The argument is that only a great American heavyweight can resurrect boxing in the United States. Good luck on that search. At the opposite end of the scale, however, there’s no debate. There’s reality. Given the Mexican and Mexican-American demographic at the heart of the game’s audience, the little guy is imperative. Abner Mares might be that guy, the latest in a line of little big men from 105 to 126 pounds who have helped sustain the business since Michael Carbajal and Humberto Gonzalez transformed it.
Mares carries a sense of poise, smarts and skill with him when he steps through the ropes. There’s also accountability. There was never any hesitation in his decision to fight a rematch with Joseph Agbeko after a controversial victory marred by low blows. The pragmatist might have moved on. But that would have left a mess. Mares cleaned up the questions with a victory, a unanimous decision, in a December rematch that allowed him to take the next step, from bantamweight to super-bantam, against Eric Morel Saturday night in El Paso, Tex.
Mares is trying on a heavier weight with the hope of generating momentum for a date with Nonito Donaire. In a conference call, Mares talked about five super-bantamweights he’d like to fight.
“Victor Terrazas, Fernando Montiel, Rafael Marquez, Wilfredo Vazquez Jr., Jorge Arce, and the big name that is up there is, no doubt, Nonito Donaire,’’ Mares said.
Much depends on how Mares (23-0-1, 13 KOs) looks against an experienced, yet aging Morel (46-2, 23 KOs), who is 11-0 since two years in prison for sexual assault. The jury is still out on Donaire since he made the jump from 118 to 122 for a split decision over Vazquez in February. Donaire, who in October won a dull and dominant decision over Omar Narvaez in his last fight at 118, hasn’t followed up on his spectacular knockout of Fernando Montiel in 2011. Then, his second-round stoppage put him into the pound-for-pound debate. But his show-stopping power hasn’t been there since his left hook struck down Montiel like a lightning bolt.
“Definitely a great fighter,’’ said Mares, who knows about Donaire’s knockout ratio, 18 in 28 bouts. “But I don’t think he’s knocked out anybody at 122 yet.’’
He’s fought only one, so we’ll wait-and-see.
Mares has been there before. He’s going back to where he began. In his first 10 bouts as a pro, he was between 120 and 122 pounds for nine of them, winning six by stoppage and three by unanimous decision. He should be comfortable at 120, the catch-weight for Morel. If Donaire makes the adjustment, Mares-Donaire emerges as a possibility that could be among the biggest in the lightest divisions since Carbajal and Gonzales met at 108 in a 1993 Fight of the Year that awakened promoters to a market for smaller fighters at a time when heavyweights were vanishing, or at least going Euro.
Top Rank-versus-Golden Boy stands in the way, if the promotional feud continues and, yawn, everything seems to say that it will, ad nauseam. Donaire is a Top Rank fighter; Mares is Golden Boy. Then there’s history. Even at the lightest weights, some fights never happen. Carbajal never fought Ricardo Lopez; Lopez never fought Gonzalez. But Mares is smart to foresee the rich possibility. Smart to talk about it, too. He’s taking care of business. Too many would kick a potential biggie down the road by saying they’d leave that job up to their promoters. But they forget that the promoters work for them, not the other way around.
Mares seems to know what he wants and, thus far, he has shown that he’ll do what he has to. The promotional fracas, a cold war without apparent end, is suffocating possibilities. Maybe, it’s too much to ask Mares for help. Then again, it wouldn’t be the first time a little guy has helped boxing recreate itself. They know how to fight their way out of tight places.
PROSPECT JR.
Jose Benavidez Jr.’s 15-year-old brother, David, will appear in an amateur bout on an Iron Boy Promotions card at Celebrity Theatre in Phoenix Saturday night. A sign of Arizona’s interest in anything Benavidez was evident Tuesday at an open workout at Central Boxing in downtown Phoenix. The place was jammed for a glimpse at a fighter who might be the state’s next prospect.
At 190 pounds, David is bigger than his celebrated brother, an unbeaten junior-welterweight who is back in the gym and working to rehab his right wrist since undergoing surgery.
“He’s more of inside fighter than I am,’’ said Jose Jr., who says his wrist is about 45 percent healthy. “Basically, he has been boxing since he’s been about 3-years old. He’s always followed it. He watches it at home on television more than I do.’’
Yes, the brothers have sparred. But it hasn’t just been a sibling rivalry played out in the backyard or at the dinner table.
“No, we’ve sparred in the gym,’’ said the 19-year-old Jose, whose brother has sparred with Kelly Pavlik. “I wouldn’t go all out because he’s my little brother. But he tried to kill me. He was hitting me hard, hitting me low. I just had to grab him and talk some trash at him.’’
So what did he say?
“You know, just some brotherly love,’’ Jose Jr. said.
First bell is scheduled for 7 p.m. for a 10-fight card featuring Phoenix super-bantamweight Emilio Garcia (4-0-1) against Jesse Ruiz (0-1), also of Phoenix.
AZ NOTES
· Carbajal, of Phoenix, is scheduled to be a ringside Saturday night at Celebrity. Iron Boy Promotions plan to honor him for his Hall of Fame career.
· Former junior-middleweight champ Winky Wright (51-5-1, 20 KOs) began training in Phoenix a couple of weeks ago for his comeback attempt on June 2 against Peter Quillin (26-0. 20 KOs) in Oakland, Calif. Wright, 40, hasn’t fought since losing a decision to Paul Williams in March, 2009. He began his workouts at Athletes Performance, where well-known pros in all sports go for conditioning.
