Gabe Flores Sr. knows how to throw a party, which might explain why promoting boxing comes so naturally to him.
Flores, founder of G-Squad Entertainment, hosted his second successful show at Banner Island Ballpark in Stockton, California, where his son, Gabriel Flores Jr. (24-2, 8 KOs), won an eight-round unanimous decision over Ronal Ron (14-7, 11 KOs).
Flores has had two successful events so far, both of which he calls “big parties.” The first, held at Stockton's Adventist Health Arena, drew about 6,000 people, and last weekend, about 4,000 people braved sweltering heat to show up. Flores hopes to take his entrepreneurial spirit to the next level in the coming years.
“Some people thought I was crazy to host an event outside a ballpark in 101-degree heat,” Flores said, “but I realized I have about 4,000 great friends, and every event we do is like a party. We want to have a good time and make sure people who come feel safe and comfortable.”
Flores coached his son as an amateur and funded travel to tournaments and public events and fundraisers to give him international experience. These events were known for their video performances, open bars and live dancing.
Tickets to Flores' fundraisers were a coveted commodity as they often sold out. Past events have built longstanding relationships with the Stockton community. Though Flores now lives in Las Vegas, he still visits frequently and hosts shows exclusively in Stockton, with plans to expand. From local restaurants, Midgley's to Chase Chevrolet and even Chicken Ranch Casino, the Flores family has built strong ties with local businesses to collaborate on outreach efforts.
“We've had the support of the local community since our amateur days when Gabriel was a young man,” Flores said. “Now we're trying to scale it up with each event. Although there were no TV rights for this fight, we treated the event like a big show, with Lupe Contreras as announcer, high quality lighting and a spectacular fireworks display at the end.”
Helping Flores with G-Squad aren't typical business people, but lifelong friends and family who are learning on the job — very few of the people involved with G-Squad Entertainment have any connections to the boxing industry — but rather, they're close friends who are just doing their best.
“The people I have running the company with me are people I can trust and I know they'll do a good job,” Flores said. “This is a family-run business and we work hard to make each show even better.”
When asked about his goals for the future, Flores answered candidly: “We have two goals: a broadcasting deal and expanding and traveling to other territories.”
“We like to do different things and invest in our fans. With this show we had a long fireworks display to close the night and send the audience home happy. We're not just a promotions company, we're an entertainment company, and we pride ourselves on that.”
