Daniel Ponce De Leon vs Abner Mares Preview May 4
Mexico’s Daniel Ponce De Leon will be meeting fellow countryman Abner Mares at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada on Saturday May 4 as he attempts to defend the WBC Featherweight Championship. Ponce De Leon appears to be back on track after winning three straight bouts following a pair of losses to Yuriorkis Gamboa and Adrien Broner back in 2011. Mares is certainly worthy of a title shot and this has the potential to be an exciting bout.
De Leon will be entering the ring with a 44-4 record along with 35 Kos. His last bout was against Jhonny Gonzalez in September of 2012 and the 32-year-old southpaw dominated him and took the title by an eighth-round technical decision. De Leon has good power, is always in shape and is quite durable. The 27-year-old Mares is a former two-division world champion who is attempting to win his third title belt. He’s undefeated and enters the ring with a mark of 25-0-1 with 13 Kos.
Mares’ last bout took place in November when he beat Anselmo Moreno by unanimous decision for the WBC Super Bantamweight Crown. Mares is aggressive and likes to land accurate and powerful punches on the inside. He’s fought some of the top fighters around over the past few years such as Joseph Agbeko, Yohnny Perez, Vic Darchinyan, Eric Morel, and Moreno. He throws a high amount of punches and is quite adept at keeping his opponents under constant pressure.
Mares is an intelligent boxer who can adapt well to his opponents and take advantage of any weaknesses they have. He’s comfortable boxing as well as slugging it out and is usually in excellent condition for the later rounds. His accuracy is also one of his main assets as is his footwork and speed. There’s a good chance this bout could turn into a brawl as Ponce De Leon often relies on his power. However, if he doesn’t hurt his opponent he can be out boxed.
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Prediction
If Mares sticks to boxing he’ll have the advantage here against the champion. Ponce De Leon is also very experienced, but is more of a one-dimensional fighter. Mares said he has to give the fans what they want to see though, which is a toe-to-toe brawl, so there’s a good chance this is what we’re going to get. If they get into a brawl the odds favour Ponce De Leon because of his power. However, if Mares can take the best the champion has to offer then the pendulum swings into his favour. This should be a rough and tumble bout, but when the final bell rings to end it look for Mares to take it by a decision and add a new title belt to his collection.
Odds
Sportsbook 5dimes.eu has the latest odds of a Mares win at -305 and a Ponce de Leon victory at +225. Visit 5Dimes.eu to see up to date odds and to bet on this fight. You should also check out our recent boxing betting predictions to see how we’ve done of late capping the fights.
Abner Mares betting • Daniel Ponce De Leon betting