Gabriel Flores Jr. returns for his MGM Grand Las Vegas “Bubble” encore Saturday, Oct. 3 against veteran contender Ryan “The Polish Prince” Kielczweski in the 10-round lightweight co-feature to the highly anticipated junior welterweight bout between Ivan Baranchyk and Jose Zepeda.
Flores, from Stockton, Calif., headlined on ESPN June 18 against Josec Ruiz and prevailed via shutout unanimous decision. Baranchyk-Zepeda, Flores-Kielczweski and undercard bouts will stream live and exclusively on ESPN+.
Flores (18-0, 6 KOs), the 20-year-old prodigy who signed a pro contract with Top Rank at 16, recently moved his training base from Stockton to Las Vegas and signed with manager James Prince. He shined on the Deontay Wilder-Tyson Fury II undercard in February, dropping Matt Conway in the opening round en route to a unanimous decision win. Flores, known as “Stockton’s King,” authored a dominating victory over Ruiz despite entering the fight with a lower back injury.
Kielczweski (30-4, 11 KOs), from Quincy, Mass., is the most experienced foe of Flores’ career, a 12-year pro who has won four of his last five and has never been knocked out. He last fought in March 2019 and won an eight-round decision over Nick Otieno in Melrose, Mass. He is no stranger to ESPN audiences, having fought multiple times on the beloved “Friday Night Fights” series.
“I want to show everyone that I’m ready for bigger and better competition,” Flores said. “I’m prepared for a world title shot.”
“I’m excited to get back in the ring on Oct 3 against a very talented prospect. A win here will put me back where I need to be for bigger fights,” Kielczweski said. “I’d like to thank Murphys Boxing and Top Rank for giving me the opportunity to showcase my skills on such a high-level platform.”
In undercard action:
Heavyweight prospect Guido “The Gladiator” Vianello (7-0, 7 KOs), a 2016 Italian Olympian, will look to extend his KO streak against “Bubble” veteran Kingsley Ibeh (5-1, 4 KOs) in a six-rounder. Vianello knocked out Don Haynesworth in the opening round on June 9, while Ibeh won two bouts in the first run of “Bubble” cards. Ibeh upset the previously undefeated Patrick Mailata via majority decision on July 2.
2019 Junior Olympic gold medalist Haven Brady Jr., an 18-year-old boxer-puncher from Albany Ga., will make his professional debut in a four-round featherweight bout. Brady recently signed a long-term promotional pact with Top Rank.
Featherweight Duke Ragan (1-0, 1 KO), who won his professional debut last month inside the “Bubble” with a first-round stoppage, returns in a four-rounder against an opponent to be named.
Heavyweight Mitchell Sipe, a professional mixed martial artist, will make his pro boxing debut in a four-round fight against an opponent to be named.
In a rescheduled six-round junior lightweight bout originally set for Sept. 19, Puerto Rican junior lightweight prospect Frevian Gonzalez (3-0, 1 KO) will fight Carlos Marrero (2-3-1).