Plans to take the rest of the year off have apparently been scrapped, as Abner Mares has asked Richard Schaefer to make a rematch with Jhonny Gonzalez before the end of 2013.
Abner Mares said just days ago that he wanted to take some time off and spend the rest of 2013 with his family, which may have left Jhonny Gonzalez available to defend his newly-won WBC featherweight title against Gary Russell Jr or another fighter.
While Russell stated he was looking to make that fight, Mares has reportedly asked Richard Schaefer of Golden Boy Promotions to get a rematch with Gonzalez done for a date in 2013, and he has a rematch clause, which gives him first dibs, so to speak.
Mares (26-1-1, 14 KO) was knocked out in the first round by Gonzalez on August 24 in Carson, California, a stunning upset that made Gonzalez a two-time featherweight titlist, to go along with a world title won at 118 pounds. Gonzalez (55-8, 47 KO) has already said he was totally open to giving Mares the rematch.
"Abner called me yesterday himself and he said he wants to have the rematch and he wants to have it this year," Schaefer, who promotes Mares, said mid-afternoon Wednesday."He wants to end the year being world champion again. This fight woke up the beast in him. He wants the rematch. And I said, 'Are you sure?' And he said, 'Absolutely, that's what I want.' I said, 'OK, let me see if I can get it done. I'm not sure I can get it done this year, but this is certainly an important fight, a big fight, and I'm going to see what I can do.'"
The issues in getting it done for this year are in finding an open venue and a fight date, but the rematch could potentially be put onto another show, such as the Broner-Maidana event that is reportedly being worked on for November 9, and could wind up on pay-per-view due to budget concerns.
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