By Elisinio Castillo
As BoxingScene.com reported a few days ago, former unified junior middleweight champion Erislandy Lara (25-3-2, 14 KOs) is getting himself ready for another tough fight, with undefeated WBA "regular" champion Brian Castano (15-0, 11 KOs).
The contest is being targeted for a date in January, but the network of choice is unknown at the moment.
Lara has been out of the ring since April, when he lost a twelve round split decision to Jarrett Hurd in their unification clash in Las Vegas. It was one of the better actions fights of 2018.
Lara's manager Luis DeCubas Jr. is expecting a very entertaining contest, with Castano - who many insiders regard as a potential future star in the weight class.
"This is going to be a great fight that the fans are going to enjoy a lot," said DeCubas Jr. to George Ebro. "And for Lara it's a great opportunity to conquer another belt and stay in the elite of the 154-pound division. He still has a lot of boxing left.'
Lara initially wanted a rematch with Hurd, but that option was pushed back after the unified champion suffered an injury in their bout and has been recovering since. Hurd finally returns on December 1 as part of the Deontay Wilder vs. Tyson Fury undercard in Los Angeles.
And beyond that, Hurd is being maneuvered to a future unification with WBC world champion Jermell Charlo, who also returns before the end of the year.
"That was a great fight, but it's already behind us and Lara is looking for new titles and new glories," added DeCubas Jr. "He has been one of the great 154-pound champions and he will be so once again next year."
Like Lara, the 29-year old Castano has an excellent record in amateur boxing with victories over talented fighters like Errol Spence Jr. and Sergiy Derevyanchenko.