Bryan Flores believes his victory over Shinard Bunch didn’t get the credit it deserved, but on August 10 he gets a chance to make another impression.
Flores (26-0, 15 KOs) faces undefeated Mexican Olympian Lindolfo Delgado in a 10-round co-feature at Tingley Coliseum, marking the biggest opportunity of his career.
Flores, 28, from Mexico, is coming off his biggest win over Bunch, on ShoBox: The Next Generation in April 2023, a fight that flew under the radar. He believes his fight with the 29-year-old Delgado (20-0, 15 KOs) will be his gateway to world titles.
“I don’t think that [my win over Bunch] got the recognition that it deserved for my winning despite the fact that everything was against me,” Flores said. “It was my first main event in the United States. Other things happened. They didn’t allow me to use my gloves, things like that.”
Flores had to survive an early scare after Bunch dropped him early in the fight. He had to regain his composure to turn the tide. Flores credits his boxing coach, Fernando Diaz, and his strength and conditioning coach, Tony Brady, for his improvement.
“I’m a fighter who knows how to punch to the body,” Flores said. “You’re going to see a different Bryan Flores than in the Bunch fight than in any other fight, because I’ve been doing things in camp and doing things different than I’ve done before.”
Flores believes this is the contest that will move him up in the rankings and get him the marquee bouts he has been seeking.
“This is a fight that’s going to open doors for a world title,” Flores said. “I’m not thinking about any other thing. I don’t think about August 11. I don’t think about August 12, or anything beyond or any other opponent. I’m thinking about Lindolfo Delgado and nothing else.”
It is a battle of unbeaten fighters, though Flores had a draw in his fifth fight. All of Flores’ fights except the Bunch bout have been in Mexico. Delgado has mostly fought on high-profile cards, having turned professional after the Olympics with Ringstar Promotions in 2017 before moving to Top Rank Inc., his current promoter, in March 2021.
“I’ve trained my whole life for a fight like this,” Flores said. “Eighteen years of my career, ever since I started boxing, and on August 10th that’s where my path is going to begin to collecting all the world title belts.”