No love from crowd, but Gabriel Flores Jr. likes judges’ scorecards

Juan Esparza Loera
·3 min read
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Gabriel Flores Jr., the 21-year-old junior lightweight boxer from Stockton, didn’t get a positive reaction from the fans at the Save Mart Center following his March 4 battle against Abraham Montoya.

But, he did get the desired result from the judges in a 10-round bout against the opponent from Mexicali, Baja California: A majority decision via scores of 95-95, 96-94 and 96-94.

The decision was roundly booed.

For Flores, the win was a rebound from a September 2021 loss to México’s Luis Alberto López by unanimous decision. It remains Flores’ only blemish in a 21-1 pro record.

“The mission I’m on is personal, and I will be a world champion,” said Flores in January when the fight was announced. “I am more motivated than ever, and I will have answers for whatever Montoya brings.”

Abraham Montoya of México absorbs a punch from Gabriel Flores Jr. of Stockton in the sixth round of their junior lightweight bout at the Save Mart Center on March 4, 2022.
Abraham Montoya of México absorbs a punch from Gabriel Flores Jr. of Stockton in the sixth round of their junior lightweight bout at the Save Mart Center on March 4, 2022.

Against Montoya, Flores built an advantage in the early rounds and then held slight leads in the later rounds to notch the victory.

Montoya drops to 20-3-1.

There were no knockdowns in the fight.

Flores, who lives in Las Vegas, explained the boos to the large presence of Latinos who preferred the Mexican song that accompanied Montoya’s entrance. Flores used a rap song for his entrance.

Flores told ESPN after the fight that he is moving up to the lightweight division.

Ramírez wins battle of the Josés

In the headline fight, Avenal’s José Ramírez bounced back from his only professional loss last May to Josh Taylor with a convincing win over Puerto Rican José Pedraza.

All three judges scored the 12-round junior welterweight fight 116-112 for Ramírez, who improved to 27-1. Pedraza drops to 29-4.

José Pedraza backs away from José Ramírez in the first round of their junior welterweight bout at the Save Mart Center on March 4, 2022.
José Pedraza backs away from José Ramírez in the first round of their junior welterweight bout at the Save Mart Center on March 4, 2022.

“Jose Pedraza is a smart and experienced fighter. He was going to find a way to survive and fight,” said Ramírez, who expects to fight for a title belt soon.

“He was fighting until the end of the fight. Hats off to him and his team. He was well prepared. It was a great fight. I have to see where I am now.”

Ramírez said he learned some lessons from the Taylor loss that re-energized his training and preparation.

A knockout results in boos

When referee Edward Collantes stopped the Joet González vs. Jeo Santisima featherweight bout in the ninth round, most fans began to boo.

González walked off with the WBO International featherweight belt and a 25-2 record, while Santisima dropped to 21-4.

The crowd continued to boo the result, especially because the Filipino didn’t look badly hurt.

González, from Glendale, was coming off a loss to WBO featherweight champion Emanuel ‘Vaquero’ Navarrete.

Other results

San Antonio lightweight Héctor Tanajara (19-1-1) had to settle for a draw against Miguel Contreras of Bakersfield in an 8-round bout. Contreras, who uses the Caveman moniker, was popular because of fans who made the short drive to Fresno. Contreras is now 11-1-1.

Karlos Balderas of Santa María knocks down Brazilian Aelio Mesquita in a lightweight bout in the first round at the Save Mart Center on March 4, 2022.
Karlos Balderas of Santa María knocks down Brazilian Aelio Mesquita in a lightweight bout in the first round at the Save Mart Center on March 4, 2022.

Karlos Balderas of Santa María scored a knockout 0:38 into the second round of a junior lightweight bout against Brazil’s Aelio Mesquita (20-7-1). Balderas improves to 12-1 (11 KOs).

Javier Martínez of Milwaukee aims a left punch at Donte Stubbs of Riverside in the second round of a middleweight bout at the Save Mart Center on March 4, 2022. Martínez improved to 6-0 with a unanimous decision in the six-round match.
Javier Martínez of Milwaukee aims a left punch at Donte Stubbs of Riverside in the second round of a middleweight bout at the Save Mart Center on March 4, 2022. Martínez improved to 6-0 with a unanimous decision in the six-round match.

Milwaukee middleweight Javier Martínez got knocked down in the third round but rebounded to win a six-round unanimous decision over Donte Stubbs of Riverside. The judges scored it 59-56, 58-55 and 58-55 in favor of Martínez, now 6-0. Stubbs drops to 6-4.

Charlie Sheehy of Brisbane absorbs a left Johnny Bernal of Denver in a lightweight bout at the Save Mart Center on March 4, 2022.
Charlie Sheehy of Brisbane absorbs a left Johnny Bernal of Denver in a lightweight bout at the Save Mart Center on March 4, 2022.

In his second pro bout as a lightweight, Charlie Sheehy of Brisbane scored a first-round knockout of Denver’s Johnny Bernal. Sheehy is now 2-0; Bernal is 2-1.