The champion Roman (24-2-1, 9 KOs) was the faster and sharper fighter from the opening bell. Roman, who was making the second defense of his 122-pound belt, pounded the body repeatedly over 12 rounds, connecting on a staggering 50 percent of his body shots.
Flores (25-1, 17 KOs), who failed to make weight for the title fight and was unable to win the belt, tired in the latter half of the fight and was largely a stationary target for Roman for 12 rounds.
Both fighters threw more than 1,000 punches, yet it was Roman who was the more effective boxer, connecting on an impressive 42 percent of his power shots.
“I was trying to box him. We tried to do a smart fight,” Roman said. “We tried to take him out, but unfortunately we couldn’t.
“I would like to unify. I would like to challenge any of the champions. I’d love to face Rey Vargas or Isaac Dogboe. I don’t mind going back to Japan either.”
“I know I messed up in training,” Flores said. “I didn’t make the weight, but I still wanted to perform and give it everything I have.
“We both hit each other a lot. I hit (Roman) with some good shots, I just couldn’t finish him. I was probably around 60 percent energy-wise. From the fifth round on I had to just fight with pure heart.
“(Roman) put on a great show for the fans, and that’s what makes me feel great. That’s all I wanted was to put on a good fight.”
In the opening bout of the SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecast, Javier Fortuna suffered an injury while falling through the ropes due to an accidental push in the fourth round and his 140-pound matchup with Adrian Granados was ruled a No Decision.
Granados (18-6-2, 11 KOs) and Fortuna (33-2-1, 23 KOs) both came out swinging from the opening bell.
In a wild fourth round, Fortuna was deducted two points, first for punching to the back of the head, and second for holding. After the second point deduction, the former 130-pound champion Fortuna aggressively moved forward and unloaded a series of shots.
Moments later, Granados and Fortuna were clinching along the ropes near Granados’ corner when Fortuna fell backward through the ropes, whipping his neck as he fell back.
Complaining of pain and lack of movement, Fortuna was stabilized with a neck brace and removed from the ring on a stretcher in what was later described as a precautionary measure.
At the time of the stoppage, Granados was leading on all three of the judges’ scorecards.
“I didn’t push him. I think he fell with his own,” Granados said. “I think he was looking for an excuse on his way out. We were both battling, but I knew he could feel I was getting stronger. He caught me with a shot and it just turned me up.
“First and foremost I just want to pray that he’s OK. Let’s do the rematch. I’ve been dying for a fight at 140.”
