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Flores lost in under a minute to the Cuban heavyweight contender.
The PBC on FOX main event between Luis Ortiz and Alexander Flores was never competitive on paper and it was even less competitive when they went into the ring. Ortiz dropped Flores inside of a minute and it was done and dusted in 46 seconds.
Not exactly good television, is it?
Well the California State Athletic Commission, which did approve the fight in the first place, is withholding Flores’ $80,000 purse pending a hearing to explain “the unusual nature of the fight being stopped,” per The Athletic’s Mike Coppinger.
“I want to be very clear that all we’re doing is taking some time to review it,” CSAC executive director Andy Foster said to The Athletic. “ … We’re not saying (he) did anything wrong at all. We need to take a look at this a little more than we have because (the conclusion) raised some questions. … We just need more information.”
Flores (18-3-1, 16 KOs) is essentially a club-level fighter who was knocked out in his only meaningful steps up in competition against Charles Martin and Joseph Parker. Ortiz (32-2-2 NCs, 27 KOs) basically got a tune-up for his first appearance since his KO loss to Deontay Wilder last November.
There’s no doubt that a punch landed but I suppose the issue here is whether Flores went in there and just phoned it in with the hopes of getting a paycheck and taking minimal damage in a fight he had virtually no chance of winning.
No word yet on when this hearing will happen, but Flores will be present.