

Photo credit: Mikey Williams for Top Rank

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