By Jake Donovan
It’s safe to say that his 19th birthday will be one which Gabriel Flores Jr. will never forget.
The unbeaten super featherweight prospect has savored every moment of his first career fight in his hometown of Stockton, Calif. Two title fights top the bill on this weekend’s ESPN show, but make no mistake—upwards of 10,000 fans will pile into the Stockton Arena to catch Flores Jr. in his latest adventure versus Brazil’s Eduardo Pereira dos Reis (23-5, 19KOs), which will also serve as part of the live telecast.
“The plan from day one was to one day fight in this very arena,” Rick Mirigian, Flores Jr.’s adviser insisted of his long-awaited homecoming. “There’s a lot a lot of history that will happen this weekend.”
Headlining the show, Artur Beterbiev (13-0, 13KOs) makes his Top Rank debut as he faces Radivoje “Hot Rod” Kalajdzic in the second defense of his light heavyweight title. Also on the telecast, Philippines’ Jerwin Ancajas (30-1-2, 20KOs) attempts the seventh defense of his 115-pound title as he faces Japan’s Ryuichi Funai (31-7, 22KOs).
Flores—who turned just 19 years old on Wednesday—has only begun fighting in his home state last summer, shortly after his 18th birthday in compliance with California state law. This Sunday will mark the two-year anniversary of his pro career, which began in Reno, Nev. and his first eight bouts taking place in Nevada and Texas.
From the moment his team advised him of a homecoming, Flores Jr. has made the most of the opportunity. Included among his local travels was a return to Chavez High School, from where he graduated last spring.
The rising prospect spoke with students, eager to deliver a message of hope for those who fear of what awaits their future.
“He let them know there’s hope,” revealed Mirigian, who also manages another wildly popular Central Valley attraction in unbeaten 140-pound titlist Jose Ramirez. “He walked those same halls and let them know, if he can do then they can do it to. We left 500 tickets for students in that school.”
Also revealed during the visit was the first recipient of a new scholarship program provided by Flores Jr. and his team. The lucky winner was Sherwood Ruffin-Turner, a Chavez HS senior who works two jobs and participates in a Mariachi band all while maintaining a perfect 4.0 grade point average. His plans after high school include attending college and becoming an immigration lawyer.
For this weekend, he will be a guest of honor at the Stockton Arena as he was recognized during Thursday’s press conference—as was Flores Jr.
As much as the local favorite has given back to his community, plenty came in return during Thursday’s session. Flores Jr. was presented the key to the city by Mayor Michael Tubbs, the first-ever African-American to become mayor of Stockton and—at age 26—the youngest mayor for a city of Stockton’s size classification.
The arena’s main occupants, the Stockton Kings of the NBA G-League, also presented Flores with a custom-made jersey—number 19 in honor of his recent birthday—and a mock championship belt in the team uniform’s predominant purple color.
While his bout with Pereira dos Rios is just a six-round non-title affair, the rangy super featherweight plans to add a lot of real hardware to his trophy case in the near future.
“I’m ready,” Flores Jr. insisted to host Crystina Poncher of Saturday’s fight. “I’ve seen the tapes, I know what he’s gonna do. My ring IQ is hihh. I’ve been in every tournament, international tournaments, I’ve seen every style there is. He ain’t anything new.”
What is new to him is the experience of fighting in his hometown for the first time as a pro. Three previous appearances in Fresno helped whet the appetite, but to be able to truly return home in an event surrounding his birthday has already made this an occasion well worth remembering long before the opening bell.
“Since I was in elementary school, I always said I wanted to fight here,” stated Flores Jr. “I was born and raised here, never left. I lost my moms; I been through a lot but I overcame it. I just wanted to fight in my city.
“Come May 4, there will be a lot of kids, a lot of parents—the whole community—turning out for this show. There are so many opportunities. Just because you’re from a small city it doesn’t mean you’re limited at all.”
Case in point, the anticipated sellout crowd for Saturday’s show, in large part due to the extraordinary efforts of a teenaged six-round prospect and his team.
“You have the largest fight night – Cinco de Mayo,” Mirigian noted of this weekend’s theme, playing to Flores’s Mexican-American heritage. “Then you have the world’s largest televised provider, ESPN, broadcasting it live. This is quite an achievement for this young man.
“It also made it possible to bring two world title fights to this town. It’s not something you see every day for a smaller city. It’s no easy feat to put 10,000 in an arena.”
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox
