Video: Abner Mares Vows To Beat Joseph Agbeko, Again
Luis Sandoval catches up with IBF bantamweight champion Abner Mares to discuss the upcoming rematch with Joseph Agbeko, his thoughts on the first fight, training camp and more.
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Latest Agbeko Mares news
Video: Joseph Agbeko Focused To Dominate Mares
Luis Sandoval catches up with former champion Joseph Agbeko to discuss his upcoming rematch with IBF beltholder Abner Mares, thoughts on the first fight and more.
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Miguel Cotto, Agbeko and The Quest For Some Payback
By Thomas Gerbasi - The old adage is that revenge is a dish best served cold. Not in boxing. When a fighter is the victim of a wrongdoing, either real or imagined, there is nothing businesslike about the act of getting even. It’s all personal, no matter how gentlemanly things may play out beforehand. Take Joseph Agbeko for example. Even after taking repeated low blows from Abner Mares in their first bantamweight title fight in August while referee Russell Mora stood idly by, the Ghana native only had this to say when asked why he didn’t fire back to a) get the referee’s attention or b) get Mares to stop: “I didn’t retaliate against him because I had to be professional and I have to obey the rules of the sport.” That’s a classy tact to take, but don’t expect Agbeko to stand idly by if shots start straying low again. Not a second time. Miguel Cotto has been less courteous to Antonio Margarito following their 2008 bout, one that the junior middleweight champion from Puerto Rico believes was tainted by the same illegal hand wraps confiscated from Margarito’s dressing room before a fight with Shane Mosley six months later. Cotto has even gone as far as to label the Mexican a “criminal,” even with no proof of any wrongdoing. Both Agbeko and Cotto get rematches this Saturday night, one in California, the other in New York. It’s a bi-coastal quest to get a little get back, and while Agbeko has only had to wait four months to sing his redemption song, Cotto has had three long years of anticipation to attempt to avenge his first pro loss. The wait isn’t what’s important though; it’s what follows that wait which means everything. That feeling is one that no one but a fighter would understand. The result of a particular fight is almost always seen in black and white terms – someone wins, someone loses. Yet when there are shades of gray involved, it makes for good copy for a while, but eventually just becomes a footnote in history, if that. Not for the fighter though. A particular loss can hurt financially in the short term, physically in the long term, and emotionally forever, especially if the loss is a controversial one. No one knows that better than former junior welterweight champion Paulie Malignaggi, whose August 2009 decision loss to Juan Diaz was one of the most disputed verdicts of the year.
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Photos: Mares-Agbeko, Darchinyan-Moreno Weigh-In
Undefeated Abner Mares (22-0-1, 13 KOs) of Hawaiian Gardens, Calif., and challenger Joseph King Kong Agbeko (28-3, 22 KOs) of the Bronx, N.Y., both weighed in at 117.25 pounds Friday at Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., just a day before their highly anticipated rematch tomorrow/Saturday, Dec. 3, on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHP BOXING live on SHOWTIME® (9 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast).
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Weights From Anaheim, CA: Mares 117.75, Agbeko 117.75
By Jake Donovan - All of the televised participants made weight for Showtime’s bantamweight doubleheader, which takes place Saturday at the Honda Center in Anaheim, CA. The main event features unbeaten titlist Abner Mares, who makes the first defense of his crown against the man he acquired it from, former two-time champ Joseph Agbeko. Both fighters came in at 117 ¾ lb, just under the bantamweight limit. In the co-feature, Vic Darchinyan vies for a title in a third weight class when he takes on Anselmo Moreno, who fights in the United States and on Showtime for the first time. Moreno (31-1-1, 11KO) came in at the bantamweight limit of 118 lb., while Darchinyan was slightly lighter at 117.75.
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Agbeko: If Mares Wants a Knock Out, I'll Knock Him Out
Joseph Agbeko will try to regain his IBF bantamweight title when he rematches undefeated Abner Mares this Saturday night at the Honda Center, with Showtime televising.
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Insider Notebook: De La Hoya vs. Arum Feud Continues
By Robert Morales - By now it's obvious that the peace between Bob Arum and Oscar De La Hoya's Golden Boy Promotions was short-lived. The newest edition to what has been a long-running feud came this week when Arum suggested to BoxingScene.com's Michael Marley that Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer likely won't have anything to do with negotiations for a potential fight between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. Arum said that Schaefer is "on the outside looking in. Who knows and who cares what Richard says?" De La Hoya on Tuesday played host to a workout for the four fighters involved in Saturday's co-feature bouts at Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif. De La Hoya was asked how confident he is about Pacquiao-Mayweather being made. De La Hoya then went off on Arum on a variety of issues. "Well, I mean, we know Pacquiao wants the fight, we know Mayweather wants the fight; that's a given," De La Hoya. "And Bob Arum is coming out with this nonsense that Richard Schaefer is not even involved with Mawywether. It's ridiculous now what Bob is talking. Everybody wants the fight except Bob Arum; he doesn't want the fight. What's the problem? Let's make it happen."
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Good, Bad And Ugly of Saturday’s Evening of Rematches
By Jake Donovan - There are three different stories surrounding three separate rematches taking place on Saturday evening. Two are staged in the very same building, while the third plays to a venue on the other side of the country. No matter the distance between them, or the relevance of each fight, all three have fight fans abuzz. The long awaited grudge rematch between Miguel Cotto and Antonio Margarito has captured most of the headlines prior to and during fight week, and for very good reason. The bad blood alone makes their return go at Madison Square Garden must see TV, no matter the price. Such a statement will truly be put to the test, given the $54.95 price tag attached while competing against a Showtime telecast that comes with your monthly subscription to the network. Whether it’s by accident or was done just to spite HBO for the sake of competition, Showtime’s bantamweight doubleheader is as good of a card as the network has aired all year. The lead-in fight is a true pick-‘em, with Anselmo Moreno making his stateside debut in a dangerous bantamweight title defense against former two-division champ Vic Darchinyan. However, it’s the headliner that has fans truly salivating, as Abner Mares and Joseph Agbeko return less than four months after the controversy surrounding their Showtime Bantamweight tournament Finals matchup, in hopes of settling all debates. Which one do you choose? The way the cards are staggered, it’s not out of the
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Photos: Mares-Agbeko, Darchinyan-Moreno Final Presser
ANAHEIM, Calif. – In a potential candidate for Fight of the Year, unbeaten Abner Mares will defend his International Boxing Federation (IBF) and World Boxing Council (WBC) Silver Bantamweight Championship titles against former two-time IBF 118-pound champion Joseph King Kong Agbeko in the main event on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING this Saturday, Dec. 3, live on SHOWTIME® (9 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast) at Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif.
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Photos: Mares-Agbeko, Moreno-Darchinyan Working Out
LOS ANGELES – With just four days until their respective world championship showdowns on Saturday, Dec. 3, live on SHOWTIME® (9 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast) from Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., all four fighters preparing for the World Championship Doubleheader participated in an open media workout at Westside Boxing Club in Los Angeles, Calif.
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