Lara Will Kayo Slow Moving Canelo, Showtime Fight Card Preview
By Robert Brizel, Head RCM Boxing Correspondent
Las Vegas, NV (June 10th, 2014)–Light middleweight Southpaw Erislandy Lara will beat both Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez and Floyd Mayweather Jr. if given the chance. An aging Floyd is unlikely to be able to beat a fast moving fighter like Lara, who sticks and moves and will trade bombs if you stand there. Canelo likes a fight who stands in front of him and trades. Trouble is, Lara just won’t be there to trade with. Against a skilled boxer of movement, timing, speed and accuracy, Canelo is overhyped.
Canelo made a comeback and stopped Alfredo Angulo in 10 rounds this past March. No big deal, Lara did the same thing and stopped Angulo in 10 rounds nine months earlier. Lara is the interim World Boxing Association World Light Middleweight champion. Canelo holds no title. Canelo is a big television draw, his best asset. Perhaps this was the main reason Lara was robbed of a majority 12 round decision against the now retired Paul Williams in Atlantic City in 2011.
On July 12, 2014, at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, Lara, 19-1 with 12 knockouts, Houston, Texas, will step into the ring in the co-main event against Saul Alvarez, 43-1-1 with 31 knockouts, Juanacatlan, Mexico. No belt will be on the table, only reputation, ethnic pride, and the box office draw. USA Showtime will televise the card.
Lara will stop or knock out Alvarez somewhere between rounds nine and twelve, whereby the constant beating Lara gives Canelo will be a mandate. Lara is the best fighter in the world at 154 pounds, something even Floyd Mayweather Jr. will not be able to avoid after Lara wins over Canelo big time. Mexican boxing fans notwithstanding, Canelo is still an immature fighter at 23 years old.
Awhile back, Lanardo Tyner, a veteran welterweight also out of Houston Texas like Lara, told me about his trip to Mexico in December 2009 to fight Canelo. According to Tyner, he won every round, but when the cards were announced Canelo had won every round instead. To be on the safe side, Lara will be better off stopping or knocking out Alvarez. If Lara versus Alvarez goes the distance, Alvarez has a very good chance of committing another robbery in full view. Owing to the nonsensical decision Paul Williams got over Lara in which three New Jersey judges were suspended for retraining, Lara would be wise not to let the bout go to a decision when the stakes are high a second time.
In the other main event 12 round bout, Tomoki Kameda of Japan is favored to retain his WBO World Bantamweight title by 12 round decision over former WBO World Bantamweight champion PungluangSorSingyu of Thailand, the WBO International titleholder. Johan Perez of Venezuela is favored to retain his interim World Boxing Association Light Welterweight title by 12 round decision over Mauricio Herrera of California.
19-0-1 Mexican Super featherweight Francisco ‘El Bandito’ Vargas is favored over Puerto Rican southpaw Juan Manuel Lopez by 10 round decision for the WBO International and NABF Super Featherweight titles in a regional two title unification bout. Former WBC Featherweight champion Abner Mares is favored to win his comeback by 10 round decision over Jonathan Oquendo. 20-0-2 Cuban American super bantamweight contender Yoandris Salinas is favored to win by knockout over Enrique Quevedo of Baja California Mexico. Salinas was robbed in a majority 12 round draw against Scott Quigg for the WBA World Bantamweight title last October in Manchester, England, and is due for a rematch against Quigg-hopefully outside of the United Kingdom-in the near future.
10-0 welterweight John Sosa, debuting middleweight Jason Quigley, and 1-0 middleweight Yamaguchi Faclao are favored to win on the untelevised prospects undercard portion of the Showtime card.
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