Long considered an awkward opponent who aims to stink up any fight in which he’s involved, Erislandy Lara is well past the point of boxing’s usual game of self-salesmanship. At age 42 and after 17 years in the pros, Lara now allows his work to speak for itself.
And lately, it has had plenty to say.
Lara, a two-division champion and current middleweight belt holder in the midst of a late-career renaissance, will attempt to write yet another chapter to his career narrative when he faces fellow titlist Janibek Alimkhanuly in a unification bout December 6 at the Frost Bank Center in San Antonio.
As a counterpunching southpaw molded in the Cuban amateur system, Lara, 31-3-3 (18 KOs), was almost tailor-made to thwart opponents’ fight plans and gum up the action at every turn – and, for a long time, he did. But he has been reborn at middleweight, authoring four consecutive knockouts dating back to his first-round wipeout of Thomas “Cornflake” LaManna in 2021. Even Lara’s most recent fight – similar to something of his older, uglier vintage – ended in a stoppage win over former two-division champ Danny Garcia.
After talking of cementing his status as a future Hall of Famer ahead of that September 2024 bout, Lara is aiming for a goal that may be slightly more attainable.
“This fight means everything to me,” said Lara, who now fights out of Houston. “It’s a unification fight, so if I win this fight, I’ll show everyone that I’m the best fighter at 160 pounds.
“This is the fight that will solidify my legacy. I know what I need to do and I’m confident in my ability to come out victorious. Everyone watching is going to see the best possible version of myself.”
That may be no less than what’s required against Kazakhstan’s 32-year-old Janibek, 17-0 (12 KOs), a two-belt unified middleweight titlist and a tough, versatile boxer-puncher. Janibek has yet to appear in a big fight, but that may be for good reason: He has called himself “the most avoided boxer,” and he would likely be on the short list of fighters who qualify for the mantle.
“Let people keep thinking that Janibek is the most dangerous guy in the division,” Lara said. “We’ll see on December 6 if that holds.”
It’s impossible to know what to expect on the night. Lara is 42 and will have gone 15 months between starts. He wouldn’t be the first fighter to see it all slip away in an instant. Also, Janibek is a southpaw himself, which can make for clunky matchups. And, finally, which Lara will show up – the muckety-muckster or the heat-seeking aggressor?
“Fans are going to see a Lara that’s going in there to throw punches to hurt Janibek,” Lara said. “I’m coming to hurt my opponent. If I get the opportunity, I’m gonna end the night early. If it goes the distance, you’ll see me win a beautiful fight.”
Jason Langendorf is the former Boxing Editor of ESPN.com, was a contributor to Ringside Seat and the Queensberry Rules, and has written about boxing for Vice, The Guardian, Chicago Sun-Times and other publications. A member of the Boxing Writers Association of America, he can be found at LinkedIn and followed on X and Bluesky.
