IBF Bantamweight champion Joseph Agbeko (28-2, 22 KOs) and Abner Mares (21-0-1, 13 KOs) will meet in the final round of Showtime’s four-man bantamweight tournament, Saturday August 13. The bout is scheduled for 12 rounds and will be held at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. The bout was originally scheduled for April 23, but a back injury forced Agbeko to withdraw three days prior.
Agbeko will be fighting for only the third time since 2009, when he lost the IBF belt to Yonnhy Perez. Agbeko remained inactive until the tournament’s opening round last December, when he avenged his previous defeat to Perez and reclaimed his title.
Mares spent most of 2009 and the early part of 2010 in tune up bouts following eye surgery, and Saturday will mark his third straight meaningful fight, and second shot at a world title. Mares scored a hard-fought split decision victory over Vic Darchinyan in the tournament’s opening round.
The winner of the fight will claim the IBF bantamweight title and the Bantamweight Tournament Trophy.
–Tim Harrison
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