"I'm really happy with fighting Agbeko. He beat Yonnhy because he's better than Yonnhy, so now I have to face Agbeko. It makes it even better because now I can say that I've fought all of them now. I fought Yonnhy and Darchinyan and now we're going to be able to fight Agbeko. That's going to be 3 different fighters with 3 different styles and that's only going to make me a better fighter. This is a great way for me to showcase my skills to the people out there and I thank Showtime for that...I expect another tough fight against Agbeko. I have no idea what kind of plan he's going to have to fight me, but I just have to be ready. I gotta have a plan A, B and C. It's gonna be a tough fight. I'm just glad I'm done with the Darchinyan fight and I think I beat Vic at his best. He looked good. He did a really good job and he did something that he never does and that's box and use angles. Again, it was a tremendous fight, I look forward to the Agbeko fight and I'm just glad people are getting to know me a little bit more," stated undefeated bantamweight Abner Mares as he talked about his recent win over Vic Darchinyan and his upcoming clash with IBF bantamweight champion Joseph Agbeko in the finals of the Showtime Bantamweight Tournament. Check it out!
PC: Congratulations on the big win over Vic Darchinyan.
AM: Thank you very much.
PC: How do you feel about your performance?
AM: I think it was great. I gave it my all and left everything in the ring. I think I fought the perfect fight against Darchinyan. I had to push him back in order to win it.
PC: We're not accustomed to seeing Vic fight going backwards. Was that the game plan or an in-fight adjustment?
AM: That was definitely our game plan, to push him back, but we made some changes once we got in the ring, especially after we got cut. We changed it up, but going into the ring, our game plan was to definitely push him back.
PC: Not only did you have to deal with a cut, but you had to deal with an early knockdown. What was your mindset after the knockdown?
AM: When I got knocked down, the first thing that came to my mind was the Marquez/Pacquiao fight; the first one when he got dropped 3 times. I was like, "If he got dropped 3 times and still fought to a draw, I can still do it." I felt that I was still in it. I was just trying to stay focused and not give up, and that's what I did. I just kept fighting because I knew I had 10 rounds left.
PC: I remember watching you fight Yonnhy Perez to a draw and I'll be honest, I remember saying that fight was going to take a lot out of you. It appeared in your fight with Darchinyan that it didn't. Did you come off of that draw feeling like you had something to prove?
AM: Definitely! I think I had, after the Yonnhy fight, I think people had one impression of Abner Mares, so I definitely had to make an impression here against Darchinyan and I think I pulled it off. Going into a fight, I always think I'm going to win and I never thought negative. I just think positive and stayed focused.
PC: Perez is 31, Agbeko is 30 and Darchinyan is 34. You are the young buck of the tournament at only 25 years of age. Is that something that you thought about going into the tournament; the experience factor that these guys would have?
AM: I tried not to think of the advantages that they had. They all have more bouts and have been competing for longer and all of that, but like you said, the one thing that they don't have on there side is youth. I'm 25 and they are in their 30's already and that is a big advantage on my side. They do have the experience, but we're working with that.
PC: Vic never seems to fight at his best when he's looking to the ref and complaining in there. He was definitely looking to the ref, feeling as though you were hitting low. You were warned and deducted for that. Did you pick up on the fact that he was looking to the official a lot?
AM: He said that the ref was a bad ref, but if anything, the ref was mostly on my butt and on my case. I got a point taken away because he was telling me not to throw low blows when I was just going for the body. Darchinyan was complaining a lot, but again, I tried not to pay no attention to that. I was just looking at Darchinyan directly. I was not looking at the ref. I was just looking at his chest and his body and working in there, and I know he didn't like when I hit him to the body. I heard him moan a couple of times. He didn't like the body shots, so I kept working there and thank God it paid off. He got really tired after the 9th round.
PC: Did you kind of want the rematch with Perez or are you happy with facing Agbeko now?
AM: Naw, I'm really happy with fighting Agbeko. He beat Yonnhy because he's better than Yonnhy, so now I have to face Agbeko. It makes it even better because now I can say that I've fought all of them now. I fought Yonnhy and Darchinyan and now we're going to be able to fight Agbeko. That's going to be 3 different fighters with 3 different styles and that's only going to make me a better fighter. This is a great way for me to showcase my skills to the people out there and I thank Showtime for that. I just gotta train really hard for this and I'm just really thankful. I'm happy I won this fight.
PC: Agbeko showed that he can box against Perez. What type of fight are you expecting from him, because we've seen him do it all now?
AM: I know he can do both. I've seen him before and he can box and brawl. He's a good fighter and a good boxer and he throws a lot of punches as well. I expect another tough fight against Agbeko. I have no idea what kind of plan he's going to have to fight me, but I just have to be ready. I gotta have a plan A, B and C. It's gonna be a tough fight. I'm just glad I'm done with the Darchinyan fight and I think I beat Vic at his best. He looked good. He did a really good job and he did something that he never does and that's box and use angles. Again, it was a tremendous fight, I look forward to the Agbeko fight and I'm just glad people are getting to know me a little bit more.
PC: I know you get a ton of support from the guys at the Espinoza Boxing Club and from Frank himself. What do those guys mean to you?
AM: Frankie Jr. has helped me so much in getting me interviews and getting me known out there. Frankie Sr. brings experience; all of his experience with Israel Vazquez already and all of the ex-world champions that he's had. It's just been a positive vibe that they bring to my corner and to my team ever since they stepped into my boxing career. I've only been moving forward and I thank them for that. It's great being here in L.A. It's a great atmosphere, tough sparring, and that only makes you a better fighter.
PC: I've never seen you in a fight that wasn't exciting. Congratulations on the win again and I look forward to the Agbeko fight?
AM: Thank you very much!
[ Follow Percy Crawford on Twitter @MrLouis1ana ]