Erislandy Lara started his professional career on July 04th, 2008. Since then he has had only 20 fights as a professional. It was not due to any injuries or to his personal life. The guy just can’t find boxers who want to step in the ring with him. On June 8th, Lara will face his toughest opponent to date in Alfredo Angulo.
When reviewed; Lara’s resume does not seem that impressive but one should not judge by his resume. Lara is a very talented fighter that can cause anyone problems and he can beat most of the guys out there today.
Lara’s somewhat breakout fight was against Carlos Molina; a Mexican fighter who’s awkward style can make anyone look bad and he beats you while doing it. Their fight ended in controversial draw in which many in the boxing world felt should have went to Molina.
After the Molina fight Lara faced off against Paul “The Punisher” Williams; one of the most avoided fighters at that time. Lara had a game plan to beat Williams and it was simple; follow Sergio Martinez way of fighting Williams. The plan seemed to work with Williams being the aggressor at times catching Lara and giving him a huge lump in the process and Lara landing pot shot after pot shot for most of the fight bloodying Williams face. Most felt Lara should have won the fight but this time he ended up on the wrong end of a majority decision.
Lara would go on to destroy his next opponent Ronald Hearns in the first round and get a ten round decision over Freddy Hernandez.
On November 10th, 2012, Lara would get a shot for his first win against a relevant name opponent when he faced off against Vanes Martirosyan. The fight ended up being a disappointment for both fighters and for fight fans. The fight was very close while it lasted but that night it seemed as if the fighters were more interested in grappling and wrestling with each other. The bout ended after an accidental head butt opened a huge gash over Martirosyan’s left eye. The finished result, a draw.
All was quiet until recently when it was announced that Lara would face Angulo. The good news for Lara is that he will be fighting a guy that he has been calling out for a while. He has that shot for a win from a big name fighter on his record. The bad news, he is facing Angulo. Angulo is no walk in the park for anyone that faces him. He has a solid chin, power, and a huge heart. If Angulo would not have punched himself out against James Kirkland, he could of won the fight but we will not know because of what resulted in that fight.
In the past we have seen Lara come in as the aggressor but he usually plays the role of the counterpuncher which would suit him best for this fight with Angulo. If Lara is to go toe to toe with “El Perro”, who knows how long the fight will last for either man. But, it is the risk that Lara needs to finally get that one big win.
