How Mares Beat Moreno

Published

12 years ago

November 12, 2012

Lee Wylie

MaresMoreno Hogan30 Abner Mares fought like a man possessed on way to successfully defending his WBC super-bantamweight title against Anselmo Moreno on Saturday night, in what turned out to be the Panamanian’s first defeat in more than a decade.

I’ll be honest here. Prior to the fight, while Mares’ high volume and aggression would likely prove troublesome on the scorecards for the counter punching Moreno, I thought the slick southpaw wizard’s jab and superior mobility would be enough to keep the young Mexican turning and following, resulting in Moreno winning a close decision even though Mares would likely be the one receiving the benefit of the doubt in many of the close rounds based on him being perceived as the “effective aggressor”.

Well, there were certainly some close rounds during the fight, some of which could have gone either way. In the end, however, it turned out that not only was Mares awarded many of those close rounds, but also the rounds in which he seemed to clearly come off second best to Moreno as well. Mares was given the verdict by scores of 116-110 twice, and a truly mind boggling margin of 120-106 by James Gen-Kim.

Although I thought the fight was closely contested –not a robbery- and that Moreno was on the wrong side of some choice officiating –the knockdown in the 5th and the point deduction in the 11th were questionable- I must concede that Abner Mares fought a very good strategic fight against an opponent who’s difficult to work out. Moreno’s style is designed to frustrate and spoil. It’s not easy to keep pressing the attack when you’re faced with an elusive target like Moreno, who is constantly turning, slipping and sliding to his positions. Moreno has a way of disrupting an opponent’s rhythm by moving away, allowing them to close the distance on him before quickly switching direction behind a jab or a hook before starting over, or by blunting an attack by ducking underneath and forcing a clinch. Vic Darchinyan is a solid fighter yet he was mastered like never before or since at the hands of Moreno. At no point in their fight was Darchinyan successful in pinning Moreno to the ropes or in getting beyond Moreno’s right shoulder posture and straight left hand. Although Mares’ physical strength at 122 pounds and Moreno’s lack thereof had plenty to do with the final outcome, I feel Mares’ style and choice of tactics were also largely responsible.

Here, I’d like to focus on some of the key areas where Abner Mares had success against Anselmo Moreno Saturday night. Anselmo Moreno’s style is tough to figure out. Abner Mares found a way.

As on display {above} against Frederic Patrac here, circling behind the double jab is the staple of Moreno’s game. This is how he occupies his opponents as he’s moving to his positions. Notice how Moreno escapes to his opponent’s blindside, over their left shoulder and away from their trailing hand as he’s throwing the double jab. By the time his opponent responds and turns, Moreno has already exited, taken an angle on them. Again, this is how Moreno remains one step ahead of his opponents.

By contrast, notice how Mares has backed Moreno into the corner. As Moreno tries to exit via his double jab, Mares slips, parries, then counters the first Moreno jab with a right cross. As a result, Moreno is forced to abandon his second jab and retreat. Compare Mares’ body alignment to that of Patrac’s in the final pictures above.

Unlike Frederic Patrac, by anticipating the double jab and then countering over the top of it, Mares has avoided being turned by Moreno.

Mares was also effective in forcing Moreno to the ropes.

morenowin11122012 3

As Moreno throws a jab, Mares is able to slip outside and rush Moreno. Because Mares is explosive and quick with his charge, Moreno can’t do a thing but fall back to the ropes, where Mares unleashes a barrage of body shots. See how Mares gets his lead foot outside of Moreno’s as he’s charging in.

Mares knew how to deal with an elusive target on the inside as well.

morenowin11122012 4

Look here how Darchinyan is thinking of nothing but hitting the head as Moreno is up against the ropes. In this position, Moreno’s head is the only thing that can move. Darchinyan neglects this fact and aims for it anyway. Moreno, a defensive specialist, ducks under the punch and easily moves away from the ropes and away from any danger.

Compare how Mares attacked Moreno in the same position.

morenowin11122012 5

As Moreno is backed into the ropes, Mares knows that he’s slick and will be trying to avoid head shots by bending at the waist. As a result, Mares goes about throwing combinations, lefts and rights to both sides of Moreno’s lower body. Even if the shots aren’t landing clean, Mares is still winning the exchange by keeping Moreno on the defensive -one can’t win a fight without first throwing punches.

See how Mares intentionally throws a right hand short of the target, in order to allow himself to come back with a left hook to the body. This is first rate combination punching. Moreno can spot the first blow, but the second shot to the body, is not so easy to detect because it was well disguised.

Abner Mares was comfortable in the center of the ring too. Obviously, part of Mares’ strategy was to stay aggressive and not to give Moreno an inch, but there had to be moments of calm before the storm. Had Mares attacked in a reckless manner, then Moreno would have picked him apart on the way in.

There were a few moments during the fight when Mares actually turned counter puncher in an attempt to find an opening to launch his high pressured assault.

morenowin11122012 7

Look how Mares feints a half jab for Moreno to counter with a left straight. As Moreno throws the left straight, Mares ducks and lands an overhand right {a shot he had repeated success with against Moreno}. One of the most useful weapons against a counter puncher is the feint. By feinting, Mares was able to draw out a lead from Moreno, so he could then counter Moreno’s initial counter.

Another main reason why Mares was successful against Moreno was because he avoided throwing single shots.

morenowin11122012 8

See here how Darchinyan throws one shot at a time. As Vic throws a jab and leaves it hanging, Moreno slips outside and counters with a straight left to the body. Moreno immediately comes back with a jab, followed by a straight left hand to the head of Darchinyan. Vic was easily countered because Moreno knew he only threw single shots in the center of the ring. Moreno landed three shots to Vic’s one.

Let’s see how Mares attacked. Moreno is in his usual defensive posture –left glove by the chin, right shoulder facing Mares. A common attack for an orthodox fighter to lead with is a jab, followed by a right hand. Moreno is a brilliant counter puncher and he obviously knows what punches to expect during certain scenarios in the ring. This is where Mares is very hard to figure out. As Mares comes forward, he leads with a left uppercut, followed by a right cross. Although the pictures don’t show it, Mares is actually punching as he’s moving. Needless to say, as Mares is advancing, Moreno probably isn’t anticipating such an unpredictable attack combination. Counter punchers thrive on anticipation. Mares’ attacks against Moreno gave him nothing to key off.

Of course, the fight wasn’t all one way traffic. Anselmo Moreno had plenty of success himself later in the fight, especially with his body punching. But for me, Abner Mares did enough to stymie Moreno’s style and deserved the decision. Mares managed to handle Moreno in a way that no fighter has managed before because of:

High volume, particularly in combination.
Speed advantage.
Far superior physical strength at 122 pounds.
Extensive body punching.
Unpredictability of attack.
Ability to counter a counter puncher.
Unrelenting inside after shortening the distance.

Moreno, on the other hand, had some success but ultimately fell short because of:

An inability to inflict any real hurt or damage on Mares.
Unable to keep Mares off because physical strength at 122 pounds isn’t as prominent.
Inability to avoid the ropes.
Relatively low volume.
Often on the back foot in a fight going to the score cards.

Regardless of what the judge’s cards suggest, the fight was close and it was contested at a really high level of skill. It was a pleasure to watch two elite talents, both in their primes, test their skills against one another and leave everything on the line the way they did. As always, one man had to lose and unfortunately for him, that man was Anselmo Moreno. I’m certain he’ll likely feel hard done by with the wide scoring, but as I mentioned earlier, this can’t really be deemed a robbery of any kind. Yes, it was reasonably close, but having watched it twice now, I felt there was a clear winner. One man seemed to want it slightly more than the other. That man was Abner Mares.

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Lee Wylie

Bivol Evens the Score with Beterbiev; Parker and Stevenson Win Handily

Published

13 hours ago

February 22, 2025

David A. Avila

Bivol-Evens-the-Score-with-Beterbiev-Parker-and-Stevenson-Win-Handily

It was labeled the best boxing card in history.

That’s up for debate.

And there was some debate as Dmitry Bivol avenged his loss to Artur Beterbiev to become the new undisputed light heavyweight world champion on Saturday by majority decision in a tactical battle.

“He gave me this chance and I appreciate it,” said Bivol of Beterbiev.

Bivol (24-1, 12 KOs) rallied from behind to give Beterbiev (21-1, 20 KOs) his first pro loss in their rematch at a sold out crowd in the Venue Riyadh Season in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Like their first encounter the rematch was also very close.

Four months ago, these two faced each other as undefeated light heavyweights. Now, after two furious engagements, both have losses.

Beterbiev was making his first defense as undisputed light heavyweight champion and made adjustments from their first match. This time the Russian fighter who trains in Canada concentrated on a body attack and immediately saw dividends.

For most of the first six rounds it seemed Beterbiev would slowly grind down Bivol until he reached an unsurmountable lead. But despite the momentum he never could truly hurt Bivol or gain separation.

Things turned around in the seventh round as Bivol opened up with combinations to the head and body while slipping Beterbiev’s blows. It was a sudden swing of momentum. But how long could it last?

“It was hard to keep him at the distance. I had to be smarter and punch more clean punches,” said Bivol.

Beterbiev attempted to regain the momentum but Bivol was not allowing it to happen. In the final 10 seconds he opened up with a machine gun combination. Though few of the punches connected it became clear he was not going to allow unclarity.

Using strategic movement Bivol laced quick combinations and immediately departed. Betebiev seemed determined to counter the fleet fighter but was unsuccessful for much of the second half of the fight.

Around the 10^th round Beterbiev stepped on the gas with the same formula of working the body and head. It gave Bivol pause but he still unleashed quick combos to keep from being overrun.

Bivol connected with combinations and Beterbiev connected with single body and head shots. It was going to be tough for the referees to decide which attack they preferred. After 12 rounds with no knockdowns one judge saw it a draw at 114-114. But two others saw Bivol the winner 116-112, 115-113.

“I was better. I was pushing myself more, I was lighter. I just wanted to win so much today,” said Bivol.

Beterbiev was gracious in defeat.

“Congratulations to Bivol’s team” said Beterbiev. “I think this fight was better than the first fight.”

After the match it was discussed that an effort to make a third fight is a strong possibility.

Heavyweight KO by Parker

Joseph Parker (36-3, 24 KOs) once again proved he could be the best heavyweight without a world title in knocking out the feared Martin Bakole (21-2, 16 KOs) to retain his WBO interim title. It was quick and decisive.

“Catch him when he is coming in,” said Parker, 33, about his plan.

After original foe IBF heavyweight titlist Daniel Dubois was forced to withdraw due to illness, Bakole willingly accepted the match with only two days’ notice. Many experts and fans around the world were surprised and excited Parker accepted the match.

Ever since Parker lost to Joe Joyce in 2022, the New Zealander has proven to be vastly improved with wins over Deontay Wilder and Zhilei Zhang. Now you can add Bakole to the list of conquests.

Bakole, 33, was coming off an impressive knockout win last July and posed a serious threat if he connected with a punch. The quick-handed Bakole at 310 pounds and a two-inch height advantage is always dangerous.

In the first round Parker was wary of the fighter from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He kept his range and moved around the ring looking to poke a jab and move. Bakole caught him twice with blows and Parker retaliated.

It proved to be a very important test.

Parker refrained from moving and instead moved inside range of the big African fighter. Both exchanged liberally with Bakole connecting with an uppercut and Parker an overhand right.

Bakole shook his head at the blow he absorbed.

Both re-engaged and fired simultaneously. Parker’s right connected to the top of the head of Bakole who shuddered and stumbled and down he went and could not beat the count. The referee stopped the heavyweight fight at 2:17 of the second round. Parker retains his interim title by knockout.

“I’m strong, I’m healthy, I’m sharp,” said Parker. “I had to be patient.”

Shakur Wins

Despite an injured left hand southpaw WBC lightweight titlist Shakur Stevenson (23-0, 11 KOs) won by stoppage over late replacement Josh Padley (15-1, 6 KOs). It was an impressive accomplishment.

Often criticized for his lack of action and safety-first style, Stevenson was supposed to fight undefeated Floyd Schofield who pulled out due to illness. In stepped British lightweight Padley who had nothing to lose.

Padley was never hesitant to engage with the super-quick Stevenson and despite the lightning-quick combos by the champion, the British challenger exchanged liberally. It just wasn’t enough.

Even when Stevenson injured his left hand during an exchange in the sixth round, Padley just couldn’t take advantage. The speedy southpaw kept shooting the right jabs and ripping off right hooks. At the end of the sixth Stevenson briefly switched to a right-handed fighting style.

Stevenson used his right jabs and hooks to perfection. Double right hooks to the head and body seemed to affect the British challenger. A clean left to the body of Padley sent him to the floor for the count in the ninth round. It was a surprising knockdown due to his injured left. Padley got up and the fight resumed. Stevenson unloaded with right hooks to the body and down went the British fighter once again. He got up and tried to fight his way out but was met with another left to the body and down he went a third time. Padley’s corner tossed in a white towel to signify surrender. The referee stopped the fight at the end of the round. Stevenson scored his 11^th knockout win.

Photo credit: Mark Robinson / Matchroom

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Early Results from Riyadh where Hamzah Sheeraz was Awarded a Gift Draw

Published

16 hours ago

February 22, 2025

Arne K. Lang

Early-Results-from-Riyadh-where-Hamza-Sheeraz-was-Awarded-a-Gift-Draw

After two 6-round appetizers, British light heavyweights Joshua Buatsi and Callum Smith got the show rolling with a lusty 12-round skirmish. Things went south in the middle of the seven-fight main card when WBC middleweight champion Carlos Adames locked horns with challenger Hamzah Sheeraz. This was a drab fight owing to a milquetoast performance by the favored Sheeraz.

Heading in, the lanky six-foot-three Sheeraz, whose physique is mindful of a young Thomas Hearns, was undefeated in 21 fights. Having stopped five of his last six opponents in two rounds or less, the 25-year-old Englishman was touted as the next big thing in the middleweight division. However, he fought off his back foot the entire contest, reluctant to let his hands go, and Adames kept his title when the bout was scored a draw.

Sheeraz had the crowd in his corner and two of the judges scored the match with their ears. Their tallies were 115-114 for Sheeraz and 114-114. The third judge had it 118-110 for Adames, the 30-year old Dominican, now 24-1-1, who had Ismael Salas in his corner.

Ortiz-Madrimov

Super welterweight Vergil Ortiz Jr, knocked out his first 21 opponents, begging the question of how he would react when he finally faced adversity. He showed his mettle in August of last year when he went a sizzling 12 rounds with fellow knockout artist Serhii Bohachuk, winning a hard-fought decision. Tonight he added another feather in his cap with a 12-round unanimous decision over Ismail Madrimov, prevailing on scores of 117-111 and 115-113 twice.

Ortiz won by adhering tight to Robert Garcia’s game plan. The elusive Madrimov, who bounces around the ring like the energizer bunny, won the early rounds. But eventually Ortiz was able to cut the ring off and turned the tide in his favor by landing the harder punches. It was the second straight loss for Madrimov (10-2-1), a decorated amateur who had lost a close but unanimous decision to Terence Crawford in his previous bout.

Kabayel-Zhang

No heavyweight has made greater gains in the last 15 months than Agit Kabayel. The German of Kurdish descent, whose specialty is body punching, made his third straight appearance in Riyadh tonight and, like in the previous two, fashioned a knockout. Today, although out-weighed by more than 40 pounds, he did away with Zhilei “Big Bang” Zhang in the sixth round.

It didn’t start out well for Kabayel. The New Jersey-based, six-foot-six Zhang, a two-time Olympian for China, started fast and plainly won the opening round. Kabayel beat him to the punch from that point on, save for one moment when Zhang put him on the canvas with a straight left hand.

That happened in the fifth round, but by the end of the frame, the 41-year-old Zhang was conspicuously gassed. The end for the big fellow came at the 2:29 mark of round six when he couldn’t beat the count after crumbling to the canvas in a delayed reaction after taking a hard punch to his flabby midsection.

Kabayel remains undefeated at 26-0 (18 KOs). Zhang (27-3-1) hadn’t previously been stopped.

Smith-Buatsi

The all-British showdown between light heavyweights Joshua Buatsi and Callum Smith was a grueling, fan-friendly affair. A former 168-pound world title-holder, Smith, 34, won hard-earned unanimous decision, prevailing on scores of 115-113, 116-112, and a ludicrous 119-110.

There were no knockdowns, but Liverpool’s Smith, who advanced to 31-2 (22) finished the contest with a bad gash in the corner of his right eye. It was the first pro loss for Buatsi (19-1), an Olympic bronze medalist who entered the contest a small favorite and was the defending “interim” title-holder.

This contest was also a battle of wits between two of America’s most prominent trainers, Buddy McGirt (Smith) and Virgil Hunter (Buatsi).

Check back shortly for David Avila’s wrap-up of the last three fights.

Photo credit: Mark Robinson / Matchroom

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Cain Sandoval KOs Mark Bernaldez in the Featured Bout at Santa Ynez

Published

1 day ago

February 21, 2025

David A. Avila

Cain-Sandoval-KOs-Mark-Bernaldez-in-the-Featured-Bout-at-Santa-Ynez

Northern California’s Cain Sandoval remained undefeated with a knockout win over Mark Bernaldez in a super lightweight battle on Friday on a 360 Promotions card.

Sandoval (15-0, 13 KOs) of Sacramento needed four rounds to figure out tough Filipino fighter Bernaldez (25-7, 14 KOs) in front of a packed crowd at Chumash Casino in Santa Ynez.

Bernaldez had gone eight rounds against Mexico’s very tough Oscar Duarte. He showed no fear for Sandoval’s reputed power and both fired bombs at each other from the second round on.

Things turned in favor of Sandoval when he targeted the body and soon had Bernaldez in retreat. It was apparent Sandoval had discovered a weakness.

In the beginning of the fourth Sandoval fired a stiff jab to the body that buckled Bernaldez but he did not go down. And when both resumed in firing position Sandoval connected with an overhand right and down went the Filipino fighter. He was counted out by referee Rudy Barragan at 34 seconds of the round.

“I’m surprised he took my jab to the body. I respect that. I have a knockout and I’m happy about that,” Sandoval said.

Other Bouts

Popular female fighter Lupe Medina (9-0) remained undefeated with a solid victory over the determined Agustina Vazquez (4-3-2) by unanimous decision after eight rounds in a minimumweight fight between Southern Californians.

Early on Vazquez gave Medina trouble disrupting her patter with solid jabs. And when Medina overloaded with combination punches, she was laced with counters from Vazquez during the first four rounds.

Things turned around in the fifth round as Medina used a jab to keep Vazquez at a preferred distance. And when she attacked it was no more than two-punch combination and maintaining a distance.

Vazquez proved determined but discovered clinching was not a good idea as Medina took advantage and overran her with blows. Still, Vazquez looked solid. All three judges saw it 79-73 for Medina.

A battle between Southern Californian’s saw Compton’s Christopher Rios (11-2) put on the pressure all eight rounds against Eastvale’s Daniel Barrera (8-1-1) and emerged the winner by majority decision in a flyweight battle.

It was Barrera’s first loss as a pro. He never could discover how to stay off the ropes and that proved his downfall. Neither fighter was knocked down but one judge saw it 76-76, and two others 79-73 for Rios.

In a welterweight fight Gor Yeritsyan (20-1,16 KOs) scorched Luis Ramos (23-7) with a 12-punch combination the sent him to the mat in the second round. After Ramos beat the count he was met with an eight punch volley and the fight was stopped at 2:11 of the second round by knockout.

Super feather prospect Abel Mejia (7-0, 5 KOs) floored Alfredo Diaz (9-12) in the fifth round but found the Mexican fighter to be very durable in their six-round fight. Mejia caught Diaz with a left hook in the fifth round for a knockdown. But the fight resumed with all three judges scoring it 60-53 for Mejia who fights out of El Modena, Calif.

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