IBF bantamweight champion Joseph ?King Kong? Agbeko was in good spirits today when I ran across him inside of the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas for his press conference promoting his August 13th date against Abner Mares inside of the same building. Agbeko-Mares serves as the final bout in Showtime?s bantamweight tournament next month, a concept that has already produced some telling results.
Agbeko and Mares were originally supposed to square off on April 23rd but the Ghana native had to withdraw from the contest after a bizarre back injury left him nearly imoble moments after his flight to Southern California landed. Looking back on the initial pullout, Agbeko had to summon up his best spirits to get over the ordeal.
<--- Slideshow: Behind the scenes in Las Vegas with Joseph Agbeko, Abner Mares, promoter Don King and others
?It was beyond my control.? Agbeko claimed. ?I was very disappointed because the fight, the fans wanted to watch me and something like this happens. But every step back is an opportunity. I took some time off and I?m back now.?
Injury or not, a fight against the 25-year old Mares is far from an easy task as the undefeated challenger from the city of Hawaiin Gardens has shown himself to be a very capable and willing force inside of the ring. There wasn?t anything particular that Agbeko could point out about Mares when asked for an assessment but the respect was obvious.
?Every fight is a dangerous fighter. This kid is dangerous and I respect every fighter out there,? said Agbeko.
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I couldn?t let my brief talk with Agbeko come to a close without digging up his past statements towards WBC and WBO champion Nonito Donaire, who opted to stay away from the tournament in an effort towards chasing down then-champion Fernando Montiel. Agbeko took offense to Donaire’s actions and didn?t let up when asked for his thoughts on the Fil-Am fighter.
?I think he?s a good boxer but as far as I?m concerned I believe he?s a coward for not being part of this tournament,? Agbeko stated with conviction. ?You?ve got to be great to be part of this tournament because you?re not going to fight the best fighters in the world and not being in such a big tournament makes you a coward. If he wants to prove that he?s not a coward he should face me or Abner Mares.?
Donaire has been inactive due to a promotional arbitration taking place between Top Rank and Golden Boy over his services but his last performance left an undeniable impression as he crushed Montiel inside of two rounds inside of the Mandalay Bay in February to become a champion in a third weight class. Donaire is regarded as one of the top four fighters in the world but Agbeko?s final statements show that he is far from swayed.
?Donaire is a good fighter but I don?t think he?s that special. I believe they are always picking opponents for him. You can?t compare Montiel, Sidorenko to Abner Mares, Vic Darchinyan, and Yohnny Perez, never. I am special at this weight.because I?ve got the ability to beat any fighter in this division.?
Chris Robinson is based out of Las Vegas, Nevada. He can be reached at [email protected]
