Boxing

"Gucci" Manny Flores Scores Dominant TKO Win Over Jorge Leyva at Fantasy Springs

Joseph Hammond

Manny Flores trains for his next main event bout at Diaz Brothers Boxing gym in Indio, Calif., on June 1, 2023.
Manny Flores trains for his next main event bout at Diaz Brothers Boxing gym in Indio, Calif., on June 1, 2023. / Taya Gray/The Desert Sun / USA TODAY NETWORK


His ring nickname may be "Gucci," but his win streak isn't for sale. "Gucci" Manny Flores and Jorge Leyva faced off in a classic southpaw vs. southpaw matchup at the Fantasy Springs Casino in Indio, California, this past week. Flores stopped Leyva inside four rounds.

Flores now has five wins since his only professional loss.


The matchup was the top of a Golden Boy Promotions card with other intriguing plotlines. Flores improved to 20-1 (16 KOs) while Mexico's Leyva is now 18-4 (13 KOs).

Leyva had no answers for Flores, and the bout was one-sided from the first bell. The puncher from Coachella Valley is a rising force in the Super Bantamweight division.

Flores stepped on the gas in the second round and dropped Leyva, forecasting what was to come. Flores looks to rebuild his career and at just 26, he hopes to break into the top 15 rankings of a significant ranking organization. However, he will need a stiffer test and a longer fight before he is ready for a world title shot.

The first knockdown came in the third round, set up by a sustained body attack. Another came in the fourth, and with a short nod at the referee, the fight was over. The fight was broadcast live on DAZN.

2024 Uzbekistan Olympian Ruslan Abdullaev made his pro debut as a super lightwieght. Indo, California, has become the unlikely stomping ground of promising Uzbek fighters. Murodjan "M.J." Akhmadalev trained out of the training camp located there and has also appeared at the Fantasy Springs Casino in the past.

In heavyweight action, 271-pound Federico Pacheco stopped Arnulfo Cazares of Baja, Mexico. Cazares gave up over 80 lbs to his opponent in this bout. Federico Pacheco is the brother of WBO No. 1-rated super middleweight Diego Pacheco.

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Joseph Hammond
JOSEPH HAMMOND

Joseph Hammond is a veteran sports journalist with extensive experience covering world championship fights across three continents. He has interviewed legendary champions such as Julio César Chávez, Manny Pacquiao, Floyd Mayweather, Gennady Golovkin, Oscar De La Hoya, and Bernard Hopkins, among many others. He reported ringside for KO On SI in 2024 for the Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk bout in Riyadh - the first undisputed heavyweight championship in 24 years.