Erislandy Lara and Jovanni Straffon Score Brutal First Round Knockouts of May 2021

By Robert Brizel, Head Real Combat Media Boxing Correspondent

Some fights are destined by be remembered classics. Other fights are destined to be placed into the better to be forgotten at sites like sosoboxing.com. To get knocked out in the first round is worse than being categorized as a limited boxer. Generally speaking, first-round knockouts mean the end of a pretender’s career. Pretender is the best word, since a contender would never get stopped or taken out in a fool’s belief of glory like this.

Erislandy Lara’s first-round destruction and devastation of Thomas ‘Cornflake” LaManna in a vacant World Boxing Association World Middleweight title bout was probably the worst bout of the first weekend of May 2021, which includes both the good bouts, bad matchups, and the in between. LaManna, who fixed his boxing trunks in bad habit four times on camera before getting taken out, stood in front of Lara, who simply waited for LaManna to make a mistake, and took advantage of the counterpunch opportunity. LaManna lost three of his last five bouts, and entered into a world middleweight title bout as a blown up welterweight. The concept did not work for Wilfredo Benitez or Jose Napoles. Unless, of course, you are Sugar Ray Leonard of Sugar Ray Robinson, and LaManna does not look like Sugar Ray Leonard or Sugar Ray Robinson.

LaManna, truth be told, is not close to Benitez or Napoles in their prime. At 38, Cuban fighter Lara now holds three world titles in two weight categories. LaManna, if he fights again, should remain at 147 pounds. In any case, the bout outcome was predictable because LaManna was out of his weight class, and fighting above his class of opponent. Lara is no opponent, he’s a matador, and you cannot make mistakes in the ring against a world-class fighter. Even at age 38, Lara is extremely dangerous and disciplined, and you would not want to meet Lara in a dark alley.

Mexican lightweight Jovanni Straffon’s first-round destruction of James Tennyson at Manchester Arena in Manchester, United Kingdom, to win the International Boxing Organisation World Lightweight title probably resulted from an overconfidence complex. Tennyson stopped 16-0 Josh O’Reilly in the first round at Wembley Arena in December 2020, but Tennyson himself had been stopped three times in the early rounds by Tevin Farmer and other heavy hitters previously.  Straffon, a winner of 10 straight since losing a decision in a NABA regional lightweight title bout to Tony Luis, has matured as a fighter, and knew taking out Tennyson was the only way to win in enemy territory, and did it.

In setup tune up get a win bouts, the following paycheck only fighters solidified their reputations as journeymen: Ray Collins (0-16, knocked out in all 16 pro bouts), Patrick Pierre (3-16, winless in last 10 bouts), LaRob Harris (0-2), Adrien Bermudez (0-4), Lucas Queen (1-7), Joseph Salley (pro debut), Steve Walden (pro debut), Robin Guerra (0-4), Stanley Alexander (0-6), Jarrell Murray (pro debut), Jose Miranda (4-6-2, winless in past five years), Elkin Rosario (5-20-3), Favio Perez (207), and Angie Baracas (2-15, loser of last 10 bouts in past six years) all managed to get themselves knocked out or stopped in the first round in the first weekend of May. This reporter’s advice to all of them is to try another profession, street cleaning, window washing, the circus, Doordash food delivery, in fact any profession but boxing.

 

 










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