Ten summers ago, Canelo Alvarez defeated Cuban Erislandi Lara in one of the toughest fights of his career. That night at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Lara took the Jalisco native to 12 rounds in a very close fight. The result was a split decision victory for Alvarez, albeit with some controversy, as two judges gave the victory to Mexico (115-113 and the other 117-111). Lara won the third by a score of 115-113.
Outside the ring, several people saw different results, from a Cuban victory to a draw. Others agreed with the result.
It was the second career loss for Lara (30-3-3, 18 KOs), who after 10 years on Alvarez’s card at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas will not only be a participant, but also a reigning champion, where he will defend his crown at age 41 against veteran and two-time world champion Danny Garcia (37-3, 21 KOs).
During their 155-pound fight on July 12, 2014, the Man from Guantanamo used his aerial style to land punches, but without much power. Canelo threw more, but the Cuban was more accurate. Alvarez, on the other hand, landed more power shots (88-53) and was more aggressive.
“It was a great fight, I saw myself as a winner. Unfortunately the judges didn’t see it that way, but 10 years ago I was fine with that fight,” Lara said about that night at the MGM Grand, where he tried to emulate what Floyd Mayweather Jr. did to him. Canelo It was a year ago, but it was in vain.
Alvarez was 23 at the time and Lara was a more experienced man at 31. This matchup was just a year after Canelo’s loss to Mayweather Jr. and he was still a long way from the fighter he was.
“From Canelo Alvarez, who I met 10 years ago until now, I think he has changed a lot,” Lara said. “He fought me before, he is different.
Following his matchup with Canelo, Lara racked up six more wins against the likes of Ishe Smith, Delvin Rodriguez, and Vanes Martirosyan before losing to Jarred Hurt in 2018. In 2019, he defeated Canelo’s brother Ramon Alvarez by knockout and continued fighting. Until the vacant WBA crown against Thomas LaManna at Carson’s Sports Health Park in 2021, he still holds the title and has defended it twice.
“I have come out ahead and I am the champion in 160, I am happy with this result and with what I have done in these 10 years,” said Lara.
“The most important thing for me in my career has been concentration,” Lara added. “The dedication I have in the gym, in the ring and also continuing to train is what keeps you in shape and gives you results.”
For now, Lara wants to continue boxing and see if his body can hold up for another two or three years of being at the top.
Erislandi Lara (left) and Danny Garcia (right) at a press conference a few weeks ago in Beverly Hills, California.
(Photos by Esther Lin / Boxing Champions)
On September 14, Lara will face an opponent who is returning after a two-year hiatus and making his debut in the middleweight division.
Garcia will be seeking his third world title, although he has not fought Jose Benavidez Jr. since 2022. In 2020, he fell to Errol Spence Jr., who was attempting to win the WBC and IBF heavyweight titles in a division he felt was too big.
“Lara is very skilled, no doubt about it. However, I have already faced some very skilled fighters in my career, from Zab Judo and Amir Khan to Keith Thurman and many others. I feel like I always go against southpaw opponents. I was,” Garcia said of Lara. “You have to look at it from a different perspective because I am definitely Lara’s best opponent in a long time.”
The Lara-Garcia fight was originally scheduled for August 2023, but was later postponed and never took place because Showtime ended its sports programming at the time.
The fight will be broadcast on Pay Per View and can be seen on PPV.com.
