Abner Mares: record, next fight and profile →
Luis Sandoval catches the post-fight press conference to the bantamweight rematch between Joseph Agbeko and Abner Mares. Hear from promoter Gary Shaw, Vic Darchinyan, Chemito Moreno and more.
Honda Center, Anaheim, California - Abner Mares (23-0-1, 13KOs) won a lopsided twelve round unanimous decision over Joseph Agbeko (28-4, 22KOs) to retain his IBF bantamweight title. All three judges saw it 118-110.
While Miguel Cotto and Antonio Margarito throw down in their high profile rematch in New York, another “repeat or revenge” themed headliner takes place nearly 3,000 miles west. Abner Mares puts on the line his unbeaten record, bantamweight title and fighting reputation in a return go with Joseph Agbeko in their Showtime-televised main event.
By Jake Donovan - With Nonito Donaire on his way to the 122 lb. division, it stands to reason that the four participants in tonight’s doubleheader on Showtime also serve as the top four bantamweights in the world. There’s an equally strong argument for the best two in the world residing in the Golden Boy Promotions stable, yet both are eyed as the fighters with something to prove tonight at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California.
By Ryan Maquiñana - Abner Mares has plenty of family stories to tell. The setting of this one, however, is not Anaheim’s Honda Center—the site of his IBF bantamweight title defense against Joseph Agbeko on Saturday —but rather, a Ralph’s supermarket near his adopted hometown of Hawaiian Gardens, Calif.
Russell Mora can’t screw this one up. For fans that can’t afford the Cotto-Margarito rematch so close to Christmas, fans using this as an alternate undercard, and fans DVR’ing for later review, it’s a fine starting point.
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.
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.
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.
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.