April 23 live on Showtime.
7:30 PST/10:30 EST

Finals-
Abner Mares(21-0-1, 13 KO's) vs IBF champ Joseph King Kong Agbeko(28-2, 22 KO's).

3rd place-
Vic Darchinyan(35-3-1, 27 KO's) vs Yonnhy Perez(20-1-1, 14 KO's).

Mares by close decision(FOTY candidate).
Darchinyan by close decision(FOTY candidate).

JOSEPH AGBEKO

The essentials

Age: 31

Height / Reach: 5-5½ (166 cm) / 65½ (166cm)

Stance: Orthodox

Hometown: Bronx, New York (from Accra, Ghana)

Nickname: King Kong

Turned pro: 1998

Record: 28-2 (22 knockouts)

Trainer: Adama Addy

Fight-by-fight: Click here

The Ring rating: No. 5 bantamweight

Titles: IBF bantamweight (2007-2009; list it to Yonnhy Perez); IBF bantamweight (2010-current)

Biggest victories: Luis Alberto Perez, Sept. 29, 2007, TKO 7 (wins title); William Gonzalez, Dec. 11, 2008, MD 12 (retains title); Vic Darchinyan, July 11, 2009, UD 12 (retains title); Yonnhy Perez, Dec. 11, 2010, UD 12 (Showtime tournament).

Losses: Yonnhy Perez, Oct. 31, 2009, (loses IBF title; Showtime tournament); Wladimir Sidorenko, May 18, 2004, MD 12

Biography: Joseph Agbeko is regarded as the most-talented fighter from Ghana since former welterweight standout Ike Quartey, but the two-time bantamweight titleholder didn’t live up to his considerable potential until his second fight with Yonnhy Perez.

Agbeko outclassed the rugged Colombian punching machine over 12 rounds with a beautiful blend of boxing and fighting during their anticipated rematch in December.

Agbeko didn’t just avenge the thrilling loss he suffered to Perez in October of 2009 with the win, he instantly evolved from a decided underdog to the favorite to win Showtime’s four-man bantamweight tournament.

Agbeko, who lives and trains in Bronx, N.Y., exhibited the fierce fighting spirit expected of the best Ghanaian fighters when he won the IBF title with a seventh-round stoppage of Luis Perez in 2007 and when he boldly turned back the challenge of favored Vic Darchinyan via unanimous decision in 2009.

Perez was a hard-nosed two-division beltholder from Nicaragua who hadn’t lost in nearly seven years. Darchinyan, a feared puncher and unified 115-pound titleholder, was on many pound-for-pound lists at the time Agbeko out-fought and out-pointed him.

The Accra native believed the Darchinyan victory should have earned him pound-for-pound status, but he dashed his own argument by underestimating Perez, an undefeated but unknown mandatory challenger from Colombia, when they fought in Las Vegas just three months later.

Agbeko thought he would contain and bully Perez with sheer aggression as he did Darchinyan and foolishly elected to stand and trade with the tireless volume puncher whose forte is infighting. The battle of wills made for a fight of the year candidate but at the cost of Agbeko’s reputation.

Fight fans labeled him as “exposed.” Boxing writers gave him little chance to defeat Perez in a rematch that was one of the semifinal bouts to Showtime’s single-elimination bantamweight tournament.

However, the loss may have been a blessing in disguise. Agbeko tempered his aggression with underrated (and often under-utilized) skills in the rematch, showing flashes of brilliance en route to a clear-cut unanimous decision.

The 31-year-old veteran looked so good that the same critics who called him “one-dimensional” after the first Perez fight are not sure whether Abner Mares can handle his versatility in the tournament final on April 23 in Los Angeles.

If Agbeko beats the unbeaten Mexican contender, he will be on his way to earning the pound-for-pound status he covets.

ABNER MARES

The essentials

Age: 25

Height: 5-5 (165cm) / 68 (173)

Stance: Orthodox

Hometown: Norwalk, Calif. (born in Guadalajara, Mexico)

Nickname: None

Turned pro: 1995

Record: 21-0-1 (13 knockouts)

Trainer: Clemente Medina

Fight-by-fight: Click here

The Ring rating: No. 4 bantamweight

Titles: None

Biggest victories: Diosdado Gabi, March 15, 2008, TKO 2; Vic Darchinyan, Dec. 11, 2010, SD 12 (Showtime tournament).

Losses: None

Draw: Yonnhy Perez, May 22, 2010, MD 12 (Showtime tournament)

Biography: Mares is a complete boxer-puncher, one who can win fights in a number of ways, and has proved in his young career that he also has a fighter’s heart.

The bantamweight contender was born in Guadalajara, Mexico. He reportedly had a record of 112-8 in a decorated amateur career and competed in the 2004 Olympics, fighting for his native country. He lost a controversial decision to Zsolt Bedak in the first round in the Games.

Mares turned pro in 2005 and cruised to a 17-0 record by 2008, earning an opportunity to fight for the title held by Gerry Penalosa. Then came trouble. Mares was diagnosed with a detached retina as he was preparing for his first title shot and had to pull out.

He initially was told by doctors that his career was over, a devastating pronouncement. He actually worked as a security guard for short time afterward. On top of that, he split with respect trainer Nacho Beristain because of a fued between Beristain and Mares’ manager .

Mares was able to overcome both setbacks, though. Surgery on his eye was successful, which allowed him to resume his career less than a year after his most-recent fight. He also moved on from Beristain, working first with Joel Diaz and then …

And he went back to his winning ways. He stopped three consecutive opponents to earn a shot at friend Yonnhy Perez’s IBF bantamweight title on May 22, 2010. Many observers thought Mares did enough to win a give-and-take fight but he had to settle for a majority draw, another major disappointment.

Mares wouldn’t have to wait long for a chance to redeem himself, though. He agreed to take part in Showtime’s four-man bantamweight tournament, which ensured two fights against elite opponents.

In his first tournament fight, against Vic Darchinyan, he was knocked down in the second round and lost a point in the fourth but rallied to take a majority decision and earn a shot at the winner of the Perez-Joseph Agbeko semifinal, which turned out to be Agbeko.

Agbeko took the IBF 118-pound title from Perez, meaning Mares will have another chance to fight for the title when he meets on the Ghanaian on April 23 at Nokia Theater in Los Angeles.

If he wins, he finally will have realized the vast potential he displayed at a young age. If he loses, you can bet he won’t give up.