Abner Mares

Abner Mares will now defend his World Boxing Council super-bantamweight title even closer to home, with Golden Boy Promotions announcing Thursday that it's moving his title defense against Anselmo Moreno to Staples Center on Nov. 10. "When Top Rank decided Manny Pacquiao would not fight Nov. 10, that's a date we wanted," Golden Boy Chief Executive Richard Schaefer told The Times. "This will be a great card now. " Hawaiian Gardens' Mares (24-0-1, 13 knockouts) was supposed to fight Panama's Moreno (33-1-1, 12 KOs)

Another year off, a jail term and Father Time have not diminished Floyd Mayweather Jr. one bit. Boxing's top pound-for-pound fighter dominated his challenger Robert Guerrero Saturday night, winning nine of 12 rounds on all three judges' scorecards to keep his World Boxing Council welterweight belt at MGM Grand. "Defense, continue to box and if the knockout comes, take it," Mayweather (44-0) said in the ring after his brilliant showing. "I was looking for the knockout, could've had it, but hurt my right hand . . . somewhere in the middle rounds.

Frank Espinoza is aware of the history of a boxing manager daring to allow two of his fighters to square off against each other in the ring. In April 1977 at the Forum in Inglewood, manager-trainer Arturo Hernandez sided with Carlos Zarate over Alfredo Zamora Jr., working the World Boxing Council bantamweight champion's corner after having recently split with Zamora. After Zarate won by fourth-round knockout,  Zamora's father was so angry at Hernandez that he walked across the ring and kicked the manager near  the groin.

Frank Espinoza is aware of the history of a boxing manager daring to allow two of his fighters to square off against each other in the ring. In April 1977 at the Forum in Inglewood, manager-trainer Arturo Hernandez sided with Carlos Zarate over Alfredo Zamora Jr., working the World Boxing Council bantamweight champion's corner after having recently split with Zamora. After Zarate won by fourth-round knockout,  Zamora's father was so angry at Hernandez that he walked across the ring and kicked the manager near  the groin.

Abner Mares has admired Robert Guerrero's courage in standing up to his promoters for the title shot he wants. World Boxing Council super-bantamweight champion Mares started to do the same Tuesday, making it clear that if he achieves his plan to break through the tight defense of Panama's Anselmo Moreno on Nov. 10 at Staples Center, he wants Nonito Donaire next. Mares is promoted by Los Angeles-based Golden Boy Promotions, and International Boxing Federation and World Boxing Organization champion Donaire (29-1, 18 knockouts)

Abner Mares' hard road to a world championship reached its destination Saturday, with a huge 11th-round push to the finish line by referee Russell Mora. Mares defeated champion Joseph Agbeko by majority decision in a thrilling clash for the International Boxing Federation bantamweight title at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. Judges Oren Shellenberger and Adalaide Byrd each scored the bout 115-111 for Mares, and C.J. Ross had it 113-113. The scoring was spoiled by Mora's decisions, with the worst gaffe being his 11th-round decision to award Mares (22-0-1)

The little guys put on a big show at Staples Center on Saturday night. In the world of boxing, they were mice that roared. Abner Mares of Los Angeles chased, lunged, punched and brawled his way to a unanimous decision over Anselmo Moreno of Panama in their super-bantamweight battle for the World Boxing Council title. Mares had the title and Moreno had won 27 straight fights, so the matchup was a good one. That turned out to be the case, generally, except for one judge, who had Mares winning all 12 rounds.

There's been a lot of doubt about Abner Mares' aim during his short boxing career. But no one has ever questioned his heart. And it was that courage that made the difference Saturday, with Mares battling to a bloody but unanimous decision over Joseph "King Kong" Agbeko at Honda Center to retain his International Boxing Federation world bantamweight title. The fight was ordered by the IBF after Mares, who fights out of Lakewood, won a controversial decision over Agbeko in August despite throwing several low blows.

The sweetness of home is something Abner Mares, Alfredo Angulo and Leo Santa Cruz will each embrace Saturday in their respective fights at Staples Center. For World Boxing Council super-bantamweight champion Mares (24-0-1, 13 knockouts), finding himself in the main event against Panama's Anselmo Moreno (33-1-1, 12 KOs) is validation. Mares, 26, emerged from poverty in Hawaiian Gardens to make himself a world champion, a fact he let soak in last week attending an NBA game at the arena.

Abner Mares has built a boxing career on overcoming adversity. He survived a family migration from Mexico to L.A. led by his mother, withstood a childhood in poverty and then rebounded from a career-threatening detached retina in 2008. So when Mares' scheduled Saturday night opponent, Joseph Agbeko, withdrew from the world bantamweight title unification bout at Nokia Theatre, Mares knew what to do: look for the silver lining. "This is the worst, all the training and hard work put on hold," Hawaiian Gardens' Mares said Thursday at the L.A. Live news conference intended to hype the bout.

Negotiations for fights that will likely define the first half of 2013 are accelerating this week, beginning with the May 4 card expected to feature Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Saul “Canelo” Alvarez in separate bouts. Golden Boy Promotions Chief Executive Richard Schaefer told The Times on Tuesday that attorneys could finalize details this week for Mayweather Jr.'s likely bout against Robert Guerrero. Schaefer added Alvarez “will be fighting May 4, and so will Mayweather, but I'm not saying they're fighting each other and I'm not saying anything more until we've finalized the agreements.” Alvarez, the super-welterweight world champion, could fight Alfredo Angulo, James Kirkland or Austin Trout.

Hector "Macho" Camacho, a former three-division champion, was shot and seriously wounded in his native Puerto Rico on Tuesday, leaving the boxing showman fighting for his life, according to police and media reports. Reports from the scene said Camacho was in critical condition late Tuesday after being shot in the neck and face while seated in a Ford Mustang outside a bar in his hometown of Bayamon. Another man in the car was killed, according to Associated Press. A motive in the attack was unknown, officials said.

The little guys put on a big show at Staples Center on Saturday night. In the world of boxing, they were mice that roared. Abner Mares of Los Angeles chased, lunged, punched and brawled his way to a unanimous decision over Anselmo Moreno of Panama in their super-bantamweight battle for the World Boxing Council title. Mares had the title and Moreno had won 27 straight fights, so the matchup was a good one. That turned out to be the case, generally, except for one judge, who had Mares winning all 12 rounds.

The sweetness of home is something Abner Mares, Alfredo Angulo and Leo Santa Cruz will each embrace Saturday in their respective fights at Staples Center. For World Boxing Council super-bantamweight champion Mares (24-0-1, 13 knockouts), finding himself in the main event against Panama's Anselmo Moreno (33-1-1, 12 KOs) is validation. Mares, 26, emerged from poverty in Hawaiian Gardens to make himself a world champion, a fact he let soak in last week attending an NBA game at the arena.

Boxing keeps turning up the volume on the hype. Apparently, if you sell it loudly, fewer will notice if it is lousy. Oscar De La Hoya, never lousy in the ring, was presenting a card of boxers at a media gathering the other day for a Saturday night show at Staples Center. It is a card headlined by little guys, bantamweights (118 pounds) and super bantamweights (122). "These are tremendous, tremendous fighters," said De La Hoya, champion of the double gushy adjective. They may turn out to be. But there will be those there Saturday night to watch Abner Mares versus Anselmo Moreno in the main event and Leo Santa Cruz versus Victor Zaleta in the semi-main who will remember when there was no question, when the little guys were kings in Los Angeles boxing.

Nonito Donaire hopes to affirm his position as one of the world's top super-bantamweights Saturday night. Brandon Rios is out to prove he can take a brawler's best punch in his junior-welterweight debut. Their fight card at Home Depot Center in Carson has created some buzz for boxing's hard-core fans. Donaire (29-1, 18 knockouts), the International Boxing Federation and World Boxing Organization champion, faces perhaps his stiffest challenge yet in the main event against World Boxing Council champion Toshiaki Nishioka (39-4-3, 24 KOs)

Unlike the Sept. 15 conflict of boxing cards pitting Mexican stars Saul “Canelo” Alvarez and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., there won't be another conflict of dates between super-bantamweight champions. Golden Boy Promotions Chief Executive Richard Schaefer announced to The Times on Wednesday that World Boxing Council champion Abner Mares of Hawaiian Gardens will move off Oct. 13, and fight Anselmo Moreno on Oct. 27 at Honda Center in Anaheim. The date change clears a conflict with World Boxing Organization and International Boxing Federation super-bantamweight champion Nonito Donaire, who will defend his belts Oct. 13 at Home Depot Center in Carson against Japan's Toshiaki Nishioka.

The three preliminary fights on the pay-per-view portion of the Manny Pacquiao-Timothy Bradley card include two world championship fights that could rightly be seen as a proving ground for the four boxers involved. Cuban defector Guillermo Rigondeaux, a two-time Olympic champion hailed as the greatest amateur in history, is putting an unbeaten record and his World Boxing Council title on the line in a super bantamweight matchup with once-beaten Teon Kennedy of Philadelphia. The knock on Rigondeaux (9-0, 7 knockouts)

Abner Mares has admired Robert Guerrero's courage in standing up to his promoters for the title shot he wants. World Boxing Council super-bantamweight champion Mares started to do the same Tuesday, making it clear that if he achieves his plan to break through the tight defense of Panama's Anselmo Moreno on Nov. 10 at Staples Center, he wants Nonito Donaire next. Mares is promoted by Los Angeles-based Golden Boy Promotions, and International Boxing Federation and World Boxing Organization champion Donaire (29-1, 18 knockouts)

Abner Mares will now defend his World Boxing Council super-bantamweight title even closer to home, with Golden Boy Promotions announcing Thursday that it's moving his title defense against Anselmo Moreno to Staples Center on Nov. 10. "When Top Rank decided Manny Pacquiao would not fight Nov. 10, that's a date we wanted," Golden Boy Chief Executive Richard Schaefer told The Times. "This will be a great card now. " Hawaiian Gardens' Mares (24-0-1, 13 knockouts) was supposed to fight Panama's Moreno (33-1-1, 12 KOs)