“You were sick, but now you're well again, and there's work to do.”

A few days after his shocking loss to Jhonny Gonzalez, Abner Mares was all set to sit out the remaining months of 2013, taking a well earned break after swiftly assembling one of the toughest resumes in the sport.

But today, stories emerge that Mares has had a swift change of heart, and instead of putting his feet up on the beach recuperating with his friends and family and enjoying the holiday season with its myriad of dietary delights that would make ever strength and fitness contender, Mr. Mares is ready to get back on the horse and step straight back into action with his old sparring partner.

Is this wise? In all honesty, it's difficult to tell. The things is learned from the all too brief Mares-Gonzalez I (as it can now be called) were that:

1. Jhonny Gonzales could, can and will for a long time be able to knockout anybody in or around his weight class.

2. Abner Mares is a human being, and when hit absolutely flush by a fighter with 47 KOs, he gets put on queer street like everybody else. The fact he got up is a credit to his chin.

These are probably things a lot of more knowledgeable people than I knew before the fight; we didn't need to see it to believe it, no matter how shocking a loss it was. (It's certainly the frontrunner for Upset of the Year right now)

The difficulties with over analyzing first round flash KO victories is that we don't learn too much in those few minutes. Abner Mares and Jhonny Gonzalez are former sparring partners, they have a history, they know each other, they respect each other, and will have both prepared hoping to exploit the weakness in the other man.

Abner Mares did not get a chance to show what he worked at in his training camp, to execute a game plan that has been in genesis in the back of his mind for years.

This is as strong a reason to step into the ring with his foe again, as much as a need for vengeance, or as much as the prideful reflex that is hard-wired into the psyche of all great competitors, whether they are fighters or ballplayers or monopoly fiends.

Is it wise? It's really a question I can't answer until the 2nd, 3rd, 4th round when we see what Mares has up his sleeve.

Is it admirable? Undoubtedly.