Luis Ortiz only needed 45 seconds to stop Alexander Flores in round 1

Heavyweight contender Luis Ortiz returned to the ring for the first time since a KO loss, but Alexander Flores only gave him 45 seconds of work. 

FanSided said before the fight that Alexander Flores didn’t stand much of a chance against veteran heavyweight contender Luis Ortiz, but we thought he would last longer than 45 seconds.

Ortiz (32-2, 27 KOs) entered his Saturday, Nov. 7, return to the ring as a massive favorite against the little known Flores. The odds against Flores ranged from 8-1 to 12-1, depending on the oddsmakers, but it looked bad on paper from the inception of the fight.

It looked even worse after the bell rang to begin round 1.

Ortiz looked determined and menacing before the bout. During the referee’s instructions, Ortiz snarled and dripped sweat. The fighter nicknamed “King Kong” looked ready to deliver damage.

Ortiz landed several straight lefts from the southpaw stance to Flores’s head and body. Flores didn’t take the punches well and showed immediate signs of distress. Ortiz sensed it as well.

Flores (18-3-1, 16 KOs) found himself with his back to the ropes, and Ortiz charged. Ortiz threw an unassuming, swiping right hook to Flores’s body that looked like a light touch, but Flores dropped to the canvas in agony.

Luis Ortiz is an old heavyweight, but his power was on display against Alexander Flores

Flores writhed on his stomach as the referee counted the seconds away until the count of 10. Flores couldn’t get up, and the fight was officially a knockout win for Ortiz 46 seconds into round 1.

https://twitter.com/premierboxing/status/1325273631824424961?s=20

The fight ended ironically. Flores had been knocked out twice before losing to Ortiz. Joseph Parker stopped him in 2018. Leading up to the fight, FanSided asked Flores what he learned from the Parker fight.

“Just stay off the ropes,” Flores told FanSided. “He did catch me a couple of times on the ropes. That’s actually not the best place to be in a fight.”

Flores couldn’t heed his own advice.

Ortiz picked up his 32nd career win. Former WBC champion Deontay Wilder knocked him out in 2019 in round 7. Ortiz was winning the fight but got caught with a punishing blow. Wilder previously knocked Ortiz out in a wild 2018 slugfest.

At 41 years old, Ortiz is still a force in the heavyweight division. Hopefully, he can show more of his skills in his next contest.