Juan Manuel Marquez tabs Abner Mares as next Mexican standout

Juan Manuel Marquez took a long time to rise to the top of the list of Mexican greats in the fight game, but he thinks Abner Mares is on the fast track to stardom:

"I think he's a great fighter who has proven himself in the ring and I see him as the next solid Mexican champion that we wil have in our country. I believe that Mares has the ability to keep winning and keep on the path to conquer another division. I can only congratulate him," Marquez said.

"I think people have not given him the recognition that he deserves, but he has earned his position and nothing was ever given to him."

Mares, 27, is now a three-division world champion, and does have a star quality. He's small, but hell, Manny Pacquiao is small. Marquez is small. The biggest fighter in the world today is a welterweight.

How high can Mares go? He's a very talented, tough, and exciting fighter. Even with a "boxing-first" approach this past Saturday, he was damn enjoyable to watch, because his boxing, like that of, you know, the great Mexican stars of recent vintage, involves the desire to score knockouts. That's a good thing.

WIll he be a Mayweather type? Probably not, but yes, he could be the next Marquez, Barrera, or Morales. And that's nothing to sneeze at.