Cuba’s Erislandy Lara will headline his first pay-per-view event when he faces Canelo Alvarez in a 12-round bout at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday (9 p.m. ET, Showtime PPV).
For Lara (19-1-2, 12 KOs), this will be an opportunity to showcase his boxing skills. He will be facing a slower but more powerful opponent in Alvarez (43-1-1, 31 KOs), who will also be carrying much more weight into the ring.
Will Lara be able to give Alvarez his second defeat in three fights?
Here are five keys Lara should consider ahead of Saturday’s fight:
Fast and furiousWith his speed, craftiness and explosive counter shots, Lara has become the class of the 154-pound division. Coming in with a straight right hand and a long left in quick sequence up the middle is his weapon of choice as a combination. That’s how he finished Ronald Hearns in the first round in 2012, Willie Lee in 2010 and Keith Gross in 2009. Against Alvarez, he must not hesitate to repeat the same procedure. It’s time to truly test the Mexican’s chin.
Counterpunching 101If most predictions are fulfilled, Alvarez will look to impose his physical power from the beginning, trying to reach Lara with power punches at close range. Against this backdrop, if Lara opts to elude the exchanges he will have to take advantage of his speed with counter shots. Counterpunching is a useful tool. It worked for him against Alfredo Angulo in a complicated fight in which he felt the pressure at all times and was forced to use this resource.
Show those movesAlvarez will cut off the ring and resort to aggressive pressure, trying to come in with hooks and long, looping punches both inside and outside. It’s the same strategy Alvarez adopted in his victory over Austin Trout. Lara, in this scenario, will have to keep moving all the time. Against Canelo, he will have to come in, throw his bombs and move laterally. This worked for him quite well against Paul Williams even though he lost by controversial decision.
Smile for the camerasIn close, distance fights, Lara usually has problems with the judges. Along with the controversial loss against Williams in 2011 by majority decision, he received a draw against Vanes Martirosyan in 2012. Against Canelo, in order to avoid a do-over, he will have to keep his punching volume high and then close all of his rounds on the upswing. Even when forced to back up, he should never stop throwing punches.
Don’t stay putOne of Lara’s biggest problems against Alvarez will be the differences in punching power and weight. Lara hardly weighs more than 165 pounds at fight time, while Alvarez will be climbing into the ring at around 175. To this we must add Alvarez’s advantage in terms of power. It’s obvious that Lara should refrain from becoming a sitting target, especially in the last few rounds when stress and fatigue begin to set in and theoretically he is more vulnerable.
