Flores not lacking for title motivation
On Tuesday, undefeated featherweight Miguel Flores (21-0, 9 KOs) will face Dat Nguyen (19-3, 6 KOs) at Silver Street Studios in a 10-round fight to be aired live on Fox Sports 1.
Flores will dedicate his latest outing to three family members; one deceased, one whohas yet to begin life and one who will cheer him on from ringside.
Flores has always drawn inspiration from his late brother and role model Benjamin who succumbed to injuries suffered in the ring three months before Flores made his pro debut in 2009. Benjamin’s son Christopher, whowas a few months old at the time of his death, has since become Flores’ staunchest fan.
And for the first time in eight years, Flores will have a new driving force behind his career; he and his girlfriend Blanca Rosales are expecting their first son, Thiago, in May.
“Now that I have a kid on the way myself, it’s extra motivation, and we’re taking it very seriously for all of them — for my nephew, my brother and for my own kid,” Flores said. “We’re going to win that world title.” Following in footsteps?
Flores elevated himself from prospect to contender last year after defeating Ryan Kielczweskion ESPN. Should he defeat Nguyen, Flores, 24, the same age Benjamin was when he passed, hopes a world title shot will be imminent.
“After this victory, we should be ready to challenge for the world title,” Flores said. “I know there are a lot of great champions, but we want the IBF titlist Lee Selby.”
Tagging along his older brother to the gym, Flores began boxing at 8, the same age as Christopher now. He went on to compile a record of 80-10 as an amateur including two Ringside International titles. Even at a young age, Benjamin envisioned a greatness for Flores in the sport.
“I was just a little kid and he would always tell me, ‘You’re going to go far. If I ever stop boxing, you’re going to keep going and I’m going to support you,’” Flores said. “He may have sensed something in me, and I’m not going to let him down.
“Those days I don’t feel like training, I’m tired and I don’t want to wake up, I think about him. I think about what I promised him about winning that world title. It makes me get up and go for the extra mile, extra workout, extra push.”
Christopher, who has lived in the Flores’ household with his mother since he was born, likewise has tagged along with Flores to the gym over the years. Should he decide one day to follow in his father’s and uncle’s footsteps, Flores said he would have mixed feelings.
“I would tell him not to do it,” Flores said. “This is a tough sport and I wouldn’t recommend it to anybody. You can be up at one point and then you could be down on the ground at another point.”
But if push came to shove and Christopher was adamant about it, he would respect his nephew’s decision, just as his family protested but eventually reneged when he opted to continue boxing after Benjamin’s death.
“Ultimately, I’ve always said if he wants to give it a try, I’ll support him 100 percent, like my brother did to me,” Flores said. “I can’t tell him no.”
Flores said he will take the same stand with Thiago should he opt to lace on gloves in the future. Child not a distraction
Fatherhood will be a boon rather than a distraction for Flores, predicted Aaron Navarro, Flores’ trainer since his amateur days.
“I think with him, it’s just going to make him more solid and serious about his craft,” Navarro said. “Chris was only about a year old when (Benjamin died). I watched Miguel as a 17-year-old kid more or less step into the role of being father even though he wasthe uncle. He took care of the kid like he was his own son.
“He’s been in that role already, and it hasn’t done anything but keep him more focused. Having a child of his own is just going to make him more serious about getting to the top and wanting to make something good for his family.”
Tuesday marks Flores’ first fight in his hometown since 2011. Lou Savarese, Houston’s leading boxing promoter, said it’s an added windfall to stage a fight with a boxer he has watched grow up as its headliner. A former heavyweight contender, Savarese trained at and now owns the Main Boxing Gym.
“He’s got matinee-idol looks,” Savarese said. “We’ve been together in the same gym for probably 15 years. He’s just a great kid and it’s his time now.”