Gabriel Flores Jr. (17-0) is one of the few fighters to have fought this year.  He won a unanimous decision over Matt Conway in February on the Tyson Fury-Deontay Wilder 2 undercard. A few weeks later all sports would be shutdown around the world due to the covid-19 pandemic.

He returns to action on June 18th against Josec Ruiz (21-2-3) in a bout held in Top Rank's "bubble" environment at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. The entire fight card will be televised on ESPN.

He is very excited to be returning to action.

"I am grateful. I am ready to get back in the ring. I miss being in the ring and doing what I do. Being away so long I have the itch to do it again. I am excited," Flores stated.

His opponent is a 25-year-old Honduras native who is known for being aggressive.  Flores believes that style will play right into his hands.

"He comes forward. He is a come forward fighter. He depends on his right hand. He is going to be right there stalking me, trying to hunt me down all night," Flores told BoxingScene.com.

Ruiz has reeled off 7 victories in a row but hasn't fought since October while Flores has fought twice since then.  The 20-year-old Northern California native definitely believes his activity level will be a factor when they meet in the ring.

"I am active. I am always in the gym and always fighting so it is an advantage. I just want to keep the momentum going," Flores stated.

While there won't be fans in the arena, more than ever people are staying at home to stay safe during the ongoing pandemic.  Instead of dwelling on the negative Flores said that he will look at the positive and believes that the potential for more viewership outweighs any negative aspect.

"That is the good part. That is the positive of that at this time.  So it is better to look at the positive instead of the negative," said Flores.

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