Two-division world champion Erislandy Lara nears his title defense against Danny Garcia on September 14 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The pair battles it out in the co-feature to Canelo Alvarez vs Edgar Berlanga live on PPV. The event is held on Mexican Independence Day weekend.
Going through the ropes for the second time this year, Lara (30-3-3, 18 KOs) puts his WBA middleweight title on the line. The 41-year-old southpaw is challenged by Philadelphia’s two-weight champion “Swift” Garcia (37-3, 21 KOs), who makes his ring return and looks to land a world title in his third division.
Erislandy Lara is fresh off the win by knockout in the second round against Michael Zerafa in March. Prior to that he stopped Gary O’Sullivan and Thomas LaManna.
“Danny Garcia is a great fighter, a multiple-division world champion, and like me, he’s one of the best fighters of this generation,” Lara said following a recent training secession. “This is going to be the fight of the night. I knocked out my last three opponents, and I’m training to make it four.”
“This is going to be a tough fight, I know that. But every fight at the championship level is tough and has its challenges. I’m preparing hard for Danny and I believe that my experience fighting at this weight will be an advantage.”
“I’m very happy with the work I’ve been putting in during this training camp. We’ve had a lot of time to work on fighting Danny Garcia and we’re prepared for what he brings. He’s a very powerful puncher with both hands, so I’ve had to tighten up and make a few adjustments on my defense. My focus is why I can keep performing at this level again and again. I’m going to be in tremendous shape like I always am and I’ll be ready for anything he does in the ring.”
“It’s a great honor to be fighting on Mexican Independence Day weekend, especially against a great Puerto Rican champion in Danny Garcia. I’ll be fighting not only for my Cuban fans, but also for the Mexican fans that will be tuning in. It’s going to be a great fight for everyone watching, no matter where you’re from.”
“I feel I’ve done a lot in this sport, and a win versus Danny Garcia will add another big triumph against a former world champion. I’ve fought the best and have never turned down an opportunity to fight anyone. My goal is to one day be inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame and I’m going to keep working to reach it.”
In the main event, Mexico’s undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez (61-2-2, 39 KOs) faces unbeaten contender Edgar Berlanga (22-0, 17 KOs) of Brooklyn, New York. The bout is scheduled for 12 rounds with the unified WBC, WBA and WBO titles at stake.
Also on the card, former world champion Caleb Plant (22-2, 13 KOs) of Nashville, Tennessee and Trevor McCumby (28-0, 21 KOs) of Yorkville, Illinois clash for the interim WBA super middleweight title. Plus, former champion Rolando Romero (15-2, 13 KOs) of Las Vegas takes on Manuel Jaimes (16-1-1, 11 KOs) of San Jose, California at super lightweight.