GABI FACES TOUGH BATTLE AGAINST MARES
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Wed, 05 Mar 2008
Filipino bantamweight Diosdado ?Prince? Gabi faces a tough battle against undefeated Abner Mares, a prot?g? of Golden Boy Promotions, on the undercard of the Manny Pacquiao-Juan Manuel Marquez rematch at the Mandalay Bay Resort Hotel & Casino on March 16, Manila Time.
Trainer Freddie Roach told Viva Sports/Manila Standard Today that the southpaw Gabi was ?doing well? in training although Roach himself is concentrating his major effort on getting Pacquiao ready to finish his ?Unfinished Business? against Marquez.
Roach also said that WBO bantamweight champion Gerry Penalosa was in great shape for his April 6 mandatory title defense against former champion Ratanachai Sor Vorapin at the Araneta Coliseum. Penalosa returns to Manila on March 26 while wife Goody who leaves for Las Vegas on March 10 to watch the Pacquiao-Marquez fight and also Penalosa?s prot?g? Michael Farenas will return on March 17.
The 28 year old Gabi who has a record of 30-3-1 with 21 knockouts faces 22 year old North American Boxing Organization bantamweight champion Mares who will be risking his undefeated record and No. 3 world rating against the tough little Filipino. Gabi is a top ten title contender and fought Australian Vic Darchinyan for the IBF flyweight title but ran out of steam in the middle rounds after a great start and lost by an eighth round TKO on March 3, 2006.
Since that defeat Gabi has won four successive fights with his latest victory being an eight round unanimous decision over veteran Jose Angel Beranza in last year?s ?World Cup? of boxing in Sacramento in which the Philippines thrashed Mexico 5-1.
Among the other fighters he beat in the last two years were former IBF bantamweight champion Mauricio Pastrana over whom he scored a first round TKO, Felipe Rivas who retired after one round and Antonio Maria Cochero Diaz who Gabi defeated by a second round TKO.
Mares won the WBO NABO title when Isidro Garcia retired in the seventh round on September 7, 2007 and in his last fight boxed beautifully to score a unanimous decision in a title defense against game challenger Damian David Marchiano on November 17, 2007. Mares also defeated Filipino Robert Allanic when Allanic retired in the eighth round of a scheduled ten round bout on March 2 last year.
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