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It's funny seeing so many posts from so called "boxing experts" claiming Mares was too wild, dirty and amateurish. Many of it is from fans that are nationalistic and don't like Mexican fighters and also from members who really just don't know boxing.
The Boxer vs. The Boxer/Puncher
Going into this fight, the majority of pundits and hardcore fans saw this fight as tough for Moreno, but with a clear win as Moreno is one of the best Boxers in the game right now. It is clear from last night's fight that the Mares camp knew that as well. They understood that Mares was not going to be able to stand in the middle of the ring and outbox Moreno.
So how do you fight a pure boxer with quick hands and great footwork? You close the distance as fast as possible to prevent him from getting his rhythm and start his work from the outside, you pressure him to make him uncomfortable and frustrated, you work the body to tire him out in the later rounds.
Mares did exactly that. The only issue here is, Moreno was cagey and went on the backfoot so Mares LITERALLY had to chase him around the ring to pressure and attempt to overwhelm Moreno. Of course Mares was going to look wild and a bit sloppy. But it WORKED. Unfortunately, when trying to overwhelm your opponent, you're in the mind set of trying to land as much as possible and there WILL be some lowblows here and there.
Dirty Tactics?
In the first Agbeko fight, Mares DID go low way too many times. But it is my opinion that it was unintentional. He was trying to work the body as much as possible and his punches went low. The problem here was that the ref did not do his job. I'm 100% sure that if he would have deducted point from Mares, they would have stopped. And if he didn't and the ref was indeed doing his job, he would have ultimately disqualify Mares. But he didn't. One of the reasons I feel that Mares is not an intentionally dirty fighter because it doesn't show in his previous fights. A dirty fighter will show his tendencies because it is more of a psychological issue than a strategy. There is non of that in any of Mares's prior fights. He did also give Agbeko a rematch to set things right.
With Moreno, I think detractors got carried away with Bernstein's commentary especially with the low blows that, upon review, were on the beltline. Even Bernstein corrected himself. The issue again was that the ref did not do his job correctly again. He did not warn Mares enough about coming in with his head and he deducted from Moreno when he pulled Mares's head down. That compounded the emotional response to Mares's sloppy offense, but you can't fault Mares for poor officiating.
The Knock Down
It was legit. He caught Moreno unexpectedly. Afterwards, Moreno leaned forward losing his balance and both Mares's and Moreno's momentum caused him to fall. But it all started with a punch. When Moreno rose, he still looked a little shaky and didn't complain. It was a legit KD.
Why Are Donaire and Moreno Being Compared?
I'm not sure why people are saying that Mares is going to be caught when he lunges in against Donaire. The only similarity Donaire and Moreno have is offensively and that's ONLY when Moreno is in rhythm and that was not often in this fight with Mares. At their best, both Donaire and Moreno work from the outside with their quick hands, but defensively, Moreno backpedals a lot more and has a more lateral movement. This is why Mares was so wild and open when coming in because he had to quickly close the gap.
Donaire won't be doing much backpedaling, but rather, he's all about positioning and angles. He'll find Mares from a comfortable distance attempting to make him cautious with his power and speed. He'll turn and engage. This is why I'm excited hoping this fight will happen. I think Donaire's intelligence, speed and power will be too much for Mares.
Anyway, Mares came out and did his task. He proved many people wrong and though he could have fought a cleaner fight, he did what he had to do. It seems that the dirtiness in this fight is being exaggerated by members with a personal distain for Mares's nationality.
The Boxer vs. The Boxer/Puncher
Going into this fight, the majority of pundits and hardcore fans saw this fight as tough for Moreno, but with a clear win as Moreno is one of the best Boxers in the game right now. It is clear from last night's fight that the Mares camp knew that as well. They understood that Mares was not going to be able to stand in the middle of the ring and outbox Moreno.
So how do you fight a pure boxer with quick hands and great footwork? You close the distance as fast as possible to prevent him from getting his rhythm and start his work from the outside, you pressure him to make him uncomfortable and frustrated, you work the body to tire him out in the later rounds.
Mares did exactly that. The only issue here is, Moreno was cagey and went on the backfoot so Mares LITERALLY had to chase him around the ring to pressure and attempt to overwhelm Moreno. Of course Mares was going to look wild and a bit sloppy. But it WORKED. Unfortunately, when trying to overwhelm your opponent, you're in the mind set of trying to land as much as possible and there WILL be some lowblows here and there.
Dirty Tactics?
In the first Agbeko fight, Mares DID go low way too many times. But it is my opinion that it was unintentional. He was trying to work the body as much as possible and his punches went low. The problem here was that the ref did not do his job. I'm 100% sure that if he would have deducted point from Mares, they would have stopped. And if he didn't and the ref was indeed doing his job, he would have ultimately disqualify Mares. But he didn't. One of the reasons I feel that Mares is not an intentionally dirty fighter because it doesn't show in his previous fights. A dirty fighter will show his tendencies because it is more of a psychological issue than a strategy. There is non of that in any of Mares's prior fights. He did also give Agbeko a rematch to set things right.
With Moreno, I think detractors got carried away with Bernstein's commentary especially with the low blows that, upon review, were on the beltline. Even Bernstein corrected himself. The issue again was that the ref did not do his job correctly again. He did not warn Mares enough about coming in with his head and he deducted from Moreno when he pulled Mares's head down. That compounded the emotional response to Mares's sloppy offense, but you can't fault Mares for poor officiating.
The Knock Down
It was legit. He caught Moreno unexpectedly. Afterwards, Moreno leaned forward losing his balance and both Mares's and Moreno's momentum caused him to fall. But it all started with a punch. When Moreno rose, he still looked a little shaky and didn't complain. It was a legit KD.
Why Are Donaire and Moreno Being Compared?
I'm not sure why people are saying that Mares is going to be caught when he lunges in against Donaire. The only similarity Donaire and Moreno have is offensively and that's ONLY when Moreno is in rhythm and that was not often in this fight with Mares. At their best, both Donaire and Moreno work from the outside with their quick hands, but defensively, Moreno backpedals a lot more and has a more lateral movement. This is why Mares was so wild and open when coming in because he had to quickly close the gap.
Donaire won't be doing much backpedaling, but rather, he's all about positioning and angles. He'll find Mares from a comfortable distance attempting to make him cautious with his power and speed. He'll turn and engage. This is why I'm excited hoping this fight will happen. I think Donaire's intelligence, speed and power will be too much for Mares.
Anyway, Mares came out and did his task. He proved many people wrong and though he could have fought a cleaner fight, he did what he had to do. It seems that the dirtiness in this fight is being exaggerated by members with a personal distain for Mares's nationality.
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