Abner Mares was reluctant to accept that his retirement from boxing had to be like this, with an injury, and although the process to return to the ring was slow, he did not give up and now four years and three months since he last fought, Mares will return after overcoming a detached retina to close out a career that began in 2005.
"Basically - and the reason I'm coming back - is the motivation to go out on my own terms. I don't want to be remembered for retiring because of an injury. When that injury came (and I got the plug pulled) I was going to fight Tank, I was at a great level. I probably had a rematch with Leo on the horizon. It was a very frustrating thing... but now that I can have this opportunity, I'm sure that's all part of the motivation to come back as well," Mares told DAZN during a roundtable discussion.
However, in order to make the decision, the three-time world champion, who went on to hold the IBF bantamweight, WBC super bantamweight, WBC featherweight and WBA world titles, revealed that he had to consult with his family and it was not an easy discussion.
"It was hard for my family to understand that it wasn't a financial thing, it was a personal thing, a decision that I wanted to make. That I need," he said, noting that his toughest judges were his daughters, a 16-year-old and an 11-year-old.
Mares will return on September 4 taking on Miguel Flores on the undercard of Andy Ruiz's fight with Luis Ortiz.
But unlike previous training camps, the mechanics had to change, because at 36 years old it is no longer a question of volume, but intelligence.
"When you get to a certain age, you have to train differently, I train smarter, I can't train like I used to. I have to be smart. I have to be in great condition and put all my experience in. I've been away for 4.5 years, but this time - even though it's been hard - I've really enjoyed the training camp. I want it to be memorable, as it could be my last fight, as I don't want to look past Miguel."