by Zachary Alapi

Turning Stone Resort & Casino, Verona, New York - In a compelling bout with pockets of intense action, Miguel Flores (21-0, 9 KOs) scored a unanimous decision victory over Ryan Kielczweski (25-2, 7 KOs) by scores of 97-93 and 96-94 (twice) in a fight that fittingly climaxed in a tremendous and wild tenth round.

Flores got into a rhythm early, letting his hands go with three and four punch combinations as Kielczweski looked to counter with hard, single shots. Despite outworking Kielczweski early, Flores was tagged by a solid straight right hand at the end of the opening round after pulling straight back. In the second stanza, though, Flores immediately put Kielczweski on his back foot and punctuated his combinations with an effective left hook downstairs.

Kielczweski, although not a knockout puncher, was trying to land a punishing right uppercut and hooks throughout the contest. In round three, Kielczweski finally backed Flores up against the ropes and connected well to the body, but Flores, as he did throughout, responded with solid volume.

The fight’s tempo shifted in the middle rounds as Kielczweski, who had been simply outworked up to this point, applied more pressure. He landed an astonishing 44 punches in round five, bringing the fight inside and drawing Flores into more of a slugfest. Both men exchanged hurtful hooks, especially to the body, on the inside as they literally fought forehead-to-forehead. Kielczweski continued his effective work in the sixth, which set up a fascinating final third.

Flores, however, did well to get back to boxing from a more comfortable range, using his jab and fluid combination punching to score and force a dip in Kielczweski’s output. In round eight, Kielczweski gamely tried to corner Flores, but he swung only at air. A fairly even ninth round was punctuated by Flores teeing off on Kielczweski as the stanza closed behind a barrage of unanswered punches.

Buoyed by solid advice from his corner, Kielczweski went for broke in the final round, hurting Flores who opted to stand and trade. Flores was certainly game, even if his tactics were questionable given the fight’s progression. Kielczweski stunned Flores with a sharp counter right uppercut, forcing Flores to initiate a clinch. They would ultimately each throw upwards of 70 punches in a free-flowing final two minutes that saw Kielczweski batter Flores around the ring. At this point, however, it was too late for Kielczweski, and Flores was awarded a well-deserved victory.