Mares’ move to featherweight a bad idea; Golovkin vs. Sturm an option?

By Boxing News - 02/02/2013 - Comments

mares34By Dan Ambrose: Former two division world champion Abner Mares (25-0-1, 13 KO’s) has decided to move featherweight after being rejected for a unification bout against WBO super bantamweight champion Nonito Donaire.

The 5’4 ½” Mares reportedly is having problems making the super bantamweight limit of 122 pounds, and that’s why he’s decided to move to 126 to go after the champions at that weight class.

Mares is making a big mistake in my view because he doesn’t have the power to mix it up with the top featherweights like Mikey Garcia, Jayson Velez and Daniel Ponce De Leon. Mares would be competitive against WBA champion Chris John and IBF champ Billy Dib.

To face those two, Mares would have to be willing to fight them in their own countries and it would be tough to beat them at home where they have huge fan bases. But Mares will likely go after fellow Golden Boy promotions fighter Ponce De Leon if he gets past Velez next month.

I don’t like a match-up between Mares and either Velez or De Leon because they punch harder than the guys that Mares has been fighting, and he could end up getting stopped or badly beaten.

Golovkin should consider giving Sturm a title shot

WBA middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin (25-0, 22 KO’s) was never able to get a fight against former WBA Super World middleweight champion Felix Sturm when he held his WBA title. For some reason, Sturm preferred to fight other guys rather than taking a risky fight against Golovkin. Back then, Sturm didn’t have to fight Golovkin if he didn’t want to because he was the champion.

However, with Sturm losing his title to IBF middleweight champion Daniel Geale last year, and now having been beaten by Sam Soliman in an IBF 160 pound eliminator bout last Saturday, Sturm is now in the position where he’s going to need help from one of the middleweight champions to get a fight unless he wants to slowly work his way into a title shot.

That could take another year or so before Sturm gets another chance because he just blew this one.

Golovkin wants to fight a lot this year, and he’s having little luck in getting the top champions and contenders to fight him. If Sturm is feeling brave, he might want to take a chance and call out Golovkin for a fight so that he can get another title shot.



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