By Ryan Songalia
 
Carlos Tamara is not the first world champion that Nelson Fernandez has managed. In 30 years of boxing experience, the New Jersey-based manager has guided the careers of Andrew "Six Heads" Lewis, Beibis Mendoza and Hector Acero-Sanchez to title belts. While all three had their moments of glory, all three enjoyed short, forgettable reigns at the top.
 
"I've always said that once you become world champ you're either 25% better your first fight after or 25% worse," Fernandez explains.
 
"My experience tells me that your champion has to be hungry. Boxers need to be hungry."
 
Heading into training camp for Tamara's first defense of the IBF light-flyweight title against Luis Alberto Lazarte, the team's biggest concern was Tamara suffering a "let-down" after reaching his lofty goal.
 
Lazarte, 12 years older than Tamara at 39, has nine defeats to go along with 46 wins and a draw and is generally viewed as a tune-up opponent. Lazarte has challenged for a world title five times previously but has come up short each time. On paper he doesn't appear to be a danger to Tamara's crown.
 
Preempting a potential problem, Fernandez called a team meeting before beginning camp and made a drastic decision.
 
"What we did was we take his championship belt and ring away.
 
"It might not seem like we did much because he knows it's his belt and ring. You know what though? No, it's not. You're not going to have it in your apartment when you go to sleep. You don't see the belt.
 
"We said, 'You'll get it once you walk out of the ring.' In his mind he's going into the fight without being world champion. I think thats what has kept him hungry. He wants those accolades, he wants that belt."
 
For Tamara, it was just the wakeup call he needed.
 
"That only secured my feet on the ground," Tamara, 21-4 (15 KO), says. "I realized, ''You know what, I can lose it that fast.' I appreciate what my team has done and gave me that hunger that I wanted. That's a pretty belt and I'm going to fight my ass off to get it back."
 
Tamara, who won the title with a dramatic, final round come-from-behind knockout of Brian Viloria in January, will meet Lazarte at Club Once Unidos in the challenger's hometown of Mar del Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina this Saturday, May 29. He claims that even though his challenger has seen better days, he is not relaxing in training.
 
"I go in the ring expecting the best fighter and the best fight that this opponent would ever give anyone," Tamara of North Bergen, NJ by way of Sincelejo, Colombia, says. "I prepare myself for a hard tough fight regardless of whoever it is. Do not underestimate Lazarte, he's a good fighter and that's why he's got almost 50 wins."
 
A win against Lazarte would set Tamara up with a mandatory showdown against former champion Ulises Solis. According to Fernandez, Tamara's team has nine months from the day that they won the title (until October 21) to make a deal with Solis' team for the mandatory defense.
 
Fernandez says he is "99% sure" the Solis defense will take place in Puerto Rico, where Tamara's promoter Universal Promotions is based.
 
There will be no Solis fight if Tamara loses to Lazarte, however. And this time, it won't be Fernandez who takes the belt home. -RS

Ryan Songalia is a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. He can be reached at ryan@ryansongalia.com . An archive of his work can be found at www.ryansongalia.com . Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/ryansongalia .