Turning Stone Casino, Verona, NY, Aug. 12
TV: ESPN
By Peter Lim
There couldn't be a more dead-even matchup - style wise, statistically and in
actuality - between these two lanky five-foot-eight featherweights. Flores
(20-0, 9 KOs) is a boxer-puncher who can fight effectively from the outside but
prefers to slug it out in the trenches where he loves to unleash his favorite weapon
- the left hook to the body. Kielczweski (25-1, 7 KOs), is the more cerebral
stick-and-move tactician, but when forced to brawl, also favors the left hook
to inflict the most damage up close and personal. Neither combatant, as their
respective below 50-percent knockout rates suggest, has significant
fight-ending power.
Ultimately, though, Flores' slight edge in brawling ability trumps Kielczweski's slight edge in boxing ability. Both combatants box on even terms
from long range in the early goings, but when the action moves into toe-to-toe
territory in the later rounds, Flores lands the snappier, more picturesque
punches. At the end of the night, the Texan is rewarded for his fan-friendlier
style, eking out a majority decision by scores of 96-94 (twice) and 95-95.
