JAMESTOWN, CALIFORNIA – In the ten-round main event of tonight’s ProBox TV broadcast emanating from the Chicken Ranch Casino Resort, world ranked lightweight contender Gabriel Flores Jr. will take on TV-friendly action fighter Jose Arellano in what could be an intriguing clash of styles. With the preparation complete, both fighters expressed their feelings about the bout on Tuesday.
“I feel great,” proclaimed Flores (25-2, 8 KOs) of nearby Stockton, California, just before getting on the scale on Tuesday. “I feel ready. All my confidence comes from the preparation and training. I don’t cut no corners. I work as hard as I can and I get great sparring in the city of Las Vegas.”
With tonight’s fight being broadcasted by a readily-available outlet, there is extra onus on Flores to perform the way that he knows he is capable of, as the eyes of the boxing industry will likely be tuned into the contest.
“It just makes me excited for everyone to get to see how I am progressing as more of a pro,” says Flores, the WBO #10/WBA #12 ranked 135-pounder. “I started at 17-years-old. Now I am here to show my man strength, my man mentality and all that follows.”
Flores took exception to the claim that Arellano presents more of a pressure style than recent previous opponents.
“He’s aggressive, but I don’t know if he is more aggressive than my last three opponents,” says Flores. “He’s probably just as aggressive. I don’t see him being anymore aggressive. Julian Rodarte was pretty aggressive. Ronal Ron, he was coming forward, he was on me. And in my last fight, I was throwing shots and [Dennis Contreras] kept on coming and kept on coming. So I can’t imagine him bringing any more pressure, but if he does, good for him, but I don’t think it is going to make much of a difference. I am ready.”
Flores, who will be defending his regional WBA Continental USA lightweight title, plans to put on a show for his fans on Wednesday night.
“Intensity and an explosive Gabriel Flores,” predicts the Stockton native. “Always doing something entertaining.”
Arellano (11-2, 6 KOs) Aurora, Colorado by way of Chihuahua, Chihuahua, Mexico is no stranger to the bright lights of ProBox TV, having engaged in some memorable, at times bloody, bouts on the streamer.
“I feel good,” said Arellano, just after Tuesday morning’s weigh-in. “I am ready. Everything is done, so we just wait for the last thing and that is the fight tomorrow.”
For Arellano, who campaigns as a super featherweight, the regional lightweight title bout on Wednesday does not mark a permanent move up in weight for the Colorado resident. Instead it was the opportunity to fight Flores that felt like the right fit for Arellano and his team.
“We are just fighting at this weight for the opportunity,” explains Arellano. “We will beat him and then go back down to 130. My coach Javiel Centeno liked the fight for me. He believed that I could beat him and I went on board with it, so now we are here.”
One thing that Arellano and Flores agreed on was that the Colorado fighter is not simply a pressure fighter.
“They call me a pressure fighter, but I consider myself something else,” says Arellano. “It is a match-up of styles and we are going to clash either way, so it should be a fun fight, period. Whether he has to box or I have to box, it is going to be a very good fight. He is gifted, he is a very good boxer, but we are going to have to fight because of our styles. I take nothing away from him, but we will be there.”
Tickets for the event, promoted by G-Squad Entertainment and Robert Garcia’s House of Champions, are available online at gsquadent.com
Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at [email protected]
