[ 2011-12-05 ]

Abner Mares kept his punches up and beat Joseph Agbeko on Saturday night, retaining his IBF bantamweight belt by unanimous decision.

Abner Mares defeats Joseph Agbeko again
Mares (23-0-1, 13 KOs) won 118-110 on all three
judges’ scorecards in a rematch of his
majority-decision victory over Agbeko (28-4) in
August.

The boxers’ first bout in Las Vegas was among
the most controversial in recent memory. Mares
landed several blatantly low blows on Agbeko, but
the referee inexplicably didn’t notice them or
penalize Mares, who acknowledged his mistakes.

The rematch featured almost no questionable blows,
and Mares landed more total punches and power
shots despite fighting the final 10 rounds with a
deep cut near his right eye from a punch.

“I’m happy that my fans finally saw my true
boxing skills,” said Mares, the crowd favorite
who grew up in nearby Hawaiian Gardens. “I beat
him the first time, and I beat him again. I knew I
was winning the whole fight. ”

Mares was usually a bit sharper and crisper than
Agbeko, whose entourage still raised him on its
shoulders after the final bell. Agbeko’s small
but vocal Ghanaian cheering section disliked the
verdict.

“A lot of media guys told me at the press
conference that this is California, and that I
will have to knock him out to win,” Agbeko said.
“I told them no. If I win, I deserve to win.
Right now, I don’t have anything to protest. I
don’t feel like a loser. I think this decision
is unfair. You shouldn’t have to knock out your
opponent to win in California. I thought I fought
better tonight than the last fight. ”

Both fighters traded exciting shots from the first
round, and Mares didn’t flinch when his cut
opened in the second round.

“It bothered me a few times, because he was only
going for my eye,” Mares said.

Agbeko was understandably sensitive to low blows,
complaining to referee Lou Moret after borderline
punches in the third and sixth rounds.

The fighters’ defensive skills and strong
conditioning led to a few uneventful rounds, but
Mares came alive in the final minute of the 11th.
The champion landed several strong punches that
staggered Agbeko, who made it to the bell while
the crowd roared for the hometown favorite.

“Last time, I was a little stocky,” Mares
said. “This time I didn’t have as much muscle,
so I was faster. ”

Source - GNA

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