Erislandy Lara: Danny Garcia ‘A Great Champion But 160 Is A Whole Different Ball Game’
Middleweight world champion Erislandy Lara has praised Danny Garcia for being a “great champion” but warned his upcoming opponent that the 160lbs division is a “whole different ball game”.
Lara (30-3-3 18 KO) makes the third defense of his WBA belt against Garcia (37-3-0 21 KO) on September 14 at T Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Their bout will be the co-main event to the super-middleweight title fight between unified champion Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez and Edgar Berlanga.
Lara, who first won world titles at super-welterweight, has adapted seamlessly since climbing to 160lbs, claiming the WBA belt in his first fight in May 2021 by knocking out Thomas LaManna in the first round.
The Cuban has made two successful title defenses, stopping Gary O’Sullivan in eight rounds in May 2022 and most recently, knocking out Michael Zerafa in March this year. At 41 years old, Lara is the oldest active world champion in boxing.
Garcia, meanwhile, is also a two-weight world champion but welterweight is the heaviest class in which he’s collected titles. The Philadelphia fighter will be fighting at middleweight for the first time in his career, and to make the challenge even tougher, he’s also coming off a two-year break.
“All I can say is, be ready,” Lara said. “Danny Garcia was a great champion, but that was at a lower weight class. One-sixty is a whole different ball game. “He better come ready because at 160, things are different.”
Despite his advancing years, Lara remains a force at the top of the boxing tree, and his trainer Bob Santos is confident his fighter still has more to achieve.
“Lara’s another guy that everybody says is too old, but he keeps producing, keeps winning,” Santos said. “He still wants to compete.
“What makes these guys great and different from most of us is the ability to always think they can do it; to always believe they can get off the deck; to always think they can take on a challenge that most of us would shy away from. That mindset is what makes them great.”
In addition to the headline fight and co-main event, the show will also see former super-middleweight world champion Caleb Plant against Trevor McCumby. Plant is aiming to get back to winning ways after losing his most recent fight to David Benavidez in December.
Also on the card is former super-lightweight world champion Rolando ‘Rolly’ Romero against Manuel Jaimes, and former unified super-bantamweight title holder Stephen Fulton versus Carlos Castro in a featherweight bout.
