Mares could earn spot on Mayweather-Pacquiao undercard with win on NBC card
Abner Mares is professional enough to not let his mind wander too far beyond his next fight. But Mares admits the idea of fighting on the undercard of the May 2 megafight between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao is quite appealing.
“It’s hard not to think about it. Any fighter would want to be on that card,” Mares (28-1-1, 15 knockouts) said from Los Angeles, where he was wrapping up training for Saturday’s 10-round featherweight bout against Arturo Santos Reyes at the MGM Grand Garden that will launch the Premier Boxing Champions series on NBC.
Mares, a two-time world champion at super bantamweight and featherweight, is currently without a belt. But since losing the World Boxing Council featherweight title to Jhonny Gonzalez in August 2013, he has won two straight and will be heavily favored to defeat Reyes (18-4, five KOs).
There has been speculation that should Mares win, he will be matched against WBC super bantamweight champ Leo Santa Cruz, perhaps on May 2. Mayweather Promotions has the rights to control one of the undercard fights that will be shown on the pay-per-view telecast, and since both fighters are aligned with Al Haymon, it’s a fight that very well could be made.
“I’ve heard that,” Mares said. “I would love that fight. But so far no one has talked to me about Santa Cruz.”
Mares said he could be ready to fight May 2 as long as he comes out of the Reyes bout with no physical issues.
“No problem,” he said. “I just need a week to rest, and I’ll be ready to go back in the gym.”
Leonard Ellerbe, the CEO of Mayweather Promotions, said no decision has been made on the undercard fights.
“We haven’t really discussed it yet,” he said.
As for Saturday, Mares said he’s looking forward to fighting on NBC.
“It’s a great opportunity for me to show my skills,” he said. “I’m used to being on the big stage. But this is different. There’s going to be a lot of people who usually don’t watch boxing that will be flipping the channels and find themselves watching on NBC. So I want to look good and win and maybe gain some new fans.”
■ LOMACHENKO AT MGM? — Top Rank is considering putting World Boxing Organization featherweight champion Vasyl Lomachenko in the ring on the May 2 undercard.
“It’s not definite yet, but that’s the way we’re leaning,” Top Rank vice president Carl Moretti said. “He’s very talented, and I think the people who tune in will enjoy watching him.”
Moretti said the challenge is getting an opponent for Lomachenko, who is 3-1 and won the title in June when he defeated Gary Russell Jr. by majority decision in Carson, Calif.
“We’re talking to a lot of people, but we’re getting turned down,” Moretti said. “It’s a lot like (Gennady) Golovkin. Nobody wants to fight this kid.”
■ MAGDALENOS RETURN — Moretti said Las Vegas’ Jessie and Diego Magdaleno are scheduled to return to the ring in April.
Jessie Magdaleno, the super bantamweight who is 20-0 with 15 KOs, will fight on Top Rank’s card in Laredo, Texas, on April 11 in an eight-round bout against an opponent to be determined.
Diego Magdaleno, the lightweight/super featherweight who is 27-1 with 11 KOs, is tentatively scheduled to fight April 18 on a Top Rank card that will feature Terence Crawford’s WBO lightweight title defense against Thomas Dulome in the main event. Magdaleno will fight a 10-round bout against an opponent to be determined.
Top Rank is still negotiating for a site and TV outlet for the Crawford card.
Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913. Follow him on Twitter: @stevecarprj.
