Flores Defeats Bates
By: Ron Valderrama:In an epic battle that lasted for almost the entire opening round, and for the vacant WBA-NABA heavyweight title at stake, BJ Flores (33-3-1, 21 KOs) defeated Jeremy Bates (26-19-1, 22 KOs) by TKO in what was a scheduled 10-round bout.
It’s safe to say that the aging Flores still has a heavy-handed punch. From the first bell, Flores went to work and attacked Bates with crushing blows, mainly working behind a solid left jab that had Bates in defensive mode. It wasn’t long before Flores had a rhythm and landed a combination that dazed Bates. Soon after, a blistering right and then a left dropped Bates for a count. Bates survived but was clearly nearing the end. Moments later, Flores again unleashed a terror of blows that again dropped Bates for a count. Veteran referee, Wes Melton kept a close eye on the situation and allowed the fight to go on. Seconds later, Flores again pelted Bates with a barrage of punches, forcing Melton to call a halt to the action. The official time of the TKO stoppage was 2:51 of round-1, crowning BJ Flores the new WBA-NABA heavyweight champion.
The featured bout was presented by Iron Boy Promotions and was held at the iconic Celebrity Theater in Phoenix. As an added bonus, Iron Boy Promotions streamed the fight live on its website, Ironboypromotions.com.
In the co-main event, Ade Shabazz of Phoenix battled Andrew Hernandez, also of Phoenix for the vacant WBA-NABA middleweight title. In round 1, Hernandez dropped Shabazz with a hard right for a taste of the canvas. Shabazz survived the count and the round. Shabazz has been in some battles and didn’t seem himself. Secondsout.com later found out that Shabazz had injured his knee but wanted to fight this fight. Hernandez dominated going into the late rounds but suffered a cut over his left eye in round 7. In round 9, a stoppage halted the action as the doctor inspected the eye of Hernandez. The action continued as Hernandez continued to mount points and finished out the round strong. In the final round, Shabazz did land a few punches on Hernandez but it was too little, too late. In the end, the judges score the bout, all the same, a unanimous decision score of 100-89. The win made Andrew Hernandez the WBA-NABA middleweight champion. It was a good win for Hernandez and should open up some doors in the future. For Shabazz, he will fight again, it was simply an off night for him.
The undercard:
Victor Slavinskiy won his debut bout by defeating Oscar Quezada (3-8-1, 2 KOs) by TKO, in a 4-round bout in the 130 lb. division. Official time of the stoppage was .53 of round-2.
Jaime Bojado won his debut bout by KO, defeating Shem Prieto who was also making his debut. The stoppage came at .48 of round-1. The bout was scheduled for 4-rounds at 149 lbs.
Yulian Temotov (2-0, 2 KOs) won his bout by KO, defeating Brandon Davis in a fight scheduled for 4-rounds and set at 147 lbs.
Jesus Ibarra made his debut with a win over Joel Moran, who also was making his debut. The fight went the distance as the judges all score the bout 40-36. The fight was scheduled for 4-rounds at 130 lbs.
Luis Espinoza (6-0, 2 KOs), defeated Christian Bartolini (1-3, 1 KO) by KO in an exciting fight that had the crowd on its feet. The 4-round bout ended in the final round when Espinoza blistered Bartolini with deadly punches.
Adrian Servin (3-0, 1 KO) stayed undefeated by pulling off a unanimous decision win over Jesus Godinez. The bout was scheduled for 4-rounds and was set at 112 lbs. It was his debut for Godinez who put up a good fight and shows promise.Side Note:
Secondsout.com was seated in front of MMA artist and occasional boxer, Shannon Ritch, and his lovely wife for tonight’s event. Ritch was scheduled to fight Bobby Gunn in a Bare Knuckle Brawl last year but the fight never materialized. Gunn recently faced Roy Jones Jr. for the vacant WBF World cruiserweight title and lost by TKO. Ritch says he still plans on facing Gunn in a BKB fight, hopefully, this year.
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