BJ Flores To Face Hugo Pineda on January 28 in Missouri
Cruiserweight contender BJ Flores has informed BoxingScene.com that his opponent for his Jan. 28 fight in Springfield, Mo., will be Hugo Pineda.
“We’ve offered this fight to seven different guys in the top 10 of the NABO and NABF ratings. And to be honest with you, nobody out there wants to fight,” Flores said. “It’s very difficult to find a guy to fight without him wanting some ridiculous amount of money. I mean, this is an off-TV card. We have offered this fight to so many guys, it’s unbelievable.”
Pineda, a 40-year-old from Colombia who last appeared in the ring in 2008, losing that January by stoppage against Glen Johnson and then dropping a decision that July against Jimmy Kapanov. This will be his first fight in three-and-a-half years. He has a record of 39-5-1 with 28 knockouts.
His last two bouts were at light heavyweight and cruiserweight. Pineda, who is listed on BoxRec at 6-foot-1, challenged two times for world titles at lower weight classes, losing in 1996 to Kostya Tszyu and suffering a knockout against Felix Trinidad in 1999.
Flores, meanwhile, says he’s keeping busy while seeking a title shot.
The 32-year-old is 26-1-1 with 16 knockouts. His first career loss came in 2010 when he lost a decision to Danny Green. He’s fought twice since then, stopping Nicholas Iannuzzi in July and out-pointing Paul Jennette in October.
This will be Flores’ third fight in about six months.
by David P. Greisman