Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images
This Saturday night, July 12, 2014, live at the MGM Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nev., the two best Junior Middleweight’s will duke it out on a pay-per-view bout which will air live on Showtime.
The four-bout telecast is scheduled to start at 9:00, pm EST.
Showtime will also televise undefeated WBO Bantamweight World Champion Tomoki “El Mexicanito” Kameda defending his title in a 12-round bout against No. 1-ranked contender Pungluang Sor Singyu during “Canelo vs. Lara: Countdown Live” which kicks off at 7:30 pm, EST., immediately preceding the live pay-per-view event.
This midsummer showdown, titled Honor & Glory, will showcase the intensity and passion that both fighters have. Canelo and Lara both have so much to gain from this fight.
For Canelo, this fight can continue his legacy as a future great fighter with a victory against a very difficult opponent.
After earning a TKO against Alfredo Angulo, Canelo is looking to continue to gain popularity amongst all boxing fans–casual to the extreme–with a victory against Lara.
By wanting to fight the best opposition available, Canelo has put himself in a respectable situation–win or lose. However, he also has put himself in a dangerous and risky situation as well.
Lara has a tremendous opportunity to steal the show and capitalize on the opportunity to be the best fighter at Junior Middleweight.
Scroll through to read Round By Round Boxing’s in-depth preview of Canelo vs. Lara and let us know who you think will win this bout.
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Tale of the Tape
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Entering this bout, Canelo Alvarez visually appears as the smaller fighter in terms of size. He hasn’t seem undersized since the unanimous decision victory against Austin Trout.
Canelo will likely re-hydrate back to his usual fight-night weight, around 172-175 pounds. He enjoys re-hydrating to this weight because he retains his strength and feels good enough to box and move.
Even though Canelo and Erislandy Lara are the exact same height, Lara will have the reach advantage. Will Lara’s reach be visibly known to the public? The answer is yes and rightfully so. It will be up to Lara to take control of his reach advantage in the ring.
Lara is going to need to take advantage of his size and also utilize his great boxing ability to frustrate Canelo. For the slick southpaw Lara, his great boxing ability can be credited to his long reach.
Main Story Lines
Erislandy Lara’s wait has finally come to an end. He crashed Canelo Alvarez’s post-match press conference after the Alfredo Angulo fight and asked Canelo in front of the media for a fight.
Soon after the press conference, Lara attacked Canelo on different social media outlets, continuing to demand the fight.
Lara has mentioned before that Canelo does not deserve to be in the position that he is in and that the Mexican star has been built up by Golden Boy Promotions.
There is some truth to that, however it’s just smart business and marketing by Golden Boy Promotions.
This non-title bout between the two boxers has been named Honor & Glory. Both fighters have embraced the title of the fight due to their persona of wanting to be the best and coming from boxing rich nations.
The winner of this bout will be in line for huge fights in the future.
Canelo wants to display to the boxing world that he is willing to fight the best opposition out there. For the 23 year old it’s a bold move due to the high risk that’s involved. However, Canelo’s efforts to fight the best have certainly not gone unnoticed by the boxing community, including fans and writers.
Strengths for Each Man
Canelo Alvarez
Photo by Esther Lin/Showtime
The type of power Canelo Alvarez possesses is very critical to the outcome of this bout. He must able to display his physical power against Erislandy Lara.
Canelo must land the heavier bombs throughout the contest in order to break down Lara who has shown in the past that he can go down.
For Canelo to have success with his power shots, he must be able to invest early and often with left or right power shots to the body. If he can connect, this will help slow down Lara and possibly earn Canelo a knockdown.
When Canelo display’s his beautiful multiple combinations, they are setup by his dazzling hand speed and his accuracy. These two create the powerful flurries of punches that will sting and drop an opponent down.
Canelo must be able to capitalize on every opening he sees in Lara’s defense.
Erislandy Lara
Photo by Ray Spencer/Hogan Photos
For the Cuban southpaw Erislandy Lara, his best strengths are his boxing ability and his speed. These two strengths are the reasons why he is a difficult opponent for anyone in the ring.
While some people say it’s boring, Lara likes to show the world that he’s a talented boxer. He will have the better boxing skills and speed advantage over Canelo entering the fight which will allow Lara to set up counter attacks.
Lara’s overall speed makes it extremely hard for his opponents to keep up the pace against him. He frustrates his opposition by using his speed and then he hits them with precise counter one-two combinations all day.
Weaknesses for Each Man
Canelo Alvarez
Photo by AP Photo/Eric Jamison
One major weakness for Canelo Alvarez is that he fights flat footed.
Even in victory, he continues to show throughout fights that he remains flat footed and that will eventually catch up with him. He has shown moments that he can bounce and move on his toes in a fight, but not for the entire fight.
Canelo continues to show that he has good speed, but against an opponent such as Floyd Mayweather who was faster than him, his flat footed attack cost him as he got beat to the punch most of the night.
Erislandy Lara
Photo by Holly Stein/Getty Images
Due to his amateur background, Erislandy Lara exposes his body against a pressure fighter. Also due to his amateur background, he exposes his torso area.
By allowing this to happen, Canelo can take opportunities to land and connect with devastating blows to the body.
When Lara’s opponent starts to engage with him, he doesn’t have an inside game. He doesn’t battle and fire uppercuts.
And when Lara starts to get hit in the body area, he simply takes a step back and try’s to counter and box from the outside.
The Winner and Why
Photo by Eric Gray/AP Photos
Canelo Alvarez will be the victorious winner against Erislandy Lara and he will do so by split decision.
The reasons why Canelo will win are his power, his hand speed and improved defense.
Canelo’s true identity lies in his power. He has power in both hands and if he invests early to the body of Lara, he will slowly start to break him down.
In the middle rounds, Canelo will mix up his power shots to the body and head of Lara. In the late rounds, Canelo will impose his physical strength and continue to be the stronger man in the bout, landing the harder punches against Lara.
Canelo’s lighting quick hand speed sets up his tremendous multiple flurry combinations. Along with having power in these combinations, Lara will have a hard time adjusting to Canelo’s combinations the entire fight.
We will see an improved defense from Canelo. He has always showed that he continues to work on his defensive ability in every fight and this fight will be no different.
Be aware of Canelo’s defensive moments, when he is slipping and weaving away from Lara’s counter punches for the entire fight. This improved aspect of his arsenal will help him to be the better boxer of the fight.
