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Dat Nguyen Stops Miguel Flores

dat-be-datBy Joshua “City” Brewer

Dat Nguyen, 20-3, 6 KO’s, was successful in taking out Miguel Flores, 21-1, 9 KO’s, in the main event of a PBC card from Houston, Texas. Flores was the hometown favorite having grown up in Houston. Flores was also noted for tenacious body shots and leading up to the fight this seemed to be a key emphasis for his game plan. This was a case where Flores was taking on a step up in competition and he moved towards making his mark within the boxing ranks.

The fight saw sustained back and forth action from the opening bell. The two fighters exchanged a multitude of power shots. Flores won the first with with good work to body though Nguyen was right in his grill. From round two on, the fighters pretty much exchanged exciting and intense moments leading up to the finale. Flores tried his best to continue his assault the body but was lured into hooking with Nguyen. This proved to be a mistake on his part as Nguyen was able to land the harder and cleaner hooks. Additionally, Nguyen threw in his own shots to the body before ultimately realizing that Flores was indeed vulnerable.

As the fight wore on you could start to see the tide turn in Nguyen’s favor. There was visible damage to both fighters but a cut was opened on Flores, likely from one of Nguyen’s accurate hooks. Flores’ corner seemed to be well aware that their fighter was falling short of sticking with the game plan. Flores was warned of a couple of low blows but this didn’t deter him from throwing to the body. Though he landed some good shots he never seemed to really hurt Nguyen. Nguyen on the other hand snapped the head of Flores on several occasions.

The 6th round was the fate sealer as Nguyen pressed with the momentum he had gained in the previous rounds and dropped Flores with a hard combination of hooks. Flores was clearly shaken and struggled getting to his feet but was able to answer the count. Nguyen stalked Flores during the entire count sequence and went back in as soon as the opportunity presented itself. This time he was able to land a barrage of punches to include at least two uppercuts that seemingly had Flores out on his feet. Flores could only attempt to hold on for dear life as referee Laurence Cole stepped in to stop the contest at 1:02 of the 6th round. Flores seemed to plead his case but the stoppage was the right call. He’s lives to fight another day.

The win was satisfying for Nguyen as he stated before the fight that he was looking for a signature win. On this stage he rose to the occasion. There should be several guys lining up to take on Nguyen moving forward and his style is fan friendly. It would be a treat for the sport to see him in action again. For Flores, this isn’t the end of the road. He’ll need to pick up the pieces and work harder to get back the momentum he had gained. He did his part in coming to fight and fans love fighters who don’t back down. Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) is off to a good start in 2017 and this should carry on as we have Deontay Wilder defending his title against Gerald Washington up next on the slate. What a time for boxing.

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