In the Interim: Trevor Bryan wins forgettable stoppage over Flores

PHOENIX – Forgettable belt. Forgettable fight.

On a night when Don King’s arrival was the most memorable moment, Trevor Bryan and BJ Flores stumbled through an abbreviated heavyweight bout Saturday that they won’t want to remember. It was for a throwaway title. Interim is supposed to be temporary. At least, that’s what Webster’s says. Not sure that the World Boxing Association understands that part of the definition.

But whatever the Bryan-Flores bout at Celebrity Theatre was, it wasn’t temporary enough. Four rounds felt like forever.

Flores (34-4-1, 21 KOs) who looked every bit of his 39 years, appeared to be fatigued after the second. Truth is, he was finished. But that would not become official until after the former cruiserweight contender was knocked down six times over the next two rounds. Actually, there could have been a seventh, but it was ruled to have happened within a split second after the bell sounded an end to third. Six? Seven? It could have been 17 for all that it mattered.

Fortunately, it ended in a TKO at 2:56 of the fourth round.

Unfortunately, the show still had way to go.

King got s lively crowd buzzing when he arrived at ringside clutching countless flags, wearing a fading denim jacket with sequins the color of his gray hair and an interim belt for the winner.

King, who sat through one undercard fight, signing autographs and posing for photos with anybody who asked, climbed through the ropes with WBA officials and gave the interim piece of plastic-and-tin to Bryan (20-0, 14 KOs), who is now one of three heavyweights with a WBA title.

For Bryan, interim means stepping stone. He hopes to fight the winner of Fres Oqendo’s challenge of secondary WBA belt holder Manuel Charr on Sept. 29.

“Then, it’s across the pond for AJ,’’ Bryan said of the UK’s Anthony Joshua, the only WBA champion anybody really knows.

For King, the interim belt represented just another move among the many he has made throughout his years among so many of boxing’s greatest names. It’s believed this maneuver cost him $10,000. That’s the guesstimate for the fee he paid the WBA to sanction another made-up belt.

“I love Phoenix,’’ said King, who will turn 87 on August 20. “I’m the people’s promoter. We have a new heavyweight champion.’’

King also said something about a Freedom Foundation and he mentioned the President, presumably Donald Trump, his friend and former business partner.

It was hard to know what he was talking about. Then again, it was hard to know what to make of what had happened within the ropes. Let’s just hope it is as temporary as interim is supposed to be.

Best of the Undercard

They were big, show-biz big with enough power to do it again. In fact, heavyweights Dante Stone (1-1) of Chandler, Ariz., and Waldo Cortez Acosta (2-2, 1 KO) of Phoenix agreed to do it a third time after a slam-bang brawl and some comic-POW in a rematch.

Stone, who might have been the best heavyweight on the card Saturday night, won the sequel, avenging a defeat in the first bout with a couple of knockdowns in the third round. Acosta roared back in the fourth, but the knockdowns were too much to overcome. Stone won a split decision and then celebrated by telling promoter Robert Vargas that he wants trilogy. No argument from Acosta.

The Rest

Trini Ochoa (3-0-1, 1 KO), a junior-welterweight and a crowd favorite from Mesa, withstood some rocky moments while landing rib-rocking body shots for a unanimous decision over Mexican Arturo Izaguirre (1-1).

Super-middleweight Roberto Yong (6-14-2, 4 KOs)survived some late fury from Fidel Hernandez (19-5, 10 KOs), winning majority decision in a battle of Phoenix rivals.

Mesa flyweight Luis Espinoza (9-1, 3 KOs) scored two first-round knockdowns and then held on from a decision – unanimous, yet close — over Mexican Christian Raudry (3-6-1, 3 KOs).

Mesa junior-welterweight Jesus Ibarra (5-0, 3 KOs) calls himself Monsoon. Don’t blink. The Ibarra storm swamped Mexican Enrique Almada (0-2) within second after the opening bell for a quick KO.

El Paso welterweight Isaac Luna (2-0) patiently and deliberately landed most of the punches in. workman-like decision over Erick Montoya of Chandler.