By Mark Vester
Stepping in the ring for the first time in almost a year, unbeaten cruiserweight BJ Flores (22-0, 14KOs) easily dispatched of fringe contender Matt Hicks (14-3) in three rounds at the Plaza Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. Flores has been inactive since winning a decision over Darnell Wilson last February. Flores knocked Hicks down in round two and finished him off in the third.
He was recently offered a title shot at the new IBF champ Tomasz Adamek, but turned the fight down. A combination of money and training time was not to Flores' liking. He feels he is ready for any of the titleholders if the deal is right.
"I'll fight anybody. We just want to make sure the deal is right and the situation is right. We deserve a fair amount of money and a fair amount of time to prepare. Give me that and I'll fight any of the champions," Flores told The Las Vegas Sun. "Hopefully this fight will let people know I'm back. This fight wasn't about the money. It was about getting back in the ring [the paper wrote that Flores made $25 bucks after expenses]."
Flores wants Johnathon Banks, WBA champ Guillermo Jones, and Adamek. Also on the card, Elvin Ayala (19-3-1, 8 KOs) won an eight round decision over Anthony Bartinelli (23-11-2) in a super middleweight contest. Rafael Valenzuela (11-1, 6 KOs) stopped Robert Da Luz (11-16-2) in the first round of a super bantamweight bout.
Send News Tips and Comments To Mark Vester @ boxingvester@gmail.com
