Erislandy Lara has a new opponent for Saturday.
BoxingScene has confirmed that Lara, a two-division champion and the current WBA 160lbs titlist, will now face Venezuela’s Johan Gonzalez in a voluntary title defense. The move was made in the wake of Kazakhstan’s Janibek Alimkhanuly testing positive for the banned substance meldonium, which forced him out of his planned IBF, WBA and WBO unification bout with Lara.
Lara-Gonzalez will serve as part of a PBC on Prime Video pay-per-view event Saturday from Frost Bank Center, home to the NBA’s San Antonio Spurs.
The move allows Lara, 31-3-3 (19 KOs), to remain on Saturday’s show, which will end a ring absence of nearly 15 months.
At 42 years old, Lara is the sport’s oldest current titleholder, though his infrequent schedule stretches the term “active reign.” Lara previously held the WBA 154lbs belt and a secondary version of the WBA 160lbs strap before he was upgraded to full titleholder in 2023. Just two successful defenses have followed for the Cuban export.
Both took place in 2024, Lara’s first year with at least two fights since 2019. He scored knockouts in each defense, both of which took place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Lara stopped overmatched Michael Zerafa inside two rounds in March 2024 and then forced Danny Garcia to retire on his stool after nine one-sided rounds last September 14.
He jumped at the chance to face Alimkhanuly, 17-0 (12 KOs), the reigning IBF and WBO 160lbs titleholder who spent all year demanding a unification bout.
The original desired target of unbeaten southpaw Alimkhanuly was Carlos Adames, who holds the WBC belt. Talks were in place but never quite reached the point where it was clear that a deal would be reached. The conversation then shifted to Lara, who accepted without hesitation.
Alimkhanuly’s only fight for the moment is the one to clear his name. As is the case with most offending parties in random drug testing, the 32-year-old boxer professed his innocence and expressed immediate shock over the results produced from his November 15 VADA test.
His team is exploring the steps necessary to have Alimkhanuly’s “B” sample tested, although even if immediately processed, the latest results won’t come in time for him to be cleared for fight night this weekend.
The dilemma opened the door for Gonzalez, 36-4 (34 KOs), to challenge for his first major title and enter his first scheduled 12-round contest.
Gonzalez was already on stand-by in the event that one of the fighters dropped out of the evening’s scheduled bouts in and around his weight division. The career junior middleweight is coming off the most notable win of his career, a 10-round split decision nod over former unified 154lbs titlist Jarrett Hurd on March 1 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
The win came less than five months after Gonzalez was manhandled by then-unbeaten Yoenis Tellez in a seventh-round knockout defeat last October 19 in Orlando, Florida. It was his second defeat in three fights, which included a ninth-round knockout at the hands of Jesus Ramos Jnr, who will face Shane Mosley Jnr in a vacant WBC interim 160lbs title fight also set for Saturday.
The balance of the lineup for Saturday’s PBC on Prime Video card remains intact. Topping the four-fight PPV telecast, Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz will defend his secondary version of the WBC 140lbs title versus Lamont Roach Jnr.
