by James Slater – The upcoming fourth bout between Mexican warriors Israel Vazquez and Rafael Marquez already figured to receive plenty of fan attention, but the May 22nd card to be held at The Staples Centre in L.A will now have even more fans wanting to see the action; as a fascinating bantamweight match-up has been added to the bill..
Unbeaten Colombian Yonnhy Perez, the reigning IBF bantamweight king, will square off with the also unbeaten Abner Mares of Mexico – and a great fight is a real possibility. Not only are both guys undefeated, both are also extremely talented and at the same time willing to go to war in any given fight. It’s possible the supporting feature could even wind up outdoing the main event in May!
31-year-old Perez, 20-0(14) won the title with a hard-fought points victory in a quite sensational fight with Vic Darchinyan conqueror Joseph Agbeko of Ghana back on October 31st last year. Prevailing in the fight of the year candidate, Perez showed what he is made of. Tough, reliably-chinned, full of stamina and also fast and hard working, the IBF champ made it clear he will take some beating.
24-year-old Mares of Mexico, 19-0(12) is also a fine fighter, however. One of Golden Boy’s most promising prospects, the 2004 Olympian is considered by many good judges to be a definite world champion of the future. Could the much younger fighter’s time to reach the top be almost here?
According to ESPN.com, Mares, who has not fought since his August 2009 KO of Carlos Fulgencio, will box a tune-up fight before facing Perez; most likely in March. Knowing he will need to be at his sharpest for the Perez clash, this is a good idea on the part of Mares and his team. Yet to fight anyone close to the class of Perez, the hot prospect faces the acid test in May. But Mares could well pass the test.
A tough fight to pick, Perez-Mares looks almost certain to thrill. Perez will be making his first defence and he is of course in no mood to lose his title so soon, Yet Mares, going for his first “world” title (he has already won the WBO NABO bantam belt) is in no mood to lose in his maiden attempt at ruling the world.
It will take some fight to overshadow the expected war from Mexican legends Marquez and Vazquez – but Perez Vs. Mares could well be such a fight. I go for the champ to retain his belt with a close decision in a thriller.