Abner Mares retained his WBA “world” featherweight title tonight at the StubHub Center in Carson, California, dominating his fight with Andres Gutierrez before the fight was stopped in the 10th round due to cuts.
The cut was caused by an accidental clash of heads, meaning the fight did go to the scorecards. Scores were 99-91, 99-91, and 100-90, all for Mares.
Mares (31-2-1, 15 KO) zeroed in on the cut on Gutierrez in the second round and never relented, consistently landing good shots and controlling every second of the fight. Gutierrez (35-2-1, 25 KO) showed a lot of heart just staying in there and trying, but he really had nothing for Mares, and presented no significant challenge.
The fight, then, went pretty much as expected, turning into a mismatch quickly and staying that way.
With the win, Mares, 31, now can look forward to a likely 2018 rematch with Leo Santa Cruz, assuming Santa Cruz wins tonight as also expected, in his matchup with Chris Avalos. The first half of this double tune-up event has gone as planned.
“I thought it was a great performance, to be honest. After close to a year layoff, I thought I performed really well. I felt quick, I felt just great. Of course I had a tough opponent in front of me, but nevertheless, I thought it was great,” Mares said.
“Age is just a number. I’m ready for anyone. Leo, you gotta win, baby. We gotta do this again.”