Next month, IBF bantamweight champion Abner Mares will rise up in weight to face off with former flyweight champion Eric Morel at the Don Haskins Convention Center in El Paso, Texas. On the line for the 26-year old Mares in the Showtime-televised bout will be the vacant WBC junior featherweight title that was previously held by Japan?s Toshiaki Nishioka.
On that same card on April 21st, silky-smooth WBA ?Super? champion Anselmo ?Chemito? Moreno will also make the trek four pounds north as he faces off with former title challenger David De La Mora.
Speaking exclusively to the TheKoncreteJungle.com earlier this week, Mares admits that a bout with the Panamanian is of great interest to him, being that everything goes smoothly with Morel of course.
.
<--- Slideshow: Bonus images of Abner Mares, including his bouts with Agbeko, Darchinyan, Perez, and his life behind the scenes Advertisement
.
?Yes there is a big name right now, Anselmo Moreno,? Mares stated. ?It?s a really good fight that I would love but I don?t think it?s the time yet. I think down the road it will definitely happen at super bantamweight. Why not make that fight??
Mares put together a string of entertaining performances during his last few years at 118-pounds, including a give and take war with Yohnny Perez, a solid victory over Vic Darchinyan that saw him dig down against the Armenian, and two fights with Ghanaian brute Joseph Agbeko that both went his way, with the rematch being a far more convincing display.
Knowing that he took on some tough outs during his bantamweight run seems to give Mares a bit of comfort.
?It makes me feel really good,? Mares would continue. ?It makes me feel that I accomplished a lot at my weight. I?m not just jumping to a different weight class without accomplishing anything. I pretty much beat the best guys known at 118. We?re moving to 122 and I want to face the top guys. Hopefully we can get them.?
Discussing other showdowns of interest, Mares pointed to recently-crowned WBO junior featherweight champion Nonito Donaire, noting that the only roadblock to making the fight a reality would be the ongoing promotional feud between his promoter Golden Boy and Top Rank, who handle Donaire.
In a late-February interview with ESNewsReporting.com, Mares mentioned that if a fight with Donaire was unfeasible, that WBA junior featherweight king Guillermo Rigondeaux was of great interest to him, just as long as the money was right.
Taking to his personal Facebook account a few days later, Donaire issued the following.
?This is why a lot of my fights don?t push [through]. Most of these guys try to drive up their worth 300% and cash out against me. See what I?m saying? He?ll only face me if the money is right, but will fight [Rigondeaux] for nothing.?
Responding to Donaire?s comments, Mares clarified a few things.
?I have no idea why he would say something like that,? said Mares of Donaire. ?Again, I?m saying it face to face, behind a camera. I?m not behind a Facebook or Twitter. I?ll fight anyone. I?ll fight Nonito, Guillermo Rigondeaux, a lot of names.
?I said especially Guillermo because a lot of people are saying a lot of fighters, even Nonito, were scared of because of his style,? Mares continued. ?A lot of people don?t want to face him but I?m here, I?ll fight him. And I said ?If the money?s right? because I?m a fighter and we do this for a living but at the end of the day this is business. We want to make our money and provide for our families too.?
Mares then took a swipe of his own at Donaire, dismissing his February 2011 blowout over then-bantamweight champion Fernando Montiel as nothing to get excited about.
?My opinion, I don?t think he faced or beat any top 118 [pound fighter],? Mares stated of Nonito. ?Montiel was at 115 moving to 118 when he fought Nonito.?
Donaire is coming off of a February 4th victory over Wilfredo Vazquez Jr. in San Antonio, Texas. Citing a broken left hand early in the fight as an added struggle against the Puerto Rican, Donaire was still able to offer up gritty, versatile display that saw him win about nine of the scheduled twelve rounds.
Mares didn?t have anything bad to say about Donaire?s performance but didn?t seem thrilled either.
?He looked good, as well as Vazquez,? Mares noted. ?It wasn?t were he looked spectacular and he made Vazquez look bad; he didn?t. Vazquez looked strong, he looked good, and I guess that?s not the fight that people were expecting. I think they were expecting a spectacular Nonito but his power didn?t show. But it was a great fight and hopefully he keeps facing big names at 122 and hopefully he faces me.?
