Janibek Alimkhanuly sees Steven Butler as the final stepping stone to big-time fights against fellow champions.
Janibek Alimkhanuly says he’s just getting started.
The 30-year-old middleweight titleholder is scheduled to make the second defense of his alphabet belt against heavy underdog Steven Butler on Saturday at Stockton Arena in Stockton, California (ESPN, ESPN+).
If he wins, he’ll then target the other two titleholders: Jermall Charlo and Erislandy Lara. (The fourth title is vacant.)
And he knows he would have to be at his best to beat such talented, experienced champions. That’s why he has put more emphasis on conditioning after what he thought was a so-so performance in his last fight, a unanimous decision over talented Denzel Bentley in November.
“I got a new conditioning coach because I understand that it will help me grow,” Alimkhanuly said during the final news conference before the fight. “If you keep doing the same things, then you will stay in the same place. I wanted to grow. I wanted to unify. I wanted to fight Jermall Charlo. I wanted to fight Erislandy Lara.
“In order to do that, I knew that I had to make changes.”
That could be bad news for Butler (32-3-1, 26 KOs), a 27-year-old Canadian who was stopped by Ryota Murata in five rounds in his only big fight.
He lost by knockout to obscure Jose de Jesus Macias in his next fight but has won his last four, giving him some momentum going into his meeting with Alimkhanuly(13-0, 8 KOs) . Still, the Kazakhstani fighter is about a 20-1 favorite.
“I’m 100 percent ready,” Butler said. “I have a lot of respect for Janibek for giving me the opportunity, but he’ll be making a big mistake if he tries to think past me. I want to knock him out. I want the belt. That’s it. …
“I’ve learned a lot. I started boxing when I was 11 years old. I’m 27 now. So, I have a lot experience behind me. When I put it all together on Saturday night, I’m going to shock the world.”
Alimkhanuly admires Butler’s confidence but suggested the challenger is the one who will be shocked.
“As a fighter, I really respect him because he says what he thinks,” the former amateur world champion said. “But I’m going to show him that not only will he not be able to knock me out, he won’t even be able to touch me.”
Then it will be bigger and better things for Alimkhanuly.
Janibek Alimkhanuly sees Steven Butler as the final stepping stone to big-time fights against fellow champions.
Janibek Alimkhanuly says he’s just getting started.
The 30-year-old middleweight titleholder is scheduled to make the second defense of his alphabet belt against heavy underdog Steven Butler on Saturday at Stockton Arena in Stockton, California (ESPN, ESPN+).
If he wins, he’ll then target the other two titleholders: Jermall Charlo and Erislandy Lara. (The fourth title is vacant.)
And he knows he would have to be at his best to beat such talented, experienced champions. That’s why he has put more emphasis on conditioning after what he thought was a so-so performance in his last fight, a unanimous decision over talented Denzel Bentley in November.
“I got a new conditioning coach because I understand that it will help me grow,” Alimkhanuly said during the final news conference before the fight. “If you keep doing the same things, then you will stay in the same place. I wanted to grow. I wanted to unify. I wanted to fight Jermall Charlo. I wanted to fight Erislandy Lara.
“In order to do that, I knew that I had to make changes.”
That could be bad news for Butler (32-3-1, 26 KOs), a 27-year-old Canadian who was stopped by Ryota Murata in five rounds in his only big fight.
He lost by knockout to obscure Jose de Jesus Macias in his next fight but has won his last four, giving him some momentum going into his meeting with Alimkhanuly(13-0, 8 KOs) . Still, the Kazakhstani fighter is about a 20-1 favorite.
“I’m 100 percent ready,” Butler said. “I have a lot of respect for Janibek for giving me the opportunity, but he’ll be making a big mistake if he tries to think past me. I want to knock him out. I want the belt. That’s it. …
“I’ve learned a lot. I started boxing when I was 11 years old. I’m 27 now. So, I have a lot experience behind me. When I put it all together on Saturday night, I’m going to shock the world.”
Alimkhanuly admires Butler’s confidence but suggested the challenger is the one who will be shocked.
“As a fighter, I really respect him because he says what he thinks,” the former amateur world champion said. “But I’m going to show him that not only will he not be able to knock me out, he won’t even be able to touch me.”
Then it will be bigger and better things for Alimkhanuly.
Danny Garcia is full of confidence after his convincing victory over Jose Benavidez Jr. on Saturday.
Danny Garcia left the ring on Saturday at Barclays Center in Brooklyn with a convincing victory and a lot of confidence.
A vintage version of the former two-division titleholder schooled Jose Benavidez to win a majority decision in his 154-pound debut and first fight since he was outpointed by welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr. 19 months ago.
Judge Waleska Roldan turned in an absurd 114-114 card but the other two judges got it right, 117-111 and 116-112 for Garcia.
The Philadelphian, who spent his time off learning to cope with anxiety and depression, proved to himself that he’s still the Danny Garcia fans have known for a decade-plus.
“I felt good,” he said at the post-fight news conference. “A lot of people questioned me because I was off a year and half. They thought I wasn’t coming back. The loss with Spence, it was a dull performance. But I know it was because I wasn’t there mentally. And I know if I’m there mentally and physically, I know no one can beat me because I proved that before many times.
“… [The] Danny Garcia who believes in himself 100%, no one can beat him no matter who doubts him. I know I’m that the guy. I had to go through all that mental self to find myself and reenergize myself, and now I’m back”
Garcia (37-3, 21 KOs) admitted that he doubted himself even during the walk from his dressing room to the ring.
Then the opening bell rang and he quickly settled into a groove, dominating Benavidez (27-2-1, 18 KOs) with his elite skill set and activity. According to CompuBox, he outlanded his foe in every round and 233-117 overall.
“I was a little nervous, I’m not going to lie,” he said. “I had days where I felt, ‘Yo, I’ve been out of the ring a little bit. Am I still going to be the same?” I know the way I was sparring, the way I was working out in the gym that I was physically ready. I just had to be mentally ready.
“It felt great just walking out of that tunnel, seeing my pics on the wall at Barclays center and all my fans cheering for me. So it was definitely motivating.”
What’s next?
Garcia reiterated at the post-fight news conference what he said immediately after the fight, that he would like to face Keith Thurman or Erislandy Lara.
Thurman handed Garcia his first loss, a split decision in 2017. He presumably would have to move up from 147 pounds for the fight now that Garcia has transitioned to 154. Still, Thurman’s message to Garcia was, “Be careful what you wish for.”
“Danny Garcia can never pass the Keith Thurman test,” he said. “I beat that boy with bone spurs. You see, I wasn’t even at my best. Look, man, my IQ is even higher, his feet are slow like a flat tire. Be careful what you wish for you silly Philly boy.
“This is not a game, it’s not Street Fighter, but I will still hit you with that yoga fire.”
Lara owns the WBA’s secondary middleweight title, which Boxing Junkie doesn’t recognize. However, it’s attractive to Garcia, who seemed to dismiss Tony Harrison even though Harrison called him out.
“Like I said I’ll fight anybody,” he said. “It just gotta make sense for me. I’m not saying [Harrison] is not a big name. He was a champion, he’s proven himself. Like I said, I want to fight Keith Thurman again. Even Lara, who has a WBA belt. We can fight at a catch weight.
Danny Garcia is full of confidence after his convincing victory over Jose Benavidez Jr. on Saturday.
Danny Garcia left the ring on Saturday at Barclays Center in Brooklyn with a convincing victory and a lot of confidence.
A vintage version of the former two-division titleholder schooled Jose Benavidez to win a majority decision in his 154-pound debut and first fight since he was outpointed by welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr. 19 months ago.
Judge Waleska Roldan turned in an absurd 114-114 card but the other two judges got it right, 117-111 and 116-112 for Garcia.
The Philadelphian, who spent his time off learning to cope with anxiety and depression, proved to himself that he’s still the Danny Garcia fans have known for a decade-plus.
“I felt good,” he said at the post-fight news conference. “A lot of people questioned me because I was off a year and half. They thought I wasn’t coming back. The loss with Spence, it was a dull performance. But I know it was because I wasn’t there mentally. And I know if I’m there mentally and physically, I know no one can beat me because I proved that before many times.
“… [The] Danny Garcia who believes in himself 100%, no one can beat him no matter who doubts him. I know I’m that the guy. I had to go through all that mental self to find myself and reenergize myself, and now I’m back”
Garcia (37-3, 21 KOs) admitted that he doubted himself even during the walk from his dressing room to the ring.
Then the opening bell rang and he quickly settled into a groove, dominating Benavidez (27-2-1, 18 KOs) with his elite skill set and activity. According to CompuBox, he outlanded his foe in every round and 233-117 overall.
“I was a little nervous, I’m not going to lie,” he said. “I had days where I felt, ‘Yo, I’ve been out of the ring a little bit. Am I still going to be the same?” I know the way I was sparring, the way I was working out in the gym that I was physically ready. I just had to be mentally ready.
“It felt great just walking out of that tunnel, seeing my pics on the wall at Barclays center and all my fans cheering for me. So it was definitely motivating.”
What’s next?
Garcia reiterated at the post-fight news conference what he said immediately after the fight, that he would like to face Keith Thurman or Erislandy Lara.
Thurman handed Garcia his first loss, a split decision in 2017. He presumably would have to move up from 147 pounds for the fight now that Garcia has transitioned to 154. Still, Thurman’s message to Garcia was, “Be careful what you wish for.”
“Danny Garcia can never pass the Keith Thurman test,” he said. “I beat that boy with bone spurs. You see, I wasn’t even at my best. Look, man, my IQ is even higher, his feet are slow like a flat tire. Be careful what you wish for you silly Philly boy.
“This is not a game, it’s not Street Fighter, but I will still hit you with that yoga fire.”
Lara owns the WBA’s secondary middleweight title, which Boxing Junkie doesn’t recognize. However, it’s attractive to Garcia, who seemed to dismiss Tony Harrison even though Harrison called him out.
“Like I said I’ll fight anybody,” he said. “It just gotta make sense for me. I’m not saying [Harrison] is not a big name. He was a champion, he’s proven himself. Like I said, I want to fight Keith Thurman again. Even Lara, who has a WBA belt. We can fight at a catch weight.
Good, bad, worse: Gervonta Davis must now face next-level opponents.
A critical look at the past week in boxing
GOOD
Are there any doubters still out there?
Gervonta Davis’ critics will point to his resume and say he still hasn’t taken down an elite fighter, at least not one his size. The fact is he has strong record, with victories over Jose Pedraza, Yuriorkis Gamboa, Leo Santa Cruz, Mario Barrios, Isaac Cruz and now Rolando Romero after his one-punch knockout Saturday night in Brookly, New York.
He stopped all but one of those fighters, Cruz.
They’ll say, “Hey, Tank was barely able to outpoint Cruz in his previous fight.” C’mon, the guy fought a young, relentless beast with one arm and still pulled out a victory. That’s what champions do.
And they’ll point out that Romero was a relatively inexperienced opponent with no experience fighting on a large stage or against anyone near Davis’ ability.
That’s true, Romero did take an enormous step up in opposition. Still, he gave a strong performance until one of the biggest punchers among active fighters landed the enormous left hand that stopped him and sent the pro-Davis crowd into a tizzy. That’s what Davis does; he knocks out good opponents.
Now he must do the same against next-level foes.
Yes, it’s time for Davis to take on the cream of the 135-pound crop no matter what that takes. The winner of the June 5 fight between unified champion George Kambosos and Devin Haney is Tank’s ideal test. And Ryan Garcia and Vasiliy Lomachenko would be viable options.
If Davis fights anyone inferior to those four potential opponents in his next fight, it will only provide fodder for critics who believe he has been protected Mayweather Promotions. In other words, it wouldn’t be a step forward for him. And that’s not beneficial to a hot young fighter who wants to continue to build on his momentum.
Davis is a special all-around fighter. He has to fight other special fighters to prove how great he truly is. And the time is now.
BAD
Rolando Romero looks as if he didn’t know what hit him on Saturday night. Al Bello / Getty Images
No, it wasn’t a good night for Romero.
He was competitive against a heavy favorite for five-plus rounds, which is noteworthy. However, the unfortunate bottom line is that he was the victim of a brutal sixth-round knockout, which is bad any way you look at it.
He’s no longer unbeaten, which is never easy on a fighter. And, more important, he’ll have to put in some arduous work if he hopes to become an elite boxer and fight for a major 135-pound championship one day.
There is reason for optimism. He boxed well against his pound-for-pound opponent until his ignominious demise, as both he and his trainer pointed out after the fight.
Romero is known for his punching power but he demonstrated that he has an all-around skill set, which is how he was able to frustrate Davis for most of the short fight.
That’s remarkable given his relative lack of experience. He reportedly had a total of 49 amateur and professional fights under his belt when he stepped into the ring to face Davis. That’s a low number for a fighter taking part in a pay-per-view main event.
The fact he progressed so quickly speaks to both his God-given ability – he’s a natural – and his work ethic.
Sometimes it’s difficult to bounce back from such a devastating setback. However, if he can put the disappointment behind him and retain his confidence, Romero could still have a bright future.
The new, more flat-footed version of Erislandy Lara (29-3-3, 17 KOs) has defeated Ramon Alvarez, Greg Vendetti, Thomas LaManna and Gary O’Sullivan (31-5, 21 KOs) in his last four fights, the last victory coming by an eighth-round TKO on the Davis-Romero card.
Obviously, the Cuban master can still fight at 39 years old.
However, fighting second-tier opponents is the equivalent of spinning your wheels. At his age, Lara can’t afford to waste any more time.
And the thought of Lara failing to get another shot at a world title – this time at 160 pounds – is heartbreaking. If any fighter in the twilight of his career has earned that right, it’s the former 154-pound champion.
Remember, he has ended up frustrated by five disputed decisions. All three of his losses and two of his draws have come by split or majority decisions, including a controversial split-decision setback against Canelo Alvarez that could’ve (should’ve?) lifted him to true star status.
The point here is that we don’t want to see Lara finish his career without one more shot at glory, which wouldn’t be surprising given his bad luck.
He sits below only champion Gennadiy Golovkin in the WBA rankings, which means he’s first in line to challenge Triple-G. The problem is that Golovkin is expected to fight Alvarez a third time in September, which leaves an aging Lara out of the picture for now.
Lara could challenge WBC titleholder Jermall Charlo, with whom he shares a manager. And Demetrius Andrade, the WBO beltholder, is always looking for a big-name challenger.
Let’s just hope Lara gets his shot before it’s too late.
RABBIT PUNCHES
Davis said at the post-fight news conference that he didn’t suffer another injury to his left hand, as it appeared he might’ve in Round 5. … Junior middleweight contender Jesus Ramos (19-0, 15 KOs) complained after his unanimous-decision victory over Luke Santamaria (13-3-1, 7 KOs) on the Davis-Romero card that he couldn’t give his best performance because Santamaria didn’t want to fight. Ramos’ job is to make him fight, which he largely failed to do. Santamaria is a slick boxer who is naturally smaller than Ramos, who is a big puncher. Of course, Santamaria’s strategy was to stick and move. And he had some success in the first half of the fight. Ramos did well to control the second half and pull away to a unanimous-decision victory. However, he was wrong to criticize Santamaria for not cooperating as much as he would’ve liked him to. Santamaria is a good boxer. He could have success when he moves back down to 147 pounds. … So long to Gary Russell Sr., the trainer and patriarch of one of the sport’s first families who died at 63 on May 23. Russell guided four sons to Golden Gloves titles and three have had successful professional careers. Gary Russell Jr. is one of the best in the game while Gary Antuanne Russell and Gary Antonio Russell are rising contenders. The eldest Russell deserves a lot of credit for his sons’ success. RIP.
Good, bad, worse: Gervonta Davis must now face next-level opponents.
A critical look at the past week in boxing
GOOD
Are there any doubters still out there?
Gervonta Davis’ critics will point to his resume and say he still hasn’t taken down an elite fighter, at least not one his size. The fact is he has strong record, with victories over Jose Pedraza, Yuriorkis Gamboa, Leo Santa Cruz, Mario Barrios, Isaac Cruz and now Rolando Romero after his one-punch knockout Saturday night in Brookly, New York.
He stopped all but one of those fighters, Cruz.
They’ll say, “Hey, Tank was barely able to outpoint Cruz in his previous fight.” C’mon, the guy fought a young, relentless beast with one arm and still pulled out a victory. That’s what champions do.
And they’ll point out that Romero was a relatively inexperienced opponent with no experience fighting on a large stage or against anyone near Davis’ ability.
That’s true, Romero did take an enormous step up in opposition. Still, he gave a strong performance until one of the biggest punchers among active fighters landed the enormous left hand that stopped him and sent the pro-Davis crowd into a tizzy. That’s what Davis does; he knocks out good opponents.
Now he must do the same against next-level foes.
Yes, it’s time for Davis to take on the cream of the 135-pound crop no matter what that takes. The winner of the June 5 fight between unified champion George Kambosos and Devin Haney is Tank’s ideal test. And Ryan Garcia and Vasiliy Lomachenko would be viable options.
If Davis fights anyone inferior to those four potential opponents in his next fight, it will only provide fodder for critics who believe he has been protected Mayweather Promotions. In other words, it wouldn’t be a step forward for him. And that’s not beneficial to a hot young fighter who wants to continue to build on his momentum.
Davis is a special all-around fighter. He has to fight other special fighters to prove how great he truly is. And the time is now.
BAD
Rolando Romero looks as if he didn’t know what hit him on Saturday night. Al Bello / Getty Images
No, it wasn’t a good night for Romero.
He was competitive against a heavy favorite for five-plus rounds, which is noteworthy. However, the unfortunate bottom line is that he was the victim of a brutal sixth-round knockout, which is bad any way you look at it.
He’s no longer unbeaten, which is never easy on a fighter. And, more important, he’ll have to put in some arduous work if he hopes to become an elite boxer and fight for a major 135-pound championship one day.
There is reason for optimism. He boxed well against his pound-for-pound opponent until his ignominious demise, as both he and his trainer pointed out after the fight.
Romero is known for his punching power but he demonstrated that he has an all-around skill set, which is how he was able to frustrate Davis for most of the short fight.
That’s remarkable given his relative lack of experience. He reportedly had a total of 49 amateur and professional fights under his belt when he stepped into the ring to face Davis. That’s a low number for a fighter taking part in a pay-per-view main event.
The fact he progressed so quickly speaks to both his God-given ability – he’s a natural – and his work ethic.
Sometimes it’s difficult to bounce back from such a devastating setback. However, if he can put the disappointment behind him and retain his confidence, Romero could still have a bright future.
The new, more flat-footed version of Erislandy Lara (29-3-3, 17 KOs) has defeated Ramon Alvarez, Greg Vendetti, Thomas LaManna and Gary O’Sullivan (31-5, 21 KOs) in his last four fights, the last victory coming by an eighth-round TKO on the Davis-Romero card.
Obviously, the Cuban master can still fight at 39 years old.
However, fighting second-tier opponents is the equivalent of spinning your wheels. At his age, Lara can’t afford to waste any more time.
And the thought of Lara failing to get another shot at a world title – this time at 160 pounds – is heartbreaking. If any fighter in the twilight of his career has earned that right, it’s the former 154-pound champion.
Remember, he has ended up frustrated by five disputed decisions. All three of his losses and two of his draws have come by split or majority decisions, including a controversial split-decision setback against Canelo Alvarez that could’ve (should’ve?) lifted him to true star status.
The point here is that we don’t want to see Lara finish his career without one more shot at glory, which wouldn’t be surprising given his bad luck.
He sits below only champion Gennadiy Golovkin in the WBA rankings, which means he’s first in line to challenge Triple-G. The problem is that Golovkin is expected to fight Alvarez a third time in September, which leaves an aging Lara out of the picture for now.
Lara could challenge WBC titleholder Jermall Charlo, with whom he shares a manager. And Demetrius Andrade, the WBO beltholder, is always looking for a big-name challenger.
Let’s just hope Lara gets his shot before it’s too late.
RABBIT PUNCHES
Davis said at the post-fight news conference that he didn’t suffer another injury to his left hand, as it appeared he might’ve in Round 5. … Junior middleweight contender Jesus Ramos (19-0, 15 KOs) complained after his unanimous-decision victory over Luke Santamaria (13-3-1, 7 KOs) on the Davis-Romero card that he couldn’t give his best performance because Santamaria didn’t want to fight. Ramos’ job is to make him fight, which he largely failed to do. Santamaria is a slick boxer who is naturally smaller than Ramos, who is a big puncher. Of course, Santamaria’s strategy was to stick and move. And he had some success in the first half of the fight. Ramos did well to control the second half and pull away to a unanimous-decision victory. However, he was wrong to criticize Santamaria for not cooperating as much as he would’ve liked him to. Santamaria is a good boxer. He could have success when he moves back down to 147 pounds. … So long to Gary Russell Sr., the trainer and patriarch of one of the sport’s first families who died at 63 on May 23. Russell guided four sons to Golden Gloves titles and three have had successful professional careers. Gary Russell Jr. is one of the best in the game while Gary Antuanne Russell and Gary Antonio Russell are rising contenders. The eldest Russell deserves a lot of credit for his sons’ success. RIP.
Erislandy Lara beat up and then stopped Gary O’Sullivan in the eighth round Saturday in Brooklyn.
Erislandy Lara demonstrated again that he can still fight as he approaches 40.
The former 154-pound titleholder battered a game, but overmatched Gary O’Sullivan before stopping the Irishman in the eighth round of a scheduled 12-round 160-pound bout on the Gervonta Davis-Rolando Romero card Saturday in Brooklyn.
Lara (29-3-3, 17 KOs) fights more flatfooted at 39 than he did in his prime but can still outbox his opponents, as he did against O’Sullivan (31-5, 21 KOs).
He counterpunched brilliantly, threw and landed more punches than O’Sullivan and hurt his opponent on several occasions.
Lara put O’Sullivan down in Round 4, stunning him with a straight left to the head and then sending him to the canvas with a follow-up left. Another left hurt O’Sullivan in the final seconds of Round 7, which led to his demise.
Only about 20 seconds into Round 8, one more left to the head sent a beaten O’Sullivan reeling. That prompted referee Benjy Esteves to stop fight.
The official time of the stoppage was 23 seconds into Round 8.
Lara, hoping to make a run at a middleweight title, has now won four consecutive fights since losing to Jarrett Hurd in 2018 and drawing with Brian Castano the following year.
However, none of those four opponents was elite. Lara’s mission now is to lure a top 160-pounder into the ring.
Erislandy Lara beat up and then stopped Gary O’Sullivan in the eighth round Saturday in Brooklyn.
Erislandy Lara demonstrated again that he can still fight as he approaches 40.
The former 154-pound titleholder battered a game, but overmatched Gary O’Sullivan before stopping the Irishman in the eighth round of a scheduled 12-round 160-pound bout on the Gervonta Davis-Rolando Romero card Saturday in Brooklyn.
Lara (29-3-3, 17 KOs) fights more flatfooted at 39 than he did in his prime but can still outbox his opponents, as he did against O’Sullivan (31-5, 21 KOs).
He counterpunched brilliantly, threw and landed more punches than O’Sullivan and hurt his opponent on several occasions.
Lara put O’Sullivan down in Round 4, stunning him with a straight left to the head and then sending him to the canvas with a follow-up left. Another left hurt O’Sullivan in the final seconds of Round 7, which led to his demise.
Only about 20 seconds into Round 8, one more left to the head sent a beaten O’Sullivan reeling. That prompted referee Benjy Esteves to stop fight.
The official time of the stoppage was 23 seconds into Round 8.
Lara, hoping to make a run at a middleweight title, has now won four consecutive fights since losing to Jarrett Hurd in 2018 and drawing with Brian Castano the following year.
However, none of those four opponents was elite. Lara’s mission now is to lure a top 160-pounder into the ring.
Erislandy Lara, 39, said he wants to face the best at middleweight.
Erislandy Lara isn’t quite finished at 39.
The former 154-pound beltholder and longtime boogeyman in and around his weight is making another title run, this time at 160. He moved up to middleweight for his last fight – a first round knockout of Thomas LaManna in May of last year – after fighting his entire pro career at junior middleweight.
Lara (28-3-3, 16 KOs) faces veteran Gary O’Sullivan in his second fight at 160 on the Gervonta Davis-Rolando Romero pay-per-view card Saturday at Barclay’s Center in Brooklyn.
“I feel strong at 160 pounds,” he said. “I showed that in my last fight and I’ll show it again in this fight. I’m ready to display all of my skills once again.”
The gifted Cuban southpaw has many important victories in his career but also a number of losses or draws that ended in controversy, as he seemed to end up on the wrong end of disputed decisions too often.
That includes fights in 2018 and 2019, when he lost his 154-pound title to Jarrett Hurd by a split decision and drew with Brian Castano in his subsequent fight.
Lara has won three in a row since then, stopping Ramon Alvarez, outpointing Greg Vendetti and then moving up in weight to KO LaManna.
He hopes a victory over O’Sullivan will lead to matchups with the biggest names in the division, Jermall Charlo, Demetrius Andrade and perhaps the winner of the projected fight between Canelo Alvarez and Gennadiy Golovkin.
Lara lost a disputed split decision to Alvarez back in 2014.
“Come May 28, when I come out victorious, I’m ready to fight the best in the division,” he said. “I’m not even going to mention their names, because I’m tired of doing that. I’m just focused on getting in the ring with all the best fighters.”
Of course, the top 154-pounders were never in a hurry to face him for an obvious reason. Will anything change at the higher weight class?
“People are avoiding me at 160 pounds just like they did at 154,” he said. “I’m a tough matchup for anyone out there. That’s why they don’t want to fight me.”
Erislandy Lara, 39, said he wants to face the best at middleweight.
Erislandy Lara isn’t quite finished at 39.
The former 154-pound beltholder and longtime boogeyman in and around his weight is making another title run, this time at 160. He moved up to middleweight for his last fight – a first round knockout of Thomas LaManna in May of last year – after fighting his entire pro career at junior middleweight.
Lara (28-3-3, 16 KOs) faces veteran Gary O’Sullivan in his second fight at 160 on the Gervonta Davis-Rolando Romero pay-per-view card Saturday at Barclay’s Center in Brooklyn.
“I feel strong at 160 pounds,” he said. “I showed that in my last fight and I’ll show it again in this fight. I’m ready to display all of my skills once again.”
The gifted Cuban southpaw has many important victories in his career but also a number of losses or draws that ended in controversy, as he seemed to end up on the wrong end of disputed decisions too often.
That includes fights in 2018 and 2019, when he lost his 154-pound title to Jarrett Hurd by a split decision and drew with Brian Castano in his subsequent fight.
Lara has won three in a row since then, stopping Ramon Alvarez, outpointing Greg Vendetti and then moving up in weight to KO LaManna.
He hopes a victory over O’Sullivan will lead to matchups with the biggest names in the division, Jermall Charlo, Demetrius Andrade and perhaps the winner of the projected fight between Canelo Alvarez and Gennadiy Golovkin.
Lara lost a disputed split decision to Alvarez back in 2014.
“Come May 28, when I come out victorious, I’m ready to fight the best in the division,” he said. “I’m not even going to mention their names, because I’m tired of doing that. I’m just focused on getting in the ring with all the best fighters.”
Of course, the top 154-pounders were never in a hurry to face him for an obvious reason. Will anything change at the higher weight class?
“People are avoiding me at 160 pounds just like they did at 154,” he said. “I’m a tough matchup for anyone out there. That’s why they don’t want to fight me.”
