Boxer Abner Mares' comeback bout ends in draw with Miguel Flores

The Mexican-American, former three-division titlist Abner Mares had to settle for a majority draw against Miguel Flores on Sunday evening at the Crypto.com Arena Los Angeles. Mares hadn't competed since a repeat loss to Leo Santa Cruz in the rematch for the WBA featherweight title rematch in June 2018.

In the Fox Sports Pay-Per-View undercard battle on Sunday night, Mare's defeat came on a majority decision. While Judge Rudy Barragan had Mares ahead (96-94), the final decision weighed in favour of the judges Patrick Russell and Zachary Young, giving even scores to the boxers (95-95) after ten rounds.

The Sunday fight

Mares were the aggressor during the first half of the match and landed effective punches on Flores. While Mares looked to capitalise on the aggression, Flores wisely held on to the impact of the punches without being caught off-guard. Both boxers had their moments during the middle rounds, and the contest became exciting with matching exchanges.


However, as the fight progressed, Mare's punches did not have the earlier impact, and he seemed to slow down considerably.

Trainer Bobby Benton was urging Flores to take the final two rounds more aggressively after noticing that Mares was slowing down. However, while forcing Mares on the back foot, Flores could not generate enough momentum to put Mares in a corner.

The fight indicated that Mares was far off his best period, winning several World titles in three different weight classes.

In response, Flores (25-4-1, 12KOs) closed aggressively down the stretch as Mares appeared out of gas and unable to contribute anything other than movement.

Getting used to the timings again

In an interview after the match, Mares told a press section that he didn’t have much of a problem with the fight and was satisfied with his performance. His fans, too, were happy. While he thought he had won but judges felt otherwise. His confidence in the timing is back again. Nevertheless, it was a close finish.

FAQs

1. Why were Mares away from the ring for over three years?
An eye surgery forced Mares off the ring. Prior the Sunday’s fight, Mare fought Leo Santa Cruz in June 2018. In January 2019, Mares underwent eye surgery for a detached retina in his right eye.

2. What is Mares's career record now?
Abner Mares moves to 31-3-2 (15KOs) after Sunday’s match.