By Luis Sandoval

It had been 10 years and 26 fights since Anselmo Moreno had last tasted defeat inside the squared circle but two weeks, Abner Mares ended his winning streak. Moreno came up short in an exciting Super Bantamweight fight as he lost via unanimous decision at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

Moreno is known as a defensive wizard who seldom gets hit cleanly but that was not the case against Mares who able to hit Moreno more than any other opponent. When Moreno spoke exclusively to BoxingScene, he gave Mares credit for his relentless style but also felt he made a vital mistake in fighting Mares’ fight and not his own.

“I had a lot of confidence in myself and my capabilities of fighting but I was fighting with a good boxer in Mares. A good boxer that doesn't get tired of throwing punches. He connected on me with some good shots and sent me to the canvas for the first time in my career and we have to congratulate him” Moreno would tell BoxingScene.

“I felt really good. At the beginning I felt a little weak but passing the second half of the fight I felt great. And well, I should've done my fight but I was fighting his fight. I let myself get sucked into his fight and the truth is I made a mistake fighting his fight”.

Moreno was gracious in defeat as he acknowledged he lost to a better fighter that night and made no excuses. Some however felt Mares was hitting Moreno low throughout the contest and in one instance, hit Moreno in the back during a break. Moreno was asked if he felt Mares’ punches were low and if he felt the referee should’ve deducted a point from Mares instead of him during the fight.

“Yes, and you know, sometimes in boxing you have resort to different things and he hit me low and in the back. The referee never took a point away but meanwhile he takes one from me for holding his head down. But its part of boxing.  I know we are in his backyard, we're in Los Angeles and we just have to accept the defeat” said Moreno.

Moreno is now relaxing at his home in Panama and will sit down with his family and team to discuss what’s next, but he does plan to return to 118 where he still hold his WBA world championship.

You can follow Luis  Sandoval on Twitter @truewest007. You can also tune in to BoxingScene’s official audio show The Boxing Lab every Tuesday from 6-8PM PST with hosts Ernest Gabion, Luis Sandoval, and Ryan Burton.