Abner Mares floored defending champion Jesus Cuellar and won a split decision to earn the WBA featherweight title Saturday night in Los Angeles. Mares (30-2-1, 15 KO’s) had the upper hand in a fast-paced fight that thrilled the fans at the Galen Center on the USC campus.
Cuellar (28-2, 21 KO’s) put together a good stretch in the middle rounds where he was able to back Mares up at times and make it a close fight. But, the game-changer came in the 11th when Mares caught Cuellar on the way in with a big right hand the scored a knockdown.
Official scores were 117-110 and 116-111 for Mares while one judge scored it 115-112 for Cuellar. The Mares scores correctly reflected who won the fight and by how much.
