Anselmo Moreno and Abner Mares Are Really, Really Good

Photos by Tom Casino/SHOWTIME

by Gautham Nagesh

Mexican Olympian Abner Mares (above) punished veteran Eric Morel over 12 rounds in his first fight since moving up in weight, and Panama’s Anselmo Moreno forced David de la Mora to quit after giving him a boxing lesson for nine rounds Saturday night on Showtime from El Paso, Texas. [[MORE]]

The former Mexican Olympian Mares is considered Golden Boy’s first homegrown prospect, and he did nothing to diminish the high regard Oscar de la Hoya and Co. have for him. Morel showed an admirable beard and great conditioning to withstand Mares’ blistering body attack for 12 rounds. Most fighters would have capitulated, or at least succumbed to a knockdown at some point. But Morel fought until the closing bell, staying upright despite eating several knee-buckling shots directly to his cranium.

The performance does raise some questions about Mares’ power after moving up from bantamweight, but more credit should be given to Morel for withstanding the onslaught and responding as best he could. The fight was another excellent addition to the heated rivalry between Mexico and Puerto Rico, and should enhance Mares’ already solid appeal at the box office. Abner would be the perfect opponent for any of the big names between 118 and 122, most notably Jorge Arce and Nonito Donaire.

Another prospective opponent is Moreno (right), who is fast becoming my favorite boxer in the world thanks to his superlative technique and skill level. Quite simply, Moreno is a magician in the ring. You won’t find a slicker defensive fighter this side of Floyd Mayweather or Pernell Whitaker than the Panamanian, who has now survived eleven defenses of his WBA bantamweight strap. The fact he hails from my favorite Central American nation doesn’t hurt.

Unfortunately, thanks to exploitation by his former management Moreno has little to show for the first portion of his career, and didn’t even own a bank account until recently. But after hooking up with Sampson Lewkowicz and Golden Boy, he turned heads with his domination of veteran Vic Darchinyan on the undercard of Mares-Agbeko 2. His latest display of mastery against de la Mora should only burnish his growing reputation.

From the opening bell de la Mora was unable to find the slippery Chemito, who ducks, dives and uses his shoulder to avoid punches while maintaining excellent control of distance. Moreno is perfectly at ease in the pocket, where he’s constantly aware of what punches can land and when he needs to pull out of range. At first Moreno was content to box at a distance, but he soon began stalking de la Mora around the ring while barely getting touched.

In this fight, Moreno also began shedding his reputation as a boring fighter with less than ideal power. His flush shots, especially straight lefts to the body, left a considerable impression on his opponent. It’s pure speculation, but my suspicion is improved training and nutrition will only add to his power. A right hook to the top of the head forced de la Mora to his knee in the second, and several lefts to the body appeared to hurt him badly in the following rounds.

David finally sank to his knee for a second time in the 6th after particularly nasty left to his midsection. By then it was clear his inability to land, combined with Moreno’s constant attack, had broken de la Mora’s spirit. The Mexican was reduced to literally running away from Moreno while the crowd booed to avoid the constant barrage of combinations. He eventually quit on his stool after the 8th, comprehensively beaten by Moreno.

Anselmo is the top-ranked fighter in the bantamweight division by Ring Magazine, now that Donaire fights at 122. A matchup with Mares would establish a Ring champion for the division and might be easy to make, since both fighters are with Golden Boy. Personally, I would favor an interim fight for both men first. Mares wants to stay at 122 (he fought this fight at a catchweight of 120) and Jorge Arce would be a huge draw in Mexico. Joseph Agbeko would be a good final test for Moreno and help build his name for a headline showdown with Mares.

Either way, it appears Mares and Moreno are headed for a megafight and consider me sold on the matchup. Both young men look like they’re in the prime of their careers, so there’s not much reason to waste any time on opponents that are less than world-class. It looks like the little guys might be the best show in the game for years to come.