Ponce De Leon vs. Mares: Umpire Stoppage Quick but Realistic in Title Struggle

On as Abner Mares defeated Daniel Ponce De Leon via TKO in the ninth round at the MGM Grand Garden Arena Saturday, May 4, 2013, hands were changed by the WBC Featherweight title. Regrettably, the ending was questionable, as referee Jay Nady walked in at a time that some described quick. Even though closing came somewhat too early, it absolutely was the only real option because of the circumstances surrounding the title fight. The stoppage came at the 2:20 mark of the ninth round, with both competitors having struggled to a comparatively even score to that point. With that being said, this wasn't an incident of two fighters pounding away on each other and the other owning a small advantage. Just a few seconds earlier in the day, Mares had knocked Ponce De Leon down for the second time during the struggle. Mares first broken Ponce De Leon down during the 2nd round, getting him clean with a stiff left hand in the closing seconds. There is no threat of a knockout, but a message was sent by the knockdown. Mares was the aggressor, and he was entirely control of this battle. It became whilst the middle units developed, with Ponce De Leon managing to get some blows in. Mares was still ahead on the cards come the ninth round, when it came right down to it, nevertheless. Exactly like that, the battle was shifted straight into Mares' benefit. The two had been investing blows, but it was Mares who arrived the fight-ending blows. Mares associated with a destructive right hand, giving the champion straight to the cushion. Ponce De Leon managed to get back to his feet, but Mares got around him. With the champion's straight back against the rules, Mares shot off clean shot after clean shot. After being knocked down mere seconds previous and now being rocked again, it seemed as though Ponce De Leon was going to be knocked out. Before which could occur, Nady stopped the battle and stepped in. Dispute ensues. This is not the very first time that Nady has made a controversial stoppage, as Zab Judah infamously assaulted him for what he thought to be a premature ending. With that being said, Nady's premature steps proved to be the best decision in this one. Ponce De Leon quickly demanded a rematch, nevertheless the consequence wasn't modified by the ending to this battle. To place it simply, ending this battle early expedited the thing that was already transpiring.