Gabriel Flores is no stranger to loss.
He returns Saturday, March 16 against Julian Rodarte in a 10-round main event from the Adventist Health Arena in Stockton, California and Flores’ story has been one of pain and struggle and one that exemplifies the city he comes from, Stockton, California.
It is no wonder in a world in which a loss is a damnation that Flores has continued to see regional support.
Flores Jr. (22-2, 8 KOs) lost his mother, Juanita Maldonado on March 18, 2013. Flores was only 12-years-old. He famously fought in a national tournament two months later and won it, with his father, Gabe Flores Sr., by his side. So when he lost to now champion, Luis Alberto Lopez and then Giovanni Cabrera, the boxing world wanted to count him out. For Flores, those struggles appeared to be perceived as a knockdown and not a knockout.
“I almost laugh when people ask me how if a loss in boxing affects me in any major way,“ said Flores Jr. “It is funny, because those people don’t know me. That question right there tells you. I come from a place where my biggest loss was my mom. [My mom] always being there when I won. That was one of the most joyful moments I ever had. That is something I always hold in me and always remember.
“If I was ever going to stop or if anything was going to damage me it would’ve been [losing my mom],” stated Flores.
At the age of 16, Flores stood with a microphone in front of the media when he was announced as The Youngest Ever to sign with Top Rank Inc. That has since changed, with Xander Zayas signing with Top Rank.
Zayas was slightly younger when he signed in 2019.
“Everyone reads the headlines, 16-years-old, youngest signed, but none of them knew what it took for that to happen,” Flores Jr explained. “I was raised when you feel the heat, when you feel the fire you run through it, not away from it. We are not afraid. I am still here today and I am still fighting.”
The road has been bumpy for Flores thus far. Yet takes pride fighting in Stockton.
Flores’ record indicates that he is not a power-puncher, but his two fights in Stockton have ended in big knockouts. His ring outfit from his debut in the Adventist Health Arena hangs above his staircase in Las Vegas, Nevada. At the Flores family home, the echoes of Joe Tessitore’s call jumps out of the picture frame it resides in.
“The people of Stockton keep me hyped,” Flores told BoxingScene. “Coming back to Stockton, it brought me back alive and I felt great. I feel I am in a great position right now, the best position I could be in. This is God’s calling. I feed off their energy.”
Flores is now 23. He is no longer the youngest ever. Fighters are younger than Flores that are fighting professionally. The moniker of that label has faded. Now it is time for reinvention, one that Flores Jr and his team believe will happen where his career started – in Stockton.
His opponent, Rodarte (19-0-2, 8 KOs) is the X-factor, an undefeated fighter, who has fought on some big-name undercards. But Rodarte is looking for an opportunity and this might be it. He is also 28 and coming off a draw to an unheralded fighter in Juan Santiago.
Despite their comparative youth, one could contend this is a crossroads bout. The stakes feel high. Flores Jr. is looking to regain momentum and to be the face of his father’s upstart promotion while Rodarte needs a win to gain the interest of major promoters or to put himself in the mix for consideration for a big fight.
The Flores family is betting on themselves, like they always have. Now taking on the promotional aspect the stakes are a bit higher.