Flores: This fight is going to bring out the Dog in me

Tonight, undefeated prospect/contender BJ “El Peligroso” Flores 17-0-1(12) looks to take another step towards the top of the cruiserweight division, when he takes on heavy-handed Chris “Cold Steel” Thomas 16-6-2(14) in an off-TV bout at the Knox Arena in Olive Branch Mississippi. Although the bout is scheduled for 12 rounds, Flores makes it clear he is looking to end things early tonight. He also spoke with us about his preparation for this fight, his goals for 2007 and much more.

RC: What’s going on BJ how was preparation been for your bout against Chris Thomas?
BJF: Everything went really good, after my last fight September 30 I never really took off. I kind of went back home, the first week I didn’t go to the gym but I ran a couple of times and the next week I kind of did the same thing. I kept up with my cardio, keeping up with everything, I was not really hitting the boxing gym too much but my weightlifting and my cardio kept my weight under control, so that way when I did come back to fight it was like I was never out of shape. So this camp was real easy to get in shape, I got a lot of rounds of sparring in; I am just trying to get better every time so we will look to do that on Friday

RC: I am sorry to hear about the recent passing of your brother-in-law, from what I understand the two of you were really close, how did that affect your preparation for this fight?
BJF: Yeah he was, he would always come to all of my fights and watch me and support me in Atlantic City, Texas, and all over. I introduced him to some of the fighters and he thought that was pretty cool. He was just a real happy go lucky gut, a hard worker, a brother, a father, a son; it was a tough loss, because he has got a little four your son and all. But I am looking at it as motivation really, he came to about seven or eight of my fights, he was a big supporter of mine. I pretty much told the family already this one is for him. I am going to dedicate this fight to him, I am going to use his loss as motivation for me to not only get up for this fight but be unstoppable for this fight. I know he will be watching down on me and he will be proud of what takes place on Friday.

RC: What can you tell u about your opponent Chris Thomas?
BJF: I know that he is definitely facing to be a tough opponent for me. He has fought some very tough guys, he has fought Emmanuel Nwodo he has fought Kelvin Davis, he was ranked in the top 15 in two different sanctioning bodies as recent as a year a go, he is a big guy. Tall, he has good knockout power, so I respect him coming in. I heard he went away to camp and he is going to be very ready for this fight, and I am too, so I think it will be a great fight. I think it will be good for the fans, I think it would be good for my career and this would really give me a good gauge of where I need to be among the elite cruiserweights. A couple of guys have beaten him, former world champion Kelvin Davis and Emmanuel Nwodo who is rated number nine by the IBF right now, and nobody wants to fight him either. So depending on how I do with Chris, it will give me a god measurement stick of where I am at compared to these guys. I am definitely not looking past him, I respect him but at the same time I am going for the knockout.

RC: Is that mainly because Davis and Nwodo stopped him in his last two fights?
BJF: Every fight is different, people take fights on weeks notice, and people take fights on six seven weeks notice. Just because they got him out of there in that time period I mean he fought Kelvin right after he fought Emmanuel, and to me if you ever have a knockout loss, you need to take a little time off and it doesn’t sound like he did that and I guess he took the fight on short notice and everything. Every fight is different, I am looking to stop him not necessarily because those guys stopped him, but I am just looking to score a knockout because that is exciting in boxing. But if the decision is the only win available then I will take a decision but I am always looking for knockout especially being that I am at my natural weight.

RC: We all know, that it is common practice not to look for the knockout, but to allow it to come to you. Can this in turn affect your performance by you going in there looking specifically for the knockout?
BJF: It definitely can, but I think I have enough amateur experience and getting to the point where I am starting to have enough professional experience to where I can keep that in perspective. I say I am looking for the knockout, but that’s doesn’t mean that I am going out there crazy. That means I am looking set up my shots, that means I am looking to go the body, I am looking to find him with my job and set up my big punches. As an amateur when I say I am looking for the knockout, that means I am going toy to get him out of there with wild shots. As a professional that means I am trying to break him down. You know like I said find him with the jab, measure him, touch him to the body, hit him with good precise accurate shots, and that’s how the knockout comes as a professional.

RC: I must say that was very well put, many fighters wouldn’t have been able to put that in perspective and explain it to someone. That separates you from a many boxers that I speak to and says a lot about your character. You should be teaching some of these guys..
BJF: (Cutting in) Actually Ray I just started doing some commentating with Metro sports in Kansas City, and they offered me a contract to do monthly shows for them, and as long as it doesn’t interfere with my training schedule I am going to be doing that. So I will be starting my commentating career doing that, but first things first is Friday night and we will work out that other stuff later. It’s funny you mention that though.

RC: You recently inked a deal with Silver Hawk promotions, providing all goes well Friday night can you give us an idea of what we expect from BJ Flores in the 07?
BJF: what’s going on is we got this fight. First things first, I have this guy (Chris Thomas). I got a tough game opponent in front of me. I am only worried about this guy right now, but at the same time the next fight that they are talking about is March 2nd in Boise Idaho, I want to fight a top ten guy. They have been mentioning a couple names and I don’t want to mention them because then they try to hold out for way more money. I have seen them do that so many times in my career. But we are looking to fight a top ten guy in one of the top three sanctioning bodies in March and then after that looking to get ranked, and look at the champions and see what’s available. I know everyone always says by the end of this year they want to become a champion but I expect to have a title shot by the end of summer or early fall late winter.

RC: Will that fight be televised?
BJF: march 2nd I will be the main event; they are talking about it being in Boise Idaho. It will definitely be televised. I am not sure what it will be on, I know Silver Hawk is working with a couple different networks right not as far as trying to get something.

RC: Is there anything else you would like to add in closing?
BJF: I had a great training camp, I feel like this is a very, almost a career defining fight for me. I am trying to go from prospect to contender and I think by beating a guy like this will really put me on the map in the cruiserweight division. Once again like I sad,, I am using the memory of my brother in law (Bryan James Lohrenz) as real motivation for this. He was a big fight fan and I am dedicated this fight to him and it is going to bring out the dog in me.

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