BJ FLORES vs JOSE LUIS HERRERA

Unbeaten cruiserweight BJ Flores has basically been marking time after his career-best win over Darnell “Ding-a-Ling Man” Wilson last year but finally he returns in a somewhat meaningful fight when he meets Colombian puncher Jose Luis Herrera in a 10-rounder on the Roy Jones vs Omar Sheika boxing/mixed martial arts show on Saturday.

Flores says that he is serious about his career but that offers for fights didn’t make financial sense.

A three-round blowout of overmatched heavyweight Matt Hicks in January at least kept Flores ticking over.

“I want to show the people what I am about,” Flores said at the final press conference in Pensacola. “Look at my face — this is a face of a world champion.”

So Flores is saying the right things, and it will help his career if he can deliver a convincing performance on Saturday. He should win, but the manner of the victory is important. Herrera can be dangerous but his heavy punches are usually thrown slowly. Flores is fast enough to make Herrera miss and then punish him with fast, well-placed punches.

When Flores beat Wilson he did so by boxing and moving. Flores did have one rocky patch when caught by a right uppercut in the eighth round but he used the ring and Wilson couldn’t catch him again.

The crowd booed Flores for his safety-first tactics in the later rounds but I couldn’t fault the strategy. Wilson was on an impressive run of knockout wins and Flores obviously didn’t want to risk blowing his biggest win by getting involved with a desperate opponent.

Things are a little different on Saturday. Flores has proved that he is a world-class fighter. This time he is a big favourite to win — he was the underdog against Wilson. A cautious win on points over Herrera will not be career-enhancing. I think that Flores has to be prepared to gamble a little more and let the shots go, not in a reckless way but with the intention of removing Herrera from the fight.

Herrera has been stopped in each of his five losses, most recently by Enad Licina in Germany. The Colombian was down and almost out in the first round against Aaron Williams before coming back to win in the fifth when his previously unbeaten opponent seemed to run out of steam.

Flores has been dropped in a couple of fights (against the bigger Semisi Bloomfield and also by Chris Thomas), but he took the heavy hit from Wilson without going down. Herrera did have Licina down from a right hand high on the head in the opening round but after that he was basically outclassed by the tough Serbian boxer. I would think that Flores will want to be a bit careful early but after two or three rounds he might decide to start letting his hands go.

I think that Flores has the chance to look good in this fight and I am expecting him to join the ranks of fighters who have stopped Herrera, possibly around the eighth round.