Fight Pick & Preview: Abner Mares vs. Daniel Ponce de Leon
On the chief supporting bout to Mayweather-Guerrero, WBC Featherweight Champion Daniel “Ponce” De Leon takes on Abner Mares. De Leon scored an upset by stopping Jhonny Gonzalez for the belt in September. The unbeaten Mares, meanwhile, is gunning for a title in his third weight class, previously holding belts at 118 and 122 pounds. This should be a heck of a fight.
I think both men are underrated. De Leon, 32, had been largely blown-off until showing what he still had left against Gonzalez. Mares, while unbeaten, is finding it difficult to crack into the upper-pantheon of championship-level fighters. The winner of this fight will give his career a big boost and be in line to accomplish something truly significant.
- Date: May 4, 2012
- Site: MGM Grand Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada
- Weight Class: WBC Featherweight Championship: 12 Rounds
Daniel “Ponce” De Leon, 44-4 (35 KOs), Chihuahua, Mexico, WBC Featherweight Champion
vs.
Abner Mares, 25-0-1 (13 KOs), Jalisco, Mexico/Montebello, California
I was guilty in underestimating Mares. I thought Anselmo Moreno would beat him and he didn’t even come close. Mares has a lot going for him. He can box and he can brawl. The 27-year old has a lot of talent. His greatest asset, however, is his intensity. He fully commits himself mentally and physically for 12 rounds of fighting. When you find a guy who combines skills with a steely mental outlook, you have a heck of a fighter on your hands.
De Leon is no slouch. Always underrated as a boxer, he has shown he can hang with the best. First, he more than held his own in a long-range boxing match with Adrien Broner. Then against Gonzalez, he did the same thing. So he’s a lot more than the one-dimensional slugger some painted him out to be.
Will size be an issue? Mares has been on a big roll, but has really been beating bantamweights. De Leon, meanwhile, handled himself against a guy in Broner who will soon be fighting for a belt at welterweight. I thought de Leon beat Broner. He has also has a win over current featherweight contender Orlando Cruz. He is used to mixing it up with bigger men.
Mares, at a smidgen over 5’4,” will be smaller than the guys De Loeon has been fighting. Not that De Leon will be towering over Mares, but he’s a little more robust and figures to have an edge in physical strength.
Fighters should only move up divisions when they can no longer make weight. Mares fought some of his early-career at 122, but in the past 7 years, his last fight is the only time he ever scaled over 120 pounds. De Leon, meanwhile, hasn’t been under 120 in over a decade.
Perhaps Mares grew tired of not being able to secure a meaningful match-up against the cream of the 122-pound class–guys like Nonito Donaire or Guillermo Rigondeaux. Whatever the case, it’s unfortunate that we live in a time where the stars have to line up perfectly for those kind of match-ups to take place. Seems like there was some damage he could have done at 122, but 126 it is.
Mares is fighting a guy who can hurt him in De Leon. Abner has fought big hitters before, like Vic Darchinyan, but De Leon’s power is something that is more consistent. His punches are hard and hurtful and he doesn’t have to wind up to make it happen. He’s just a heavy-handed guy. He definitely had Broner thinking twice and he totally busted up Gonzalez. Mares should expect a punishing evening’s worth of work.
I just think there is something special about Mares. Call it a will to win. Call it fighting spirit. Whatever it is, he’s got “it.” It’s a certain undefinable quality that makes him a greater fighting package than the sum of his individual assets would suggest. He can punch a little, but you’d think some guys would outslug him. He can box, but a lot of people thought a guy like Moreno would outbox him. You look at his resume and see he has beaten a deep and versatile cast of fighters and it’s obvious he has a lot of intangibles in his make-up. You just can’t sell him short.
Mares vs. Ponce de Leon Prediction
It’s not hard to picture De Leon’s heavy hands winning the day. I can see him holding his own during long-range action, before punishing the less-robust Mares on the inside. As much as I’m tempted to go with De Leon for another upset-special, I can’t help but think it’s just easier than it looks against Mares. On paper, certain things can make sense, but when put into practice, a fighter like Mares can render it moot. I see the greater consistency, youth, and insistence of Mares getting him home with his nose ahead at the wire.
Prediction: Abner Mares wins by majority decision.
