Abner Mares returns to the boxing ring for the first time in four years. Eye injuries were a problem, but his body and conditioning were bigger concerns.
Abner Mares has accomplished just about all there is as a boxer. He was a 2004 Olympian, won world titles in three different divisions as a professional boxer and is an excellent commentator for Showtime Boxing.
At 36 years old, Mares could never box again, and his boxing legacy would stand respected, but Mares isn’t finished with his in-ring career.
After four years since his 2018 unanimous decision loss to Leo Santa Cruz, Mares makes his long-awaited boxing return on Sunday, Sept. 4, on the Andy Ruiz vs. Luis Ortiz undercard. There are a lot of storylines surrounding Mares’ boxing comeback, and most deal with his physical health.
Mares suffered his first torn retina in 2008. Most don’t remember Mares’ injury to his left eye because it occurred before the prime of his career. At the time, Mares had never won a world title.
He recovered from that injury and won world titles at bantamweight, super bantamweight and featherweight. Unfortunately, Mares suffered another torn retina, but this time to his right eye in 2019, when he was preparing for a bout against Gervonta Davis.
A torn retina is a severe injury for anyone but can be a career-ender for boxers. There were fears that Mares may never fight again, but that’s a narrative Mares never bought into.
Mares never retired from boxing, but with the pandemic, Mares’ time away from boxing extended for longer than ever intended. Now, he’s ready to fight.
In preparing for his upcoming contest with Miguel Flores, Mares hasn’t thought much about his previous eye injuries.
Watch Abner Mares vs. Miguel Flores on the undercard of Andy Ruiz vs. Luis Ortiz on FOX pay-per-view at 9 p.m ET on Sept. 4
“Even through this camp back, I never really thought about it because again, you know you just become so precautious that it makes you almost handicapped,” Mares said to FanSided. “You just really don’t do much. So I don’t give it much thought. I just hope based on instinct and emotions, plan, and just you know, be myself.”
It might be strange to hear Mares say he’s not worried about his latest torn retina, but again, it’s a position he has been in before. Mares returned better than ever in 2008, so why not in 2022?
According to Mares, the injuries were similar in seriousness and scope.
“Pretty similar to 2008,” Mares said. “I think it was less, actually. But obviously, in 2008, I mean, the comparison, in 2008, I hadn’t accomplished anything, you know. I was just getting my career started. And the urge to get back and desire was a lot more than this last one.”
Mares felt an urgency to return to the ring in 2008 because he was determined to become a champion. The scenario was quite different following his 2019 injury.
Mares had already won titles. His desire was lacking and wasn’t where it had been in the past, but it’s there now.
“So that’s why I really took my time with this one,” Mares said. “Until I really found the hunger, I guess–the love, the passion, the really the desire to come back because you just don’t want to come back for, you know, for no reason.”
Over time, that passion returned to Mares, which is why he took the fight against a tough Flores. In many ways, Sept. 4 has the makings of a successful night for Mares.
Mares lives in Montebello, CA, just an 18-minute drive from L.A.’s Crypto.com Arena, where Mares will battle Flores. He will have the crowd in his corner, but there are still questions surrounding Mares.
Outside of the eye injuries, how will four years of inactivity impact Mares? That’s the primary question that Mares had to ask himself.
“My fear more than anything wasn’t so much my eyesight really coming back,” Mares said. “It was my body. You know, four years out, I didn’t know how my body was going to react. If it was going to shut down, you know, wear and tear all that, you know.”
Mares admits that he had to train differently for this fight than others during his younger years.
“It’s been definitely different,” Mares said. “And I’m an honest man, and I always say how it is. So this camp, I didn’t even run that much. I didn’t want to put my legs through that, you know, trauma. I chose the weight class where I was going to be comfortable as well. I didn’t want to put my body through that trauma.”
Mares told FanSided that he relied on drills like shadowboxing and sparring for his conditioning. While Mares has some questions to answer against Flores, he doesn’t feel pressure. At this point in his career, Mares feels like he has nothing to prove.
“Coming up, obviously, there’s always something that you need to prove, you want to prove, really,” Mares said. “When you proven [sic] it all, at this stage in my career, my life, my age, I pay no attention to that. I don’t. Because I really don’t have anything to prove.”
Mares may not have anything to prove, but there are questions to answer. Hopefully, he feels like a young 36 when he meets Flores after his extended absence.