(Photo: Tom Casino/SHOWTIME) By Dan Ambrose: Former IBF bantamweight, WBC Silver champion Abner Mares (23-0-1, 13 KO’s) is being put in a position to succeed tonight against 36-year-old former WBA World flyweight champion Eric Morel (46-2, 23 KO’s) in a Showtime televised bout at the Don Haskins Convention Center in El Paso, Texas.

Morel recently moved up to super bantamweight and he’s immediately ranked high at #5 by the WBC, and that’s probably about 15 positions too high for what Morel has shown in the past seven years. He was a good little fighter many moons ago, but it was ages ago when Morel was a relevant fight.

Golden Boy Promotions obviously want to keep these fighters happy, but this kind of a joke fight because Morel has been out of it for so long. Morel’s last fight against a quality opponent took place seven years ago when he was beaten by Martin Castillo by a 12 round decision in March 2005. Two fights before that, he was beaten by Lorenzo Parra. From the Castillo point on, it’s been easy fights for Morel. But what gets me is why now all of a sudden after all these years he’s finally being put in with a good fighter in Mares?

Mares is a good fighter when he’s not teeing off 24/7 with low blows, but I’d much prefer to see him facing an actual contender for the vacant World Boxing Council super bantamweight title, not someone that the WBC all of a sudden promoted to the #5 spot for this fight. I don’t want Mares to be a paper champion. I would have liked to have seen him fight Victor Terrazaz. That guy would give Mares a lot of trouble with his power and pressure.