By Cliff Rold
Some opponents make a hot prospect look better. Other opponents actually make them better. The two ideas are not mutually exclusive, but often in boxing, with the pressure of television lights bearing down, one is chosen over the other.
And the choice is too often style over substance.
This Friday night it won’t be the case for 26-year old Erislandy Lara (9-0, 5 KO) of Cuba. He’ll be stepping in with awkward, schooled veteran Grady Brewer (26-11, 15 KO) on the undercard of the WBA Light Heavyweight title rematch between Gabriel Campillo and Beibut Shumenov. Even at 39, the Contender Season Two winner Brewer represents on paper not just the stiffest test of Lara’s career but arguably the stiffest test any of the current, hot Cuban crop has faced.