yonnhy perez

Unbeaten three-division titlewinner Abner Mares on a potential matchup with prospect Gary Russell Jr.: "Whenever this fight with Gary Russell were to happen, we'll find out then if I'm tailor-made for him."

Both Abner Mares and Leo Santa Cruz are causing a buzz after stepping up in weight and knocking out their respective opponents.

"I think that this is the fight where I proved that I'm a pound-for-pound fighter," said Abner Mares, who knocked out Daniel Ponce de Leon to take his WBC featherweight belt, making him a three-division beltwinner.

Abner Mares: "I actually added something different to my training camp, and it's called 'Mexican Judo.' It's 'ju-don't know if I'm going to box, or ju-don't know if I'm going to brawl, but you do know that I'm going to win.'"

Abner Mares recognizes that fellow two-divsion beltholder and current WBC featherweight titleholder Daniel Ponce de Leon represents "stepping into a heavier weight class" and "going in against a heavy puncher."

Former WBC 122-pound titleholder Abner Mares on his upcoming fight with Daniel Ponce de Leon on the Mayweather-Guerrero card: "I'm taking this big step and I hope that we can steal the show that night."

Former WBC 122-pound titleholder Abner Mares on the Nonito Donaire-Guillermo Rigondeaux junior featherwieght championship bout: "I see Nonito winning by knockout. I estimate a seven-round knockout by Nonito if Rigondeaux doesn't just run and box all night."

Frank Espinoza, who manages two-division beltholder Abner Mares and WBC featherweight titleholder Daniel Ponce de Leon, says that a Mares-Ponce de Leon clash at 126 pounds could happen if Ponce de Leon defeats Jayson Velez on March 2.

Abner Mares is vacating his WBC 122-pound belt in order to campaign at 126 pounds. The former bantamweight beltholder had hoped to unify junior featherweight titles with RING/IBF/WBO 122-pound champ Nonito Donaire.

WBC junior featherweight titleholder Abner Mares calls a clash with RING, IBF and WBO champion Nonito Donaire "the only fight for me."

"I'm very hungry for this fight, and that's what's going to carry me to victory," said once-beaten Anselmo Moreno, who will make his 122-pound debut on Nov. 10 against undefeated WBC tltleholder Abner Mares.

If Abner Mares could have chosen an opponent other than Anselmo Moreno, he said, "I would have taken, hands down, the Nonito Donaire fight."

WBC junior featherweight titleholder Abner Mares calls Leo Santa Cruz a smaller version of Antonio Margarito and considers Anselmo Moreno to be one of the sport's premiere fighters.

Will the young wolf, Abner Mares, out-gun the old fox, Eric Morel, when they meet in El Paso, Texas, on Saturday night for the vacant WBC 122-pound crown? Boxing insiders give their picks.

Mexican-born Abner Mares has vacated the IBF bantamweight title he won from Joseph Agbeko last year in order to pursue a junior featherweight fight with Puerto Rico native Eric Morel in April.

Abner Mares: "The people that really know me that have followed my career since Day One, honestly they can say that I've grown."

If Nonito Donaire and Abner Mares fight, it's up to their respective networks HBO and Showtime to make it happen, said their promoters. Donaire's promoter Bob Arum says Mares should rematch with Joseph Agbeko first.

Yonnhy Perez vows to KO Vic Darchinyan in Showtime’s bantamweight tournament consolation match on April 23, then go after the finals winner. (Video of Perez media workout included in story.)