If Don King succeeds in putting the kibosh on next Saturday’s Mosley/Mayorga rematch, then fight fans will only have the PBC on ESPN Leo Santa Cruz/Abner Mares bout – that takes place at the Staples Centre in LA on the same night – for their fistic viewing pleasure.
Not that there will be too many fans disappointed by that mind you, given they were set to pay $49.95 for the “priviledge of watching the ageing veterans go at it, yet one of the protagonists in the latter, free-to-air bout – Abner Mares – has promised he has returned to his form of old and will be looking to stun his fellow California-based Mexican rival in their long awaited, and far more relevant bout.
Former 3 weight world champ Mares’ (29-1-1, 15ko) blistering momentum was spectacularly halted two years ago in his 1st round loss to experienced former featherweight boss Jhonny Gonzalez, and despite winning three on the spin since, is well aware the bigger, rangier Santa Cruz is a crunch test he needs to be back on the top of his game for.
“In my mind, after the loss, I left the top level of the game,” Mares said at last week’s media event. “I had to overcome some issues mentally. But now I’m back better than I ever have been. I’m going to go in there Aug. 29, ready to prove that.
“(At the time of the loss) I was at the peak. I was at a great time in my career where I was a three-time world champion, undefeated and I looked great.
“No doubt, in my mind even now, after my defeat, I’ve become even a better fighter because now I know what defeat is. Now I know how to come back up and start all over.”
WBC 122lb boss Santa Cruz is moving up to face Mares and is already speaking about big fights in the future at both 122 and 126 with the likes of Carl Frampton and Jamaica’s Nicholas Walters, signaling he wishes to shake of the “cherry picker” tag that has haunted him in recent times.
In his mind, this Premier Boxing Champions clash with Mares is the perfect start.
“I think it’s the best fight (for me) because Abner Mares is a natural featherweight right now and he’s a great fighter and can do everything. So getting a victory against him is going to put me on the big level, it’s going to put me to the next level and show that I’m ready for the rest of the fighters in the division,” he said.
Predictably, Mares has other ideas;
“So it’s going to be the best Abner Mares,” he said. “I think it’s the perfect time for me to focus on myself. I don’t care about him. For myself, it’s the perfect time, and I can’t wait.”
“I’m going to make a statement that Abner Mares is back.”
Twitter @Undilutedpoison
