(Photo credit: Tom Casino/Showtime) By Yannis Mihanos: Mexico’s best new hope Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (43-1-1, 31 KO) is facing Cuban WBA Junior Middleweight World Champion Erinslandy “The American Dream” Lara (19-1-2,12 KO’s) in a catch weight fight at 155 pounds on July 12 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas Nevada.
They say the only way from going up is going down. When you have reached the top or at least coming very close to it, then it’s easy to go down. Canelo at the very young age of 23 arrived just one step from the top by fighting the number 1 pound for pound in boxing Floyd Mayweather Jr. last September.
Many were opposed to his decision even if the money offer was just too much to turn down, as they thought that it was just too soon for Canelo to take on someone as skilled and as experienced as Mayweather. We all know what happened next; Canelo lost comfortably by a 12 round unanimous decision. The weight advantage that he enjoyed over Mayweather didn’t even matter. For a young and so promising fighter like Canelo that must have hurt. It must have hurt a lot. It was a blow in his self-esteem and ego be dominated by Mayweather the way he was in that fight.
Luckily it was only temporary setback for Canelo. In his next fight, Canelo bounced back in stopping Alfredo Angulo in the 10th round last March , a fight that ended in his favor. The time has come for the next chapter in his career, this time he will have to face a very skillful fighter: Erinslandy Lara.
Cuba has a long history of talented and gifted fighters. One that I can immediately recall is two-time Olympic gold medalist and current WBA/WBO super bantamweight champion Guillermo Rigondeaux.
After a very convincing 12 round unanimous decision victory against Austin Trout last December, Lara was installed as the WBA junior middleweight champion by the World Boxing Association.
Lara is an artist in the ring with slick hand and foot movement but also power. It’s a unique combination. He has been also considered as a possible opponent for Floyd Mayweather Jr. in the past. However, the chances of them fighting anytime soon isn’t likely. The reason is that Mayweather doesn’t like fighting others who look and fight like him. It’s a fact that styles do make fights and bring money too.
This Canelo-Lara fight definitely has this potential to be exciting fight due to the styles of the two fighters. An aggressive big puncher like Canelo versus a skillful but more defensive minded Lara. I think Lara is in the peak of his career right now, as he beat Austin Trout much easier than Canelo and proved himself in that fight. Canelo will be really tested against Lara in this fight.
At this stage of his career Canelo could have taken the easy way and fought someone less recognized or another easy fighter, but he did neither of that and I give him a lot of credit for stepping it up against Lara. He honors boxing with this decision and proves that he is a real champion.
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