By Dan Ambrose: Unbeaten Vanes Martirosyan (32-0, 20 KO’s) and Erislandy Lara (17-0-1, 11 KO’s) almost exchanged blows at today’s weight in for their fight on Saturday night at the Wynn Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada. After both fighters successfully made weight, Lara shoved the 26-year-old Martirosyan during their face to face stare down following some jawing from Martirosyan.

It looks whatever Martirosyan said, Lara took exception to it and gave him a hard shove backwards. Martirosyan didn’t look like he was all that eager to come forward at the shove and he let himself get quickly grabbed and pulled away.

Martirosyan made weight for their WBC 154 pound eliminator by coming in at one pound under the limit at 153 pounds. For his part, Lara weight slightly more at 153.5 lbs.

The winner of tomorrow night’s fight between the Cuban Lara and Martirosyan is supposed to in theory become the mandatory challenger for WBC junior middleweight champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez to fight in the first five months of next year. However, the 22-year-old Alvarez has made it perfectly clear that he doesn’t have any interest in facing one of those guys next when he fights on May 5th next year and wants Miguel Cotto, Floyd Mayweather Jr. or Sergio Martinez.

Tomorrow night’s fight is a toss up. Martirosyan has the better power, but he’s not as skilled or as athletic as Lara. Martirosyan is going to have problems with Lara’s boxing skills and counter punching unless he can get him out of there early in the fight.

Martirosyan’s promoters at Top Rank have shielded him from quality opposition during his career, so this is going to be his first real fight. Lara is a really tough opponent as shielded as Martirosyan has been. This could go really badly for Martirosyan because he got got punished badly in his toughest fight of his career against Kassim Ouma, and Lara’s a big step up from Ouma.