A disgusted Luis Ortiz walked away from Alexander Flores in disbelief after stopping an injured Flores early in the first round Saturday night.
Ortiz landed a right hand to Flores’ body, but Flores fell awkwardly to the canvas. Flores reached his feet, but he seemed to favor his right leg.
Referee Thomas Taylor quickly put his arms around Flores and stopped their scheduled 10-rounder just 45 seconds into it. FOX aired Ortiz’s weird win as the main event of a four-fight telecast from Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles.
Flores told FOX’s Heidi Androl following his first-round, technical-knockout defeat that he injured his eye while colliding with Ortiz. That caused him to “go black,” according to what he told Androl, and caused numbness in his leg.
The 41-year-old Ortiz (32-2, 27 KOs, 2 NC), who has lost only to Deontay Wilder, fought for the first time since Wilder knocked him out in the seventh round of their rematch 11½ months ago in Las Vegas. Ortiz led Wilder on all three scorecards when Wilder drilled Ortiz with a right hand that knocked him out late in the seventh round of their FOX Sports Pay-Per-View main event at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
Ortiz originally was scheduled to face Scott Alexander, but Flores replaced Alexander once Alexander (16-3-2, 8 KOs) tested positive for COVID-19.
The 30-year-old Flores (18-3-1, 16 KOs), of Howland Heights, California, lost by knockout for the third time in his 10-year pro career. Former WBO champ Joseph Parker and ex-IBF champ Charles Martin previously knocked out Flores.
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.