A fateful night at the StubHub Center in Carson, Calif., two years ago almost to the day — Aug. 24, 2013 — has had a profound effect on the life and career of Abner Mares.
It was the night Mares, then a rising star in the boxing world, an undefeated WBC featherweight champion, never made it out of the first round. He was dropped by a left hook from veteran knockout artist Jhonny Gonzalez, then hit the canvas a second time after a right hook before referee Jack Reiss stopped it. It was a stunning upset in every sense.
Bob Velin writes that many of Mares’ fans, and many in the media believed he was exposed as a fighter that night. His stock dropped precipitously.
