SAN ANTONIO – Erislandy Lara generally doesn’t comment on much beyond his task at hand.
The circumstances surrounding his most recent fight date, however, have understandably left him feeling a certain kind of way about what could have been.
Lara did not mince his words about what the future should hold for Kazakhstan’s Janibek Alimkhanuly after a drug-testing scandal forced the IBF and WBO 160lbs titlist out of their unification clash. The two were due to meet this weekend in a three-belt tilt – with Lara’s WBA title also at stake – this Saturday at Frost Bank Center, home of the San Antonio Spurs.
Those plans were shot to sunshine when Alimkhanuly, 17-0 (12 KOs), produced an adverse finding for accelerated levels of meldonium. Alimkhanuly’s team is now exploring means to have his “B” sample tested while the unbeaten southpaw fights to clear his name.
Just don’t count Lara among his supporters for that cause.
“He should be punished for cheating,” Lara told BoxingScene and other reporters when questioned on the subject Wednesday. “He tested dirty. He’s a younger man – 32 – fighting a 42-year-old man.
“We’ll see what happens, but he has two titles and he tested positive. He absolutely should be punished.”
Lara, 29-3-3 (17 KOs) – a Cuban export who now lives and trains in Las Vegas – will instead face substitute challenger Johan Gonzalez, 36-4 (34 KOs), in the third defense of his WBA 160lbs title.
The late opponent switch at least affords Lara, 42, the opportunity to resume his career.
He has not fought since a ninth-round stoppage of former two-division titlist Danny Garcia last September at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The win was the second of 2024 for Lara, sadly his busiest campaign since the pandemic.
Alimkhanuly’s fallout never threatened Lara’s placement on this card. Gonzalez was already secured by PBC as a standby opponent for any of the show’s bouts in and around the 160lbs division.
So now it’s on to business as usual for the two-division titlist Lara. So much so that he has already moved on from previously scheduled affairs.
“I’m just focused on fighting, no matter who the opponent is,” insisted Lara. “I’m not even gonna mention that guy’s name, because he doesn’t deserve it.
“I’m glad to be on this big card. It means a lot. We’re gonna go out there prepared and see what our opponent does and take it from there.”
Lara-Gonzalez is part of a four-fight PBC on Prime Video pay-per-view event. Isaac Cruz will defend his secondary version of the WBC 140lbs title versus Lamont Roach Jnr in the headliner.
