I'm really looking forward to this fight. I was a little bit disappointed when it got announced that Mares wasn't sticking around at Super-Bantamweight to take on the Rigo-Donaire winner but to be honest, I could see him coming back down for that fight if it were to be offered (unlikely anyway due to promotional issues). However, there's no getting away from the fact that it's a great fight and one which I think is a really tough assignment for Abner.
Ponce is such a strong, powerful fighter that as an introduction to Featherweight, it doesn't get much tougher. I'm not 100% sold on his power being as effective at 126 but when he lands that long, sweeping left on the button, it's clearly a big punch. He is still pretty predictable with it but as we saw vs. Broner, his body punching is an excellent attribute and one that can swing the fight in his direction. I think that could be a good weapon vs. Mares to slow him down and bring the fight to where he wants it to be. de Leon's not actually that easy a target to hit either, well hit cleanly at least and the way he lunges in behind some of his punches can make it scrappy and we've seen how Mares is not all that dominant in that kind of scenario in the Vic fight for example.
However, saying all that and recognising Ponce's strengths, I still think this could be a great opportunity for Abner to shine. With the awkward and contrasting challenges presented from the likes of Vic, Agbeko and Moreno we've seen him find a way to win and vary his tactics really well but that's been slightly to the detriment of his boxing skills. He's taken away opponents' strengths and forced the fight on the front foot as well as taking it to the inside often in these fights (especially Vic & Moreno), which has worked well clearly but for me he's at his best when using his skills & variety behind his jab like he did in the clinic vs. Perez. This fight to me gives him the best chance of showing them off again whilst also neutralising de Leon's effectiveness. PDL was effective from the outside at times against Gonzalez and Broner and frustrated hem but if you force him to lead off from too great a distance, there's plenty of opportunity to counter. Obviously, the straight right is a key punch against an southpaw like him but neglecting the jab solely in favour of the right is a bad mistake to make because de Leon's fairly clever in his movement & blocking at avoiding being hit consistently with it. His right hook is wide and slow and is there to be countered by the double left hook to the body then head, which is a Mares trademark.
Judicious punching, variety and strong lateral movement are all important in beating this version of de Leon and I think are key aspects to Mares' style so I'm hoping this really could be his coming out party (no ****) to the casual fan because the chance is there for him to put on a show. There's also the chance of the fight becoming ugly and turning into a bit of a slugfest which, against a bigger man and someone equally adept at fighting like that in de Leon, is really not advisable for Mares. Either way, it should be a great fight to watch and one I fancy Mares to take on PTS again, although I'm not as confident in that pick as I have been before past Mares fights.
Ponce is such a strong, powerful fighter that as an introduction to Featherweight, it doesn't get much tougher. I'm not 100% sold on his power being as effective at 126 but when he lands that long, sweeping left on the button, it's clearly a big punch. He is still pretty predictable with it but as we saw vs. Broner, his body punching is an excellent attribute and one that can swing the fight in his direction. I think that could be a good weapon vs. Mares to slow him down and bring the fight to where he wants it to be. de Leon's not actually that easy a target to hit either, well hit cleanly at least and the way he lunges in behind some of his punches can make it scrappy and we've seen how Mares is not all that dominant in that kind of scenario in the Vic fight for example.
However, saying all that and recognising Ponce's strengths, I still think this could be a great opportunity for Abner to shine. With the awkward and contrasting challenges presented from the likes of Vic, Agbeko and Moreno we've seen him find a way to win and vary his tactics really well but that's been slightly to the detriment of his boxing skills. He's taken away opponents' strengths and forced the fight on the front foot as well as taking it to the inside often in these fights (especially Vic & Moreno), which has worked well clearly but for me he's at his best when using his skills & variety behind his jab like he did in the clinic vs. Perez. This fight to me gives him the best chance of showing them off again whilst also neutralising de Leon's effectiveness. PDL was effective from the outside at times against Gonzalez and Broner and frustrated hem but if you force him to lead off from too great a distance, there's plenty of opportunity to counter. Obviously, the straight right is a key punch against an southpaw like him but neglecting the jab solely in favour of the right is a bad mistake to make because de Leon's fairly clever in his movement & blocking at avoiding being hit consistently with it. His right hook is wide and slow and is there to be countered by the double left hook to the body then head, which is a Mares trademark.
Judicious punching, variety and strong lateral movement are all important in beating this version of de Leon and I think are key aspects to Mares' style so I'm hoping this really could be his coming out party (no ****) to the casual fan because the chance is there for him to put on a show. There's also the chance of the fight becoming ugly and turning into a bit of a slugfest which, against a bigger man and someone equally adept at fighting like that in de Leon, is really not advisable for Mares. Either way, it should be a great fight to watch and one I fancy Mares to take on PTS again, although I'm not as confident in that pick as I have been before past Mares fights.
