Nicklaus Flas was happy with his dominant victory over Christian Gomez in Florida.

The Puerto Rican welterweight prospect won a 10-round shutout over his Mexican opponent at the Osceola Heritage Park in Kissimmee and improved to 14-2 (9 KOs), almost having Gomez ready to go a couple of times, including at the end of their contest. 

“I feel great. It was a great experience, it was a great fight, we came out with the shutout, I’m happy,” said Flaz.

“He wasn’t fast enough to keep me off guard, he was really strong, but I knew my defense and my movement would work. 

“I could have gone up [through the gears], but he was strong, and I kept the pace, my own pace and I didn’t let him dictate the pace.  

“My corner kept saying, ‘Turn it down, he’s really strong, just keep winning it round by round.’”

Flaz said he will also be ready if the opportunity comes to step up.

“I work hard in the gym every day, from Monday to Saturday, even some Sundays,” he explained. “I’m going to keep on improving, keep on working in the gym, I thank my promoter Samson Lewkowicz who gave me this fight, and there will be bigger fights coming next.”

In the ProBox TV co-main, Florida middleweight prospect Darrelle Valsaint was left frustrated after his bout with Angel Ruiz ended in a No Contest following a four-round head clash that saw the fight cut short. 

Valsaint is now 11-0 (9 KOs) with a No Contest, but he was not too downcast afterward.

“I’m a little disappointed. I was just getting comfortable,” said Valsaint. “I wanted to eventually break him down and stop him, but then he came in with his head like an idiot. 

“Everybody [Valsaint’s fans] came out and everybody said I looked good, so that’s all that matters.”

Of boxing in front of his own fans, the prospect continued: “I’ve been waiting on this for a very long time, it finally came, I brought everybody out. It was very exciting. Shoutout to ProBox, they’re doing a fantastic job. Keep up the good work, Garry Jonas. You’re doing a fantastic job.

“I want to thank God for getting me and my opponent out of the ring safely and I just want to say thanks for everything that God has given me. He’s given me God-given talent and I displayed it here and I’m only getting better, sharper, faster, and I’m ready for the next fight.”

The show was arguably stolen by heavy-handed Filipino Weljon Mindoro, who improved to 13-0 (13 KOs) with a devastating third-round right-hand knockout victory over Brazil’s Lucas de Abreu.

“All I’m doing is training and I’m training well and I’m doing it for my fans in the Philippines,” said the middleweight hope. “It is hard to find someone to spar [his size] in the Philippines so even if they’re under my weight, I still spar with them but now I’m living in Las Vegas I’m sparring there, and I have been able to learn many things.

“It was part of my strategy, to go for the body and then hit him to the head.”

The night, however, did not go as well for returning former champion JoJo Diaz, who had spent the last four months getting treatment and staying clean after battles with alcohol and substances.

For his supporters, though, even in defeat Diaz had won. The veteran Olympian dropped a contentious and curiously scored split decision to Abraham Montoya, but manager Robert Diaz said the fight and the opportunity had given Diaz another chance at something greater than success in the ring.

“Jojo’s had a struggle, he’s had to battle some demons,” said Diaz. “Regardless of the result, I’m proud of him. He’s conquered those. It is one step at a time, it is one day at a time, but I really see a change, I see a young man who is motivated.

“It’s the story of you hit rock bottom, and this is the story that America is built on, he was counted out and he got a second chance.”

Diaz lost the split verdict, and now another fight begins again.