Erislandy Lara Aims To Dispose of Gausha - Target WBC, IBF Belts

WBA/IBO junior middleweight champion Erislandy Lara is hoping that his next fight, against undefeated Terrell Gausha, will be the final step before facing the other champions in his weight division.

Lara's fight with Gausha will top a Showtime televised tripleheader on October 14 from Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

Two other world champions in the division will defend their titles on the card. Jermell "Iron Man" Charlo (29-0, 14 KOs) will defend the WBC junior middleweight title against mandatory challenger Erickson "Hammer" Lubin (18-0, 13 KOs), while IBF chmapion "Swift" Jarrett Hurd (20-0, 14 KOs) will make his first title defense against tough former world champion Austin "No Doubt" Trout (30-3, 17 KOs).

The 29-year-old Gausha (20-0, 9 KOs), of Cleveland, Ohio has never faced anyone even close to the level of Lara. In his last two outings, he won a hard-fought decision over Steven Martinez last August and followed it up with a victory over Luis Hernandez on Feb. 10. 

Lara (24-2-2, 14 KOs), by far, has the edge in experience with fights against fighters like Canelo Alvarez, Trout, Alfredo Angulo, Carlos Molina, and several others.

The Cuban fighter is not overlooking the abilities of Gausha, but plans to put him away and then go after the winners of the IBF, WBC titles fights.

"This is an interesting fight versus an undefeated U.S. Olympian in Terrell Gausha. I know he will be ready because it's his opportunity to beat the best fighter in the division and become a champion. But come fight night, he will quickly realize and know why I'm the consensus No. 1 super welterweight in the world.  After this performance, I look forward to, one-by-one, adding a WBC and IBF title to my collection," Lara said.

Tickets to the event start at $50 (not including applicable fees). Tickets can be purchased at ticketmaster.com, barclayscenter.com or by calling 800-745-3000. Tickets can also be purchased at the American Express Box Office at Barclays Center starting Friday, September 1 at noon ET. Group discounts are available by calling 844-BKLYN-GP.