By Rick Reeno
WBC silver bantamweight champion Abner Mares fully believes that his fight with IBF champion Joseph Agbeko, scheduled for Saturday at the Hard Rock Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, will set the winner down as the best fighter in his division. Agbeko-Mares is the final fight in Showtime's bantamweight tournament. Participants Vic Darchinyan and Yonnhy Perez were eliminated and other boxers like Nonito Donaire, Fernando Montiel and Hozumi Hasegawa were not interested in participating.
"This tournament was made to set the winner [of the tournament] as the number one. I know some of fighters didn't participate because of their promoters and other reasons. I think the winner should be the best," Mares told BoxingScene.com.
The fighter most experts consider as the top dog at bantamweight is WBO/WBC champion Nonito Donaire.
"He is a big target. Nonito is a great fighter. But right now, this fight [with Agbeko] is the toughest fight of my life. This fight will set everything else, but I would love to do that fight [with Doniare]," Mares said.