Stockton loves the king.
Gabriel Flores Jr. (23-2, 8 KOs) picked up a 10-round split decision over Julian Rodarte (19-0-2, 12 KOs) in Stockton, California. The bout took place from the Adventist Health Arena on Saturday (March 16) with his father, Gabe Flores Sr. promoting the show with G-Squad Entertainment.
The scores were 98-92 on two of the cards for Flores and 94-96 for Rodarte on one scorecard.
The arena, best known for being home of the NBA G-League team the Stockton Kings, hosted another king in Flores… Or at least a self-proclaimed king – as that is a moniker “Stockton’s King” goes by.
It was for the WBA lightweight Continental USA title, a belt you don’t often read about. For Flores and Rodarte – neither had won a title before in their careers and they treated it like a world title fight.
Flores came out to antics, walking through the crowd in a symbolic gesture of being a man of the people and local rap legend MBNel accompanied him.
Flores started strong, the crowd approved. Rodarte roared in the third round as he charged forward with some success yet a pro-Flores crowd chanted for a Flores victory.
The mid-rounds saw redness on the face of Rodarte, who was relentless coming forward and punching to the body. Flores flourished with a brilliant left hook that stumbled Rodarte, who had unsteady legs.
The crowd sounded like a jet engine when Flores landed the telling blow on Rodarte, but nothing Flores did could keep Rodarte off him.
Rodarte might be marked up, but he continued to come forward. He also was a southpaw who switched – and Flores loved exchanging with him.
The two traded back and forth until the final bell. Flores landed big left hooks, Rodarte had success with body shots and neither were willing to let the other takeover the fight.
“I am so proud to perform in front of my hometown, and get the win,” Flores Jr told BoxingScene. “I am also glad that Stockton showed we could have a major event and keep the peace. Nothing bad happened and it was a family event. That meant a lot to me.”
The co-feature saw junior welterweight Fernando Vargas Jr. (14-0, 13 KOs), the son of Fernando Vargas Sr., continue the Vargas Dynasty. Vargas knocked out Brad Solomon (29-7, 9 KOs), a game veteran with deep amateur pedigree, in the fourth round of their fight scheduled for six rounds. Solomon’s age paints the picture of the fight – at 40-years-old time was no longer on his side. Vargas Jr, 27, was too young for Solomon. Solomon’s legs were unstable, and he was unable to keep the younger Vargas Jr. off him.
Vargas Jr. kept a high work rate from the opening bell. Solomon found himself on the ropes too often. In the fourth round, he was wobbled by a thunderous left hand from Vargas Jr. He didn’t go down from the shot, but his legs noticeably shook. What felt like seconds later, Solomon took a knee on his own accord. Once on the ground his corner called the fight off.
Lorenzo Powell (1-0) of nearby Sacramento made a successful pro debut against Jose Valenzuela Alvarado (2-13-2, 1 KOs). Powell started quickly, showing his amateur boxing experience. Fighting in front of a packed house in Stockton might have played into his performance. Powell didn’t get a knockout, but won a unanimous decision. The scores were 40-36 on all three cards.
The opponent bout saw super flyweight Jessie James Guerrero (4-0-2, 4 KOs) pick a second-round knockout over Jose Rodriguez Montemayor (7-9, 6 KOs) with a body shot. Guerrero is the nephew of Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero, who was also in his corner. Guerrero was coming off a draw nearly a year prior on a Top Rank show headlined by Jose Ramirez.
Guerrero noted in the fighter interview that he fought at super flyweight only because he couldn’t get a fight at light flyweight, which is the weight class he wants to campaign at for a world title.