Erislandy Lara was on top in his middleweight title defense against Danny “Swift” Garcia on September 14. The Cuban southpaw took a dominant win, eliminating fellow two-division world champion of Philadelphia in the co-feature to Canelo Alvarez vs Edgar Berlanga. The event aired live on PPV from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
41-year-old Erislandy Lara (31-3-3, 19 KOs) successfully defended his WBA 160 lbs belt for the third time. Currently the oldest world champion in boxing took the victory via RTD, after his opponent’s father, Angel Garcia, called it a day after the ninth round. At the end of that round the Houston-based champion sent the challenger to the canvas with a left hand.
“I felt that I boxed beautifully,” Lara said. “It was a work of art, like a Picasso. I negated everything Danny had. He’s a great fighter and a Hall of Famer just like me. I used lateral movement with a long jab to land my big shots, just like you learn at the Cuban school of boxing.”
“The punches I was landing were hurting him. That punch that ended the fight was a big shot.”
“I’m ready for the next challenge. I’m here to stay. I have a lot of boxing left in me.”
Former super lightweight and welterweight champion Danny Garcia (37-4, 21 KOs) made his first ring appearance in over two years. The 36-year-old was looking to claim the belt in his third weight class.
“I’m okay. I came off a two year layoff and tried to be great, and it wasn’t my night,” Garcia said. “No excuses. I didn’t think the layoff would affect me like that, but there’s no excuses. I couldn’t find my rhythm. He had a strong jab and was controlling the distance well.”
“At the end of the day my dad is always gonna do what’s best for me. I tried to conquer a third division and I came up short. I’ve been at the top of the game for a long time, I take this on the chin like a true champion.”