SONAHR: July 13, 2014 – On Saturday night, budding superstar Saul ?Canelo? Alvarez notched his second straight victory since his humiliating defeat at the hands of Floyd Mayweather Jr. last year. This time, the Mexican scored a split decision over WBA junior-middleweight champion Erislandy Lara. But Alvarez did not come away with Lara?s title as a result. Nor did he cover himself with glory in his winning effort.
The reason Alvarez did not regain a world-title belt is that ? inexplicably ? the bout was contested at a contracted weight of 155 pounds, which is one pound over the junior-middleweight (or, as it is sometimes called, super-welterweight) limit. Thus, Lara would have kept his crown even if he?d been flattened in the first round. The best Alvarez could hope for was an impressive win over an opponent some might have described as a reasonable facsimile of Mayweather.
Well, Canelo did get the win, with two judges? scorecards coming in at 114-113 and 117-111 in his favor. The other judge carded 114-113 for Lara. Most observers agreed with the closeness of the 114-113 tallies, and wondered what the hell the judge who came up with 117-114 was looking at.
The fight also showed that Lara is no Mayweather ? at least, he wasn?t against Alvarez. Floyd was able to make Alvarez hesitate in their encounter, and that reluctance to punch made Canelo putty in Mayweather?s hands. Yes, Lara made Alvarez miss a lot, and was also able to score with stinging counterpunches. But instead of hesitating, Alvarez just kept on coming, and was able to bang the Cuban?s body and inflict a bad cut over his eye. It was aggression vs. defense, and in the case of this fight, aggression won, although only by a hair.
If anything, Lara is more of a poor man?s version of fellow Cuban standout Guillermo Rigondeaux, who is a master stylist but also a mediocre entertainer. Lara?s smooth skills and defensive prowess are undeniable. But his subtleties sometimes don?t show up on the scorecards. Although he is far from unwatchable, he does not have the flair conducive to building a fan base anywhere near the level of Canelo?s mob of maniacal followers.
Even though he is the type of fighter that others tend to avoid, Lara does possess one thing that can serve as an incentive: his WBA title, which he still holds despite his disputed defeat on Saturday. In his post-fight comments, Lara demanded a rematch with Alvarez. The chances of that wish being granted are remote, at best. But other 154-pounders such as Austin Trout, Demetrious Andrade, or Jermell Charlo might be willing to try to solve the frustrating puzzle Lara poses ? perhaps as a co-feature on a pay-per-view card with a more fan-friendly matchup at the top.
As for Alvarez, he still doesn?t have a title. But he did show that he can hold his own against any slick boxer whose name isn?t Floyd Mayweather. His prospects are not quite as golden as they were before the Mayweather debacle. But Canelo?s star still shines brightly in boxing?s future, and he is likely to become a champion again by the end of this year.
