By Eric Thomas: Newly crowned WBC super bantamweight champion Abner Mares (24-0-1, 13 KO’s) is looking for fresh game to go after now that he’s the new World Boxing Council 122 pound champion with his near shutout 12 round unanimous decision victory over 36-year-old Eric Morel last Saturday night at the Don Haskins Center in El Paso, Texas.
After beating an out of his league Morel by the scores of 120-107, 119-109 and 119-109, the 26-year-old Mares said “Let’s do it,” when asked by Showtime interviewer Jim Gray if he’s be interested in fighting Nonito Donaire, Jorge Arce or Anselmo Moreno next. If it were that easy, boxing would be doing a lot better than it is right now. But unfortunately, a lot of the promoters seem to be more interested in protecting their fighters and making mostly in house fights rather than putting together the best fights possible.
Mares, a Golden Boy Promoted fighter, likely won’t get a fight against Donaire because he’s promoted by Top Rank. The two promotional companies rarely put fights together between the two of them nowadays. Mares’ best chance of getting a fight is to try and get Moreno to fight him.
Arce probably won’t say yes to a fight against Mares, because he’s being lined up for a fight against WBO super bantamweight champion Donaire sometime in 2012 or 2013. Arce makes good money fighting almost anyone, and I can’t see him taking on a young, tough, nonstop puncher like Mares. It would be a bad match-up for Arce, promising an almost certain loss for him.
It wouldn’t be a size issue for Arce, because he’s about the same size as Mares, but rather a youth and talent problem. Mares is simply too good for Arce at this point in his career. The fight that needs to be made is a bout between Donaire and Mares, because those two are now the big name fighters in the super bantamweight division. If they could square off and then the winner face WBA champion Guillermo Rigondeaux, it would be a huge. But I can’t see that happening because Donaire already said he doesn’t have any interest in facing Rigondeaux.