Erislandy Lara (22-2-2, 13 KOs) called out Gennady Golovkin (34-0, 31 KOs) on Twitter noting that he is “ready, willing, and able to fight,” and that Golovkin’s promotion team at K2 Promotions knows who to call should Golovkin be up for the challenge.
Lara issued the challenge days after the IBF forced Golovkin into negotiating with his new mandatory challenger Dominic Wade (18-0, 12 KOs). Golovkin’s original mandatory assignment from the IBF, Tureano Johnson (19-1, 13 KOs), was injured weeks earlier and deemed unfit to fight for Golovkin’s intended March bout.
Lara’s challenge did not specify a weight class or purse split that the 154-pound Cuban slickster would want in such a fight, pieces of information that Golovkin’s team would need in order to consider such a fight.
As a stepping stone, Lara doesn’t offer any incentive to Golovkin. Lara doesn’t hold any of the 160-pound belts and generally performs poorly at the box office. Lara’s last fight against Jan Zaveck (35-4, 19 KOs) took place at a half-filled racetrack in Miami, a stark contrast to Golovkin’s previous matchup: a sold-out showcase against David Lemieux (34-3, 31 KOs) at Madison Square Garden.
Recently, Golovkin went on a two-day promotional tour in London to scout locations for future fights, according to promoter Tom Loeffler.
“We were just in London for two days, then [Golovkin] goes back to [Kazakhstan] for about a week,” Loeffler said, a few days before Lara called out the Kazakh.
There is speculation that Golovkin intends to fight a 160-pound unification bout against Billy Joe Saunders (23-0, 12 KOs) in London should Golovkin succeed in his defense against Wade.
Lara’s next fight has yet to be announced.
