When examining the storied career of middleweight champion Erislandy Lara, context is everything. To casual fans, he may be just another fighter. But to die-hard fight fans, the 41-year-old Lara is literally a national treasure.
That Lara (31-3-3, 19 KOs) won a ninth-round TKO over 36-year-old Danny Garcia (37-4, 21 KOs) Saturday at Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena was a significant event, but it’s not a lead. The most critical takeaway from the fight is that Lara, even at 41, is still a problem. For most of his career, opponents have avoided him, and now, even with his diminished mobility, his challengers are no longer eager to face him. He may still be the best middleweight in the world.
Lara’s journey began in Cuba’s legendary boxing system. He was a favorite at the 2008 Beijing Olympics before defecting twice. After failing at his first attempt after the Pan American Games, he finally made it, in February 2009, by boat to Mexico—a story straight out of Hollywood. But Lara’s story has substance drama. His professional career began in Turkey, passed through Germany and finally landed in Primm, Nevada. Early Lara? Slick defense, constant movement and a deadly left hook. Critics called it “the run,” but if you pushed too tough, Lara put you to sleep. That’s the theme of his career, by the way.
His first huge moment came in 2011 in a controversial draw with Carlos Molina. Few watched it live on “Friday Night Fights,” but those who did still debated the outcome. Molina defeated Lara, but the fight ended in a majority draw—more of a trivia question than a defining moment, and one of only three draws in Lara’s career.
The fight that really put Lara on the map? His 2011 fight with Paul Williams. Williams, a 6-foot-1 left-hander who threw 1,000 punches per fight and had to move up and down weight classes to find fights, was coming off a knockout loss to Sergio Martinez. Lara outboxed him, basically, but the judges somehow saw fit to award the victory to Williams in what remains one of the most scandalous decisions in state-of-the-art boxing history.
From there, Lara’s career became a frustrating mix of missed opportunities and avoided challenges. He had a technical draw with Vanes Martirosyan and a wild brawl with Alfredo Angulo, who knocked Lara down twice before being stopped in the 10th round. Lara then decisively defeated Austin Trout, one of the most underrated fighters of the era, setting himself up for his biggest test yet: a 2014 pay-per-view clash with Saul “Canelo” Alvarez. While many thought Lara had won, his cautious style allowed Canelo to dictate the action with body shots and pressure. The judges favored aggression, giving Canelo the nod.
That fight cemented Lara’s reputation as a boxing bogeyman—high risk, low reward for opponents. In his next six fights, Lara faced the likes of Ishe Smith, Delvin Rodriguez, Jan Zaveck, Martirosyan (again), Yuri Foreman, and Terrell Gausha—solid fighters, but not the kind of fights he deserved. In the process, he won the WBA junior middleweight title. Fighters weren’t necessarily afraid of him, but they knew that fighting Lara meant bad results, regardless of the outcome. It’s no wonder Gennady Golovkin turned down a fight with Lara in favor of bigger wins, like a final fight with Canelo.
Lara went through a coarse patch in 2018 and 2019. Jarrett Hurd defeated him by split decision to win the WBA junior middleweight title, using size, volume, and brute force. Brian Castano forced him to a draw, using basic fundamentals and relentless pressure to prevent Lara from gaining control.
Lara continued by stopping Canelo’s brother Ramon Alvarez, knocking out Thomas LaManna, winning the WBA middleweight title, and defeating Gary “Spike” O’Sullivan, Michael Zerafa, and now Garcia. Lara’s list of opponents isn’t exactly impressive, but that’s more a testament to the reluctance of star-caliber opponents to fight him than to any decline in Lara’s skills.
Like fellow countryman Guillermo Rigondeaux, Lara walks the line between numb and brilliant, equally capable of dazzling displays and blustering moments. Cuba, often stereotyped as a country that produces uninteresting fighters, doesn’t get enough credit for producing more than its share of defensive greats. And more recently, it’s also delivered lightning-fast hitters like Andy Cruz and David Morrell, who seem to be in the process of breaking the mold.
What is often overlooked in Lara’s story is that he was more entertaining than he is often remembered. His fight with Canelo — which took place 10 years ago, by the way — was dramatic. His 2013 fight with Angulo was one of the best of the year. His 2018 war with Hurd? A real thriller. For a fighter who was considered uninteresting, Lara can lay claim to two Fight of the Year candidates and a few Knockout of the Year moments. Martirosyan, a distinguished amateur whose only losses were to Lara, Demetrius Andrade, Jermel Charlo and Golovkin, was another underrated victory of the era. Add to that Lara’s nine successful title defenses in two weight classes, and the picture begins to change.
After his latest victory, Lara compared his performance to fine art.
“I thought I boxed beautifully,” Lara said after the Garcia fight. “It was a work of art, like Picasso. I went against everything Danny had. He’s a great fighter and a Hall of Famer, just like me. I used lateral movement and a long jab, like they teach in the Cuban boxing school.”
What’s next? Lara has talked about unifying the titles, but WBC titlist Carlos Adames has already said he won’t fight Lara out of respect. Meanwhile, WBO and IBF titlist Janibek Alimkhanuly has a mandatory defense on the horizon. Lara remains unfazed. He’s not chasing a payday or making wild accusations – at 41, he still believes he has plenty of juice left in the tank.
Lara’s win over Garcia was nothing special, but it was another reminder of how overlooked he is. Could his ultimate goal be to break Bernard Hopkins’ record as the oldest champion, at 46? Five more years for Lara is not impossible, and judging by his demeanor at the post-fight press conference, he certainly doesn’t sound like a man thinking about retirement. But that’s all just speculation.
“I’m ready for the next challenge,” Lara said. “I’m staying here. I still have a lot of boxing to do.”
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