All photos by Gene Blevins/Hogan Photos
Saturday, July 12, 2014, Canelo Alvarez and Erislandy Lara battle it out in an eagerly-anticipated Jr. Middleweight showdown live from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, NV.
The bout–which will be shown live on Showtime pay-per-view–will crown the best fighter at 154 pounds (not named Floyd Mayweather Jr.), although Lara’s WBA strap will not be on the line.
Each man earned a dominant victory in their last outing, with Canelo destroying Alfredo Angulo and Lara picking Austin Trout apart.
Before the highly-skilled fighters go at it on Saturday night, Round By Round Boxing’s Sr. Analyst Gabe Rivas and Editor-in-Chief Alex Burgos go head-to-head.
Read on for the keys to victory for each fighter and let us know who you think will win, Canelo vs. Lara.
Key #1 for Erislandy Lara
Be Elusive, Work the Angles
By Alex Burgos
One of my all-time favorite hip-hop songs is “Work the Angles” by Dilated Peoples. It’s a jam that Erislandy Lara should make his theme song on Saturday night.
On the track, Evidence wisely spits, “Don’t go to them, let them come to you, and work the angles, sharp and precise.” That’s exactly what Lara should be thinking against Canelo Alvarez.
Lara must be ready to box, box and box some more. He has to move to his right–Canelo’s left–and keep Canelo off balance with a quick and steady jab.
Canelo possesses a good jab himself, so this won’t be easy, but if Lara can produce the type of start that he did against Alfredo Angulo–where Angulo landed 0 of 39 jabs in Round 1–Lara will certainly frustrate the young Mexican.
According to CompuBox, Lara’s last six opponents have landed just 20 percent of their total punches, which is third behind only Guillermo Rigondeaux (16 percent), Floyd Mayweather (18 percent) and Anselmo Moreno (18 percent).
That sort of elusiveness is rare and will give Canelo fits if Lara sticks to the gameplan. Sure, Lara might not be Floyd Mayweather (which is what Chepo Reynoso keeps saying) but then again he doesn’t have to be. He’s a master boxer in his own right.
Lara should not let himself get wrapped up in a matchup of who can hit harder or who can stay in the pocket the longest. For Lara to be successful, “Honor and Glory” cannot mean blood and guts.
Key #1 for Canelo Alvarez
Cut the Ring, Land the Right hand
By Gabe Rivas
Canelo Alvarez has a long list of opponents who weren’t very elusive.
Josesito Lopez, Shane Mosley and Alfredo Angulo were just some of the opponents with little footwork who could easily be caught by Alvarez’s quick counterpunching.
There was one opponent, however, who wasn’t made-to-order: Austin Trout
At the time of their WBA and WBC unification bout, Trout brought a slick southpaw stance and counter punching abilities that Alvarez had never seen before.
Alvarez did very well, but he did have trouble with Trout’s style at times.
In Lara, we have an even slicker opponent, and Alvarez will have to be busier and cut the ring off without getting impatient.
He will need to use his jab to keep Lara off balance and to set up his right hand.
If his right hand can land the way it did on Trout, Alvarez will stop the fight early.
Key #2 for Erislandy Lara
Earn His Respect
By Alex Burgos
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
By Gabe Rivas
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.
