By Lem Satterfield
Richard Schaefer of Ringstar Sports has a message for detractors of three-division champion Abner Mares and his quest to dethrone left-handed WBA champion Gervonta Davis in his 130-pound debut on February 9: “Si’ se puede,” or, “Yes we can.”
“For all of those out there who don’t seem to give Abner a chance or who are betting against him winning this fight, I’ll give you a warning: You do so at your own risk,” said Schaefer of Mares, who turned 33 last month.
“Never, ever count out one of the most legendary champions of our generation and one of the biggest names in the sport coming out of Mexico. For as we say in Mexico, ‘Yes you can,’ as in, ‘Yes you can win,’ and, ‘Yes, you can prove everybody wrong.’”
Mares (31-3-1, 15 KOs) is rising from 126 to in an attempt to earn his fourth crown in as many divisions against Davis (20-0,19 KOs), a 24-year-old two-time champion from Baltimore with perceived advantages in speed, size and power.
Davis will end a 10-month ring absence in pursuit of his 12th straight stoppage and successful second defense live on Showtime at The StubHub in Carson, California, near Mares’ native Los Angeles, and is coming off a title-regaining two-knockdown third-round TKO of fellow southpaw Jesus Cuellar (28-3, 21 KOs), of Buenos Aires, Argentina, whose 130-pound debut ended a 16-month ring absence since falling in December 2016 by split-decision to Mares and being dethroned as WBA 126-pound champion.
“Abner’s the one who approached me about fighting Davis, and my reaction was …this is a difficult fight,” said Schaefer, who is co-promoting with Mayweather Promotions CEO Leonard Ellerbe and TGB Promotions President Tom Brown.
“There was once a time in boxing back when I first became a fan where daring to be great was common and woven into the fabric of the sport. So at the end of the day, Abner is doing what defines great champions and builds on their legacy.”
In his last fight in June, Mares lost a unanimous decision to three-division champion Leo Santa Cruz (35-1-1, 19 KOs) in rematch of Santa Cruz’s majority decision win in August 2015, with each of those bouts taking place in the fighters’ native Los Angeles.
“I think in the last 10, 15 years or so, often fighters are bound for meaningless mandatories, unattractive matchups and mismatches. But Abner is reaching for the stars, going for it, and daring to be great. Sometimes, you reach [the stars,] and sometimes you don’t,” said Shaefer.
“But there is never any shame or negativity when you dare to be great. In Abner’s case, he’s fighting a young, strong, heavy-handed guy and some people have told Abner, ‘are you crazy?’ and said, ‘Why would Abner want to go into the ring with this beast?”
But Mares is 5-for-5 (two knockouts) against southpaws since 2008, his first being Diosdado Gabi, who retired with a record of 30-4-1 and 21 knockouts following his second-round TKO loss in March 2008.
Mares scored an 11th round knockdown against Cuellar, who had won an interim crown by unanimous decision over Claudio Marrero in August 2013, and whose five defenses included three straight knockouts and stoppages of left-handed former world champions Juan Manuel Lopez and Vic Darchinyan.
Darchinyan represented Mares’ second southpaw victory in a 118-pound bout in December 2010. Four fights and two world titles later, the Mexico-born, Southern California-raised Mares defended his 122-pound crown with a unanimous decision over lefty Anselmo Moreno in November 2012.
In March 2013, Mares moved up another weight class and dethroned 126-pound titleholder Daniel Ponce De Leon via ninth-round TKO, dropping the champion twice. In defeating Ponce De Leon, Mares improved to 26-0-1 and became a three-division world champion.
But Mares was dropped twice and knocked out in the first round of his next fight in August 2013 by Jhonny Gonzalez, who had lost his previous bout in September 2012 to Ponce De Leon by ninth-round technical decision.
Following his first defeat, Mares won three consecutive victories from July 2014 to March 2015, setting up his majority decision loss to Santa Cruz and then the win over Cuellar.
“Abner’s not just moving up and fighting somebody, but he’s moving up to fight the best in that weight class and that’s what it’s all about,” said Schaefer, who promoted a 118-pound Mares as Golden Boy CEO.
“Abner’s like a little brother to me. It’s refreshing to see someone like Abner who already has achieved so much in his career --winning the bantamweight tournament on Showtime back in the day -- saying, ‘Let’s do it,’ or as they say in Mexico, ‘Yes we can.’ That’s what it’s all about for Abner.”
