Abner Mares didn’t get the result he had hoped for in his comeback after four years away from the sport.
The former three-division titleholder and Miguel Flores fought to a majority draw in a 10-round lightweight bout on the Andy Ruiz Jr.-Luis Ortiz card Saturday in Los Angeles.
One judges scored it for Mares, 96-94. The other two had it 95-95.
Mares (31-3-2, 15 KOs) got off to a quick start, particularly in a dominating Round 3. In that frame he landed one overhand right after another and seemed to hurt Flores (25-4-1, 13 KOs).
At that moment it seemed as if Mares would deliver a sensational performance.
However, inexplicably, he shifted into a stick-and-move-and-hold mode beginning in Round 4, which gave the more aggressive Flores a chance to climb back into the fight.
Flores seemed to outwork Mares in the second half of the fight to pull even with him on the cards.
Still, Mares thought he did enough to get the nod.
“Obviously it had been over four years, so I was a little off with my timing and a little sluggish,” he said. “But I felt good, and I thought I was landing the more powerful shots throughout.”
Added the Los Angeles-area resident: “After four years away I did enough to beat a young kid and an active fighter. My performance speaks for itself. The crowd was happy and it felt good to be home.
“I definitely felt like I won, but it is what it is. The judges saw a draw.”
[lawrence-related id=32477,32473,32455,32449]