Key #2 for Erislandy Lara Earn His Respect
For Erislandy Lara to have success against Canelo Alvarez he can’t be in full Usain Bolt mode.
Yes, he needs to rely on his wheels and move constantly, but by sitting down on his power punches, Lara can make Canelo think twice before he tries to get inside.
Lara possesses a substantial reach advantage–75 inches to Canelo’s 70.5 inches (per BoxRec)–so he should look to take full advantage of that by keeping Alvarez on the end of his stick (to maintain distance) and make Canelo pay with a strong cross when he gets past the jab.
Nothing will frustrate Canelo more than having to reset his offense every time he gets close because he’s eating hard combinations. That will certainly happen if Lara is quick and committed to sitting down on his punches.
Earning respect early will be key and while Lara’s favorite combination is the right jab followed by a quick left cross upstairs, he would be wise to mix in some early body work as well to slow Canelo down in the later rounds.
Key #2 for Canelo Alvarez Land Combinations Around His Guard That End With the Left Hook
Proponents of Canelo Alvarez have argued that if Alfredo Angulo, who is much slower and less-skilled than Alvarez, could find Erislandy Lara and drop him, then it should be even easier for Alvarez.
However, it is not that easy.
Angulo might be slower and not as skillful, but he is absolutely relentless and knows how to cut the ring off.
Alvarez, on the other hand, has gotten tired in the later rounds of his fights and likes to engage in technical boxing matches.
The same failed tactic he used against Floyd Mayweather–waiting for counter punches and never pushing forward–will not work against Lara.
When Alvarez is able to close the distance, as Angulo was able to do, he will need to land fast counterpunches around Lara’s guard.
Lara likes to put his earmuffs up, as Teddy Atlas likes to call them, and step around his opponent.
However, when he does this, he often leaves his right hand down, which allowed Angulo to knock him down twice.
When Alvarez throws his fast combinations around Lara’s earmuffs with the same intensity he did against Josesito Lopez, he will need to finish his combinations with a left hook to the chin.
Each combination will be a small storm Lara will try to endure before finding his distance, but as he waits for his opportunity to step around, Alvarez needs to send him off–and down–with a powerful left hook.
