JAMESTOWN, CALIFORNIA – Lightweight contender Gabriel Flores Jr. scored two knockdowns, but was taken to the limit by hard-charging Jose Arellano, despite wide official scores, en route to a ten-round unanimous decision in the ProBox TV main event from the Chicken Ranch Casino Resort.
Flores (26-2, 8 KOs) of Stockton, California was the first to strike, scoring the first official knockdown of the bout in the early moments when a left counter forced Arellano (11-3, 6 KOs) Aurora, Colorado by way of Chihuahua, Chihuahua, Mexico into the ropes. With Arellano gripping a stand to stay vertical, referee Michael Margado correctly ruled the knockdown.
Arellano, 133.4, was more caught off balance and quickly made his presence known in the fight. Flores, 134.8, always the classy boxer, attempted to use his superior jab to keep the Colorado native at range, but Arellano was undeterred and found his way inside for much of the middle round action.
With the fight that had the feel of one slipping away from the Stockton native, Flores, the WBO #10/WBA #12 ranked lightweight, found his distance in round six and was able to use his jab to better effect. Arellano still landed some clean power shots as the fight progressed into the later rounds as he continually pressed the action.
Flores found a rhythm again early in round nine and would score a second knockdown to start round ten. Flores’ counter downed the forward-moving Arellano in a moment that felt more significant before the final cards would be read. Flores closed the fight strong, but ultimately did not require either knockdown to win over the judges.
Judge Michael Rinaldi scored the bout 99-89, judge Dan Stell scored it 98-90 and judge Brian Tsukamoto had it the closest, 95-93. With the victory, Flores retained his WBA Continental USA lightweight title and remains viable in the 135-pound division.
In the co-main event, Emiliano Moreno (12-0, 7 KOs) of Long Beach, California overcame a slow start to score a seventh-round stoppage of Cesar Francis (13-3, 8 KOs) of West New York, New Jersey.
Moreno, 149.6, started methodically, but picked up the pace as the fight went along. Francis, 146.6, boxed well in the early rounds, pressing the action and setting the pace.
Moreno was careful in his punch selection early, but landed the cleaner, harder shots when he found the opening.
Francis began to show signs of wilting in the sixth as his output dipped considerably. Moreno broke through in the seventh, landing combinations upstairs. Francis buckled as a result, but regained his footing enough to find the corner. Before Moreno moved in to follow-up, referee Dan Stell moved in to stop the fight, receiving a mild protest from Francis, who was ahead on the cards at the time of the stoppage. Official time came at 2:44 of the seventh round.
Anthony Cuba (9-1-2, 4 KOs) of Fontana, California overcame a knockdown to score an eight-round unanimous decision over previously unbeaten DeMichael Harris (12-1-1, 11 KOs) of Smyrna, Georgia.
Cuba, 137, was the aggressor throughout as Harris, 134.2, spent too much time on the ropes. By the sixth, Cuba was distancing himself on the cards with solid power shots.
Harris had a moment early in the eighth, landing a tomahawk right that dropped Cuba in an exchange. The knockdown came too late, as Cuba regained his footing and claimed the wide unanimous verdict.
Judge Michael Margado scored it 78-73, while judges Michael Rinaldi and Brian Tsukamoto had it a round closer, 77-74, all for Cuba.
Kevin Soltero (4-0, 2 KOs) of Kansas City, Missouri sprung an upset over previously unbeaten Andrew Rodriguez (5-1, 1 KO) of Salinas, California via six-round majority decision.
Rodriguez, 116.4, had to battle with a cut suffered from a headbutt in the second round., but closed that same act with some solid body work. Soltero, 116.6, applied relentless pressure in the third round, as Rodriguez looked to circle and box.
The Kansas City native was finding a home for his right in the middle rounds and had a strong fourth as the blood seemed to bother Rodriguez. The final two rounds featured excellent two-way action, but it was ultimately Soltero that won over the judges. Judge Dan Stell scored the bout even, 57-57, but was overruled by judge Brian Tsukamoto, 58-56, and judge Mike Rinaldi, 60-54.
Jennah Creason (2-0-1) of Visalia, California and Samantha Ginithan (1-0-1, 1 KO) of Las Cruces, New Mexico battled it out to a four-round majority draw.
Ginithan, 140.2, and Creason, 139, both had their moments in a fight fought at close quarters for the eight scheduled minutes. With neither making a clear case, judges Michael Rinaldi and David Hartman both scored the bout even, 38-38. Judge Brian Tsukamoto turned in a dissenting card for Ginithan, 39-37.
In the walk-out bout, Antonio Mireles (9-0-1, 7 KOs) of Des Moines, Iowa took an eight-round shutout decision over much shorter Josue Vargas (5-10-2, 2 KOs) of Panorama City, California.
Vargas, 244, was able to make it a mauling, inside fight from the early going. When Mireles, 274, had daylight to punch, he was successful landing in combination. Mireles did not follow his corner’s repeated instructions to turn Vargas and get his back away from the ropes or create distance, but ultimately did enough to win every round, claiming all three cards, 80-72.
Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortegajr.mario@gmail.com
