LOCAL FIGHTER MAKES BOLD CLAIM
Gabe Flores Jr.’s goal is to win a world title in 2021, and wellknown brawler Jayson Velez is the next challenge he has to overcome.
Flores, the undefeated Stockton boxer, meets Velez on Saturday in a 10-round super featherweight bout at MGM Grand in Las Vegas. The fight will serve as the co-feature to the super featherweight title match between World Boxing Council champion Miguel Berchelt and former world champion Oscar Valdez in a card that will be broadcast live on ESPN, beginning at 7 p.m.
Flores, who is now 20 years old and sports a 19-0 record, is looking for the victory which will catapult him into the top 10 and title contention.
“That is what I believe. This is the year you will see me win a world title,” Flores said during a Zoom news conference on Tuesday. “That’s the goal. I’m going to keep on pushing. The performance is everything, showing I’m ready. That’s the main focus right now.”
Saturday presents a chance for Flores to show his skills on a national stage. The fight is the biggest of the Stocktonian’s career, but was almost a bit bigger. Flores was originally scheduled to meet former world champion Andrew Cancio, who announced he was withdrawing due to a back injury.
The Flores camp accepted Velez as an opponent partially because he fights a similar style
to Cancio and the change wouldn’t disrupt training. Both are sluggers who will come straight at their opponent.
Velez’s last fight was a tough battle with Valdez, who won by a TKO in the 10th round and road the win into Saturday’s title bout with Berchelt. Flores watched the fight and learned a few things about his next opponent.
“He doesn’t get discouraged, he going to keep on coming,” Flores said of Velez. “He’s going to keep coming and coming, he’s going to stick to his game plan. He’s not going to bow down for nothing.”
Velez (29-7-1) has lost two in a row, but his opponents were a combined 42-1, including a decision loss to Jaime Arboleda. In 2014, Velez, a 32-year-old Puerto Rico native fought then-International Boxing Federation champ Evgeny Gradovich to a draw in a title bout.
While Flores hopes to jump into contention, Velez is banking an upset puts him back in the title picture.
“Definitely this is a big fight for me, and I think it would be the biggest win of my career,” Velez said. “And I’m very motivated because I want to give this big moment to Puerto Rico.”
Flores also feels strongly about where he comes from. And although he moved to Las Vegas a few years ago to train, there’s little doubt where his heart is.
“I can’t wait to be in the moment and put on a show for (Stockton), because when I win, we all win,” Flores said. “I’m always out there fighting with my city on my trunks, so I’m always representing big time for my city.”
Flores has fought in Stockton just once as a pro. On May 4, 2019, he scored a third-round knockout against Eduardo Pereira Dos Reis of Brazil in front of a crowd of 10,105 at Stockton Arena.