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Boxing trainer Bobby Benton praised his fighter, Miguel Flores, for his unanimous decision victory over the 26-year-old Ohioan Michael Chaise Nelson (21-3-1, 8 KOs) at the Bayou Event Center in Houston on Sept. 7.
Flores won with scores of 98-90, 99-89, and 97-91. Benton believes Flores (26-5-1, 12 KOs) can make a significant impact at featherweight.
The win marks the second half of Flores’ veteran career. The 32-year-old Houston native Flores is now targeting one last major fight, or so it seems. The victory heled Flores bounce back from a loss to Sam Goodman in October in Australia and shake off some ring rust. It was not all smooth sailing; however, an issue arose.
“Our opponent missed weight by four pounds, but Miguel boxed beautifully,” Benton said. “He dropped him in the third and ninth rounds. He was using really smart defense, and it was just what the doctor ordered. He needed a fight like that — probably needs one more, just to stay active, and he’ll get sharper.”
Benton also noted the confidence boost for Flores, especially given Nelson’s heavier weight.
“It was a performance against a bigger guy, and Miguel put him down,” Benton said. “If the kid had made weight, I think Mikey probably would have stopped him, but you could see the size difference. Mikey’s a small featherweight.”
Cutman Aaron Navarro highlighted the personal significance of the fight, noting, “Being with the kid since he was eight years old, and with him through all the ups and some really bad lows over these 25 years, it was really great seeing him get back there — and he hadn’t fought at home for probably three years.”
His previous featherweight bout was against Eduardo Ramirez in 2020, and while the Goodman fight was at featherweight, Goodman was a junior featherweight title contender, and Flores had been competing a tad lighter prior. Flores also fought Abner Mares to a draw at lightweight and Leo Santa Cruz in 2019 at junior lightweight.
“In the last 24 months, he fought twice,” Navarro said. “He fought Abner then 13 months later, he fought Goodman halfway across the world in Australia. Those were both top-notch fighters on big stages. So, we are looking to keep him in the ring every three or four months.”
Benton confirmed Flores’ commitment to featherweight and his ability to make the weight easily. When discussing the featherweight division, Benton acknowledged its competitiveness but also noted that several titleholders have lost before, making it a division where Flores could get another big chance, especially given his track record against big name fighters.
“There are champions with losses, so it’s a division you can break into,” Benton said.
Lucas Ketelle is a proud member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and author of “Inside The Ropes of Boxing” (available on Amazon). Contact him on X @LukieBoxing.