Abner Mares vs. Jhonny Gonzalez
Clear your schedules fight fans because this Saturday Showtime will be showcasing two title fights that should provide a ton of fireworks. The main event that night will feature two Mexican warriors who always leave it all in the ring, number ten ranked pound for pound fighter Abner Mares, and Jhonny Gonzalez. The fight will be a 12 round affair for Mares' featherweight title.
One thing is for sure, Mares will not be relinquishing that title willingly. As previously mentioned Mares is the number ten ranked pound for pound fighter in the world and he earned that slot with his impressive skill set not often seen. Mares is that unique type of fighter he seems to have it all. He is equal parts boxer and brawler and his defense is good but he still takes his share of punches. All of those things factor in to making Mares one of the most exciting fighters to watch whether you're rooting for him or against him. Mares has an unbeaten career record of 26-0-1 with 14 knockouts and depending on who his opponent is he will either become a slick boxer and who stays on the outside or a typical Mexican brawler who likes to fight at close range. The scarey thing about Mares is that he may be getting even stronger as he moves up in weight. In his first fight in the featherweight division he dropped tough as nails Daniel Ponce De Leon twice on his way to a 9th round TKO victory. If someone wanted to teach their kid how to box, watching Mares fight would be a great place to start. However Mares does need to be careful not to overlook Gonzalez. A fight between Mares and Leo Santa Cruz has already started to generate buzz around the boxing world and Mares has also begun talking about moving up to the junior lightweight division. If he doesn't take Gonzalez seriously he will be in for a rude awakening.
Gonzalez isn't the prettiest fighter to watch but damn is he entertaining. He has been in many wars over his career which makes him a very old 31. But don't expect Gonzalez to change his fighting style for anything or anyone. Gonzalez is the type of fighter who never stops coming forward and while he does have solid defense it can easily go out the window when it comes time to do battle inside. Gonzales has a record typical of a Mexican warrior, he is 54-8 with 46 knockouts but has also been knocked out 3 times. Mares will need to pay close attention to his defense because Gonzalez has one punch knockout power and always seems to know when to unleash it. For Gonzalez to win this fight he will need to make it a brawl. If he spends all 12 rounds chasing Mares around the ring and getting touched from the outside he has no chance of taking the belt home, but if he can cut off the ring and make this fight a brawl he could catch Mares with that one perfect punch that wins him the fight.
By now big time boxing fans know how Gonzalez will fight, he will come forward constantly and try to make this a phone booth fight. The question is how Mares will decide to do battle. He has the skill set to fight anyway he wants. He could choose to play it safe by staying on the outside and use his good footwork and fast hands to pick Gonzalez apart or he might decide to go to war and give Gonzalez exactly what he wants. The problem for Gonzalez is what he mights may also be his downfall. However this fight goes down the action should be fast paced and non stop, just how big time boxing fans like it.
PREDICTION: This will be a good fight but Abner Mares will be too skilled for Gonzalez. This fight could end with Mares winning a unanimous decision but I have a feeling Gonzalez will take him to war and Mares will be happy to oblige him. Mares will win this fight via 10th round knockout.
Leo Santa Cruz vs. Victor Terrazas
The other notable fight this Saturday is another title fight, this time in the junior featherweight division. Much like the main event it also features two fighters from Mexico who always give fans a great show. The man bringing the belt into the ring will be Victor Terrazas but Leo Santa Cruz is the fighter who fans will be tuning in to watch. If it's possible this fight could prove even more action packed than the main event.
When you first see Santa Cruz he doesn't look like a fighter, he looks like a 16 year old kid who just grew his first mustache and then the bell rings to start the fight and Santa Cruz goes to work. He is one of the busiest fighters in the sport and can work the body just as good as the head and has solid enough defense so he won't take too much punishment in return. Santa Cruz also has very fast hands which are what allows him to stay so active throughout a fight. His career record is an unbeaten one of 24-0-1 with 14 knockouts and he seems to get better every time he enters the ring. Santa Cruz isn't a particularly heavy puncher and gets his knockouts by wearing down his opponents with a ridiculous volume of punches as opposed to getting them from one punch. However long this fight lasts expect Santa Cruz to be throwing punches the entire time. For his part, Terrazas hopes to avoid those punches, something that is easier said than done.
When Terrazas enters the ring Saturday night not only will he be the title holder but he will also be the fighter with much more experience. Terrazas has been fighting professionally since 2003 and has compiled a record of 37-2-1 with a strong 21 knockouts. Terrazas will need to summon all of his experience in order to stave off the hungry Santa Cruz. What is interesting about this fight is how similar the fighters are. Both men have solid defense, keeping their hands high and ready to punch and both men also love throw a ton of punches whether on the outside or in close. The most notable difference is that Terrazas possesses one punch knockout power while Santa Cruz doesn't. If Terrazas wants to win this fight he may need to be less busy then usual and pick his spots when he knows he can hurt Santa Cruz. Again, something easier said than done.
This is the type of fight that can generate a lot of new fans for both fighters. It promises fast paced action from start to finish, and could see a title belt change hands. Both fighters do have solid defense but that will probably go out the window when the punches start flying and their pride in being a Mexican warrior should take over. It would be shocking if either one of these men took a round off or even half a round so if you need to refresh your beverage do it between rounds or risk missing a helluva fight.
PREDICTION: This is going to be a very exciting fight that could go the distance but because both men will be throwing so much I doubt it lasts that long. I expect Leo Santa Cruz to get the biggest win of his career by the way of 9th round stoppage.
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