By Keith Idec (photo by Tom Casino/Showtime)
The main event tonight at Staples Center will feature one of the best bantamweights in boxing history, a determined Mexican legend who first made a name for himself by upsetting then-unbeaten Tim Austin in their 118-pound title fight seven years ago.
But before Rafael Marquez enters the ring in Los Angeles for one final slugfest against rival Israel Vazquez, another young Mexican bantamweight will try to make his own history by winning the same IBF bantamweight belt Marquez claimed when he stopped the heavily favored Austin in the eighth round of their February 2003 fight in Las Vegas. Abner Mares is also an underdog against an undefeated IBF bantamweight champion, but the 2004 Mexican Olympian is certain he is ready to evolve into as big a star as a bantamweight can become in the biggest fight of his five-year pro career.
“I’ve waited my whole life for this opportunity,” Mares said, “and I am confident I will make the best of it.”
The unbeaten Mares’ supreme confidence helped him convince his handlers that he is capable of overcoming Colombia’s Yonnhy Perez (20-0, 14 KOs), even though the 24-year-old Mares hasn’t beaten a championship-caliber bantamweight in three fights since he returned from surgery to repair a career-threatening detached retina a year ago. While the 31-year-old Perez has stopped South Africa’s Silence Mabuza (22-3, 18 KOs) in the 12th round of their IBF elimination match and soundly out-pointed Ghana’s Joseph Agbeko (27-2, 22 KOs) to win the title in his last two fights, Mares’ post-surgery hit list includes only Colombian journeyman Jonathan Perez (15-7, 12 KOs), the Dominican Republic’s Carlos Fulgencio (14-4-1, 8 KOs) and Felipe Almanza (17-16-4, 8 KOs), another Colombian journeyman.
Their contrasting conquests aside, Mares’ familiarity with Perez probably has as much as anything to do with the challenger’s conviction regarding the outcome of a 12-round co-featured fight that’ll start Showtime’s telecast tonight at 9 p.m. EDT. Not only did Mares win two of three amateur fights against Perez, Mares’ father, Israel, has been part of Perez’s managerial team for Perez’s entire professional career.
In fact, Israel Mares was responsible for Perez moving from his native Cartagena, Colombia, to Santa Fe Springs, Calif., after serving nine years in the Colombian National Army. Perez has lived with Israel Mares and his family, so Abner Mares knows Perez much better than he has known anyone else he has faced in 20 professional fights.
Mares maintains, however, that neither their relationship, nor the strained professional partnership between Israel Mares and Perez, will factor at all into their fight tonight. This is strictly about the requisite business Mares needs to conduct to get to the point in his stalled career where he thought he would already be by now.
“Yonnhy is a great friend, but [tonight] he’s going be like the best friend who stole your girlfriend,” said Mares, of Montebello, Calif. “I’m going to take it to him.”
Perez expects a competitive fight from Mares (20-0, 13 KOs), yet he doesn’t think Mares will provide more difficulty that Mabuza or Agbeko, two tough fighters who are always in tremendous physical condition.
“This will be a tough fight,” Perez said, “but I don’t think it will be as tough as my last two.”
Perez suspects that the longer the fight goes, the more trouble Mares will have against him. Perez at least entered the 12th round during his victories over Mabuza and Agbeko, and three of his last four fights have lasted 10 rounds or more.
Two of Mares’ 20 professional fights have gone 10 rounds or more, but neither came against a world-class opponent.
“I will do most of my talking in the ring, but I do think conditioning will be a major factor in this fight,” said Perez, who is co-promoted by Gary Shaw Productions and Thompson Boxing. “I know how hard and long I can go. Let’s see what he can do.”
Perez’s productivity and straight-forward approach in his surprisingly wide win against Agbeko drew rave reviews. He even knocked down the iron-chinned champion in the 12th round of a fight Showtime also televised.
Perez impressed Mares by beating Agbeko so easily. He is respectful of Perez’s punching power, too, but Mares isn’t intimidated by his opponent’s overall skill set.
“We know what Yonnhy is going to bring to the table,” Mares said. “He’s a workhorse who comes straight ahead. But he is one-dimensional. I consider myself more of a complete fighter. I can slug, but I’m also a slick boxer.”
No one questioned Mares’ diverse arsenal and immense potential as he quickly became one of boxing’s most popular prospects after the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. At times a brilliant boxer-puncher, Mares competed in an HBO “Boxing After Dark” co-feature in his 15th pro fight, a 12-round unanimous decision win against Argentina’s Damian David Marchiano 2½ years ago in Atlantic City.
Marchiano, then 14-2-1, wasn’t considered a top prospect, but Mares won the regional title fight against a reasonably competent opponent very easily. With Golden Boy Promotions representing him, Mares seemed destined for more HBO exposure, bigger paydays and high-profile fights at 118 pounds.
Mares remains undefeated and young, but his eye injury and a split from famed Mexican trainer Ignacio “Nacho” Beristain have made more news since Mares dominated Marchiano than any of Mares’ five victories. His handlers believe that’ll change tonight, when they expect him to captivate a crowd expected to reach 10,000.
“Anybody that has seen Abner Mares knows that he is a total craftsman in the ring,” said Frank Espinoza Sr., Mares’ manager. “He can dance, punch and use his mind. When the dust settles [tonight], we are going to have a new IBF champion.”
Keith Idec covers boxing for The Record and Herald News, of Woodland Park, N.J., and BoxingScene.com.
