By Elisinio Castillo
WBA 'regular' junior middleweight champion Erislandy Lara (20-2-2, 12KOs) is currently training for his upcoming return on June 12th, headlining a Premier Boxing Champions card against Delvin Rodriguez from the UIC Pavilion in Chicago.
Lara responded to a comment made on Saturday night by Mexican superstar Saul "Canelo" Alvarez, who dismissed the possibility of a rematch .
They fought each other last year in Las Vegas, with Canelo winning a very close twelve round split decision. Both fighters had their fair share of supporters on who actually deserved the victory.
Lara says there is no mistake that Canelo was wrongly awarded the win in their 2014 meeting.
"It doesn't surprise me that Canelo refuses to consider fighting me in a rematch. It's a played out subject. Everyone who watched the fight knows I won the fight. I out-landed him and out-threw him, and I beat him in every facet of the game. He knows and his team knows who won that night. I landed more jabs, more power punches, showed ring generalship and controlled the fight he fought my fight and lost. Whether you like the way I fought or didn't it doesn't change the truth, numbers don't lie. That fight will always be looked at as a tainted fight," Lara said in a statement to BoxingScene.com.
"Was it my best performance?... No - but that doesn't change the fact that I won the fight. Was it his best performance?...No - but because of his name, fame and looks he got the decision. Everyone who knows about boxing, and the business of it, knows that's what happened."
Lara has Rodriguez next month, but he'd like to get a fight with WBA/IBO middleweight champion Gennady "GGG" Golovkin, who fights on Saturday night against Willie Monroe Jr. in Los Angeles. He proposes to face Golovkin, and Canelo face Miguel Cotto - and then have a showdown between the two winners.
"All of the fans know - all roads lead through me at 154 pounds. If he wants to prove he's best 154-pounder in the world he has beat me. I'm the champion of the junior middleweight division. There are no titles at 155-pounds. But other than Cotto or GGG there is no better fight than me. So sooner or later I'll see you. Time's on my side because I'm here to cause problems for the next 10 years. And if he wants I'll fight GGG and he can fight Cotto in September and the winners meet. I don't care my resume tells my story," Lara said.
