Mares Defeats Garcia!

By Boxing News - 09/10/2007 - Comments

mares33535335.jpg2004 Olympian and amateur standout, bantamweight boxing prospect Abner Mares (14-0, 9 KOs) defeated tough Mexican veteran Ididro Garcia (24-4-2, 8 KOs) in the seventh round on Friday night at the Desert Diamond Casino, in Tucson, Arizona, when Garcia, 31, failed to come out for the 8th due an eye injury he had sustained during the fight. In the early rounds, Mares and Garcia took turns landing power shots with Mares coming out slightly ahead. However, as the fight progressed, Mares pulled away from Garcia, largely due to the power in his right hand which began to swell Garcia’s right by the 5th round.

Mares, 21, ranked #14 in the WBA, picked up the vacant NABF bantamweight title along the way in defeating Garcia. Considered to be a can’t miss future star, Mares was put in with a very tough fighter despite this being only his 14th professional bout in his career. It harkens back to the old days, when young fighters where frequently placed up against tough veterans in an effort to teach them skills faster and to toughen them up. Frequently, this backfire, causing the young fighter to be ruined, a reason that it’s rarely done now a days. However, it’s interesting that Mares’ management feel comfortable placing him in against Garcia, a former WBO flyweight champion in 2000.

Mares used his footwork to gain space from Garcia in the early rounds, ensuring that he could keep the smaller Garcia at the end of his punches. Every time that Mares stopped his movement, Garcia would be on him, landing shots to the midsection and head. Mares would quickly fire back blinding fast combinations and then move away quickly to prevent Garcia from successfully following up with any further shots. Mares’ movement was a pain in the side for Garcia, who appeared much more comfortable when Mares was more stationary, which allowed Garcia to conserve his energy while at the same time show his excellent infighting skills.

In the sixth and seventh rounds, Mares heavy right hands began to have a withering a effect on Garcia, whose face became even more swollen and reddened, while at the same time his punch output dropped off dramatically. Mares went right hand happy in the seventh round, landing a large number of huge shots as the round was expiring. At the end of the round, Garcia dejectedly walked back to his corner, and remained standing, facing his trainer. Words were exchanged between them and then suddenly, his trainer waved his hand in the air to signal to the referee that he wanted the fight stopped because of the swelling on Garcia’s left eye.