CHICAGO (June 9, 2015) – Cuban boxing star, Erislandy “The American Dream” Lara (20-2-2, 12 KOs), has arrived in Chicago for his upcoming bout with Delvin Rodriguez (28-7-4, 16 KOs) as Premier Boxing Champions returns to Spike this Friday June 12, 2015.

This edition of PBC on Spike begins at 9 p.m. ET. Doors at UIC Pavilion open at 5 p.m. CT with the first fight set for 5:30 p.m. CT.

Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by Warriors Boxing in association with Group Yvon Michel (GYM) and Star Boxing, are priced at $151, $101, $51, and $31, not including applicable service charges, and are on sale now. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000 or UIC Pavilion Box Office at (312) 413-5740. Tickets are also available at www.ticketmaster.com or by visiting the UIC Pavilion Box Office (Thursday or Friday 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.).

For more information visit www.premierboxingchampions.com, www.spike.com/shows/premier-boxing-champions, follow on Twitter @PremierBoxing, @LaraBoxing, @DRodriguez1980, @WarriorsBoxProm and @SpikeTV and become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/PremierBoxing, www.Facebook.com/WarriorsBoxingPromoand www.Facebook.com/Spike.

WBA Super Welterweight World Champion Erislandy “The American Dream” Lara will be throwing out the ceremonial first pitch before tomorrow (Wednesday, June 10) night’s Chicago White Sox vs. Houston Astros game at U.S. Cellular Field in Chicago.

Cuban boxing sensation Lara (20-2-2, 12 KOs) is making the publicity rounds of the Windy City in advance of his Premier Boxing Champions fight, televised live on Spike TV, this Friday (June 12) against Delvin Rodriguez (28-7-4, 16 KOs).

Wednesday’s Chicago White Sox vs. Houston Astros game will be broadcast live on WPWR-TV, channel 50 (UHF digital channel 51) and on the radio on WSCR 670 and WRTO 1200 in Spanish.

32-year-old Lara has notched victories over Alfredo Angulo, Austin Trout and Freddy Hernandez throughout his career. As an amateur, Lara won numerous titles including a national championship at welterweight and also participated in the 2007 Pan-Am games. Originally from Guantanamo, Cuba, but fighting out of Houston, Lara most recently defeated former world champion Ishe Smith on his way to his 20th professional victory.

Also scheduled for televised action on Friday night is Russian knockout artist Artur Beterbiev (8-0, 8 KOs), who is set to square off against Maryland’s Alexander Johnson (16-2, 7 KOs).

This edition of PBC on Spike begins at 9 p.m. ET. Doors at UIC Pavilion open at 5 p.m. CT with the first fight set for 5:30 p.m. CT.

Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by Warriors Boxing in association with Joe DeGuardia’s Star Boxing and Group Yvon Michel (GYM), are priced at $151, $101, $51, and $31, not including applicable service charges, and are on sale now. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000 or UIC Pavilion Box Office at (312) 413-5740. Tickets are also available at www.ticketmaster.com or by visiting the UIC Pavilion Box Office (Thursday or Friday 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.).

CONTACTS:
Swanson Communications: (202) 783-5500
Andre Courtemanche, Warriors Boxing: (954) 302-2462
Mario Serrano, Team Lara: 408-607-5756
David Schwarz, Spike TV: (212) 767-8639
UIC Pavilion: (312) 413-5700
Media Credentials: www.magnamedia.com

# # #

About Warriors Boxing

Launched in 2003, Warriors Boxing operates under a simple philosophy-bring the best boxers in the world to fight fans, match them in competitive bouts, and in doing so help re-establish the sport of boxing for a new generation.

With a series of successful Pay-Per-View shows and packed houses to its credit, the Warriors business model is working wonders in a sport that was sorely in need of the innovation and energy that the company brings to the table.

When it comes down to it though, a promotional company is only as good as the fighters and fights it promotes. Warriors Boxing has delivered on all fronts, with outstanding bouts such as Lara-Molina, Cayo-Peterson, Abraham-Miranda I and II, Miranda-Pavlik, Miranda-Green, Ibragimov-Briggs, Ibragimov-Klitschko, Urango-Hatton, Urango-Bailey, Cayo-Maidana and Ibragimov-Holyfield.

For more information on Warriors Boxing, visit their website at www.WarriorsBoxing.com.

New York, June 3 – Star Boxing’s popular super welterweight veteran Delvin Rodriguez (28-7-4, 16 KOs) will square off against WBA World Super Welterweight Champion Erislandy “The American Dream” Lara (20-2-2, 12 KOs) in a 12-round title affair at UIC Pavilion in Chicago on Friday night, June 12. SPIKE TV will televise on its Premiere Boxing Champions series at 9:00 PM.

“We’re proud to have Delvin Rodriguez, with whom we have had a long and successful relationship, showcased on Spike TV, our second fighter in three weeks to appear on the network,” said Joe DeGuardia, president of Star Boxing. “Delvin is extremely popular and familiar to TV boxing fans with regular appearances on ESPN’s ‘Friday Night Fights.’ He is a true gentleman and competitor who has had some spectacular outings.”

After last week’s action-packed welterweight contest featuring Star Boxing’s Chris Algieri and Amir Khan averaged over 1 million views, SPIKE TV will present another primetime fight.

“I know I have a tough fight ahead because Lara is a great, slick boxer,” says the Dominican-born Rodriguez. “I’m not going to tell the people what I’m going to do, but they should know I’m in the best shape ever and my mind is set on autopilot to win no matter what it takes.”

During a 39-fight career, Rodriguez has faced off against such champions as Miguel Cotto and Austin Trout, while notching victories against top-caliber fighters like Mike Arnaoutis, Shamone Alvarez and Pawel Wolak.

Lara has wins over Freddy Hernandez, Alfredo Angulo and Austin Trout. The 32-year-old Cuban champion has recently won his 20th match, defeating former world champion Ishe Smith.

For more information visit official website at www.StarBoxing.com and follow on Twitter @ Star Boxing and Facebook.com/StarBoxing.

CHICAGO (May 12, 2015) – Cuban boxing sensation Erislandy “The American Dream” Lara (20-2-2, 12 KOs) returns to the ring on Friday, June 12 to face veteran Delvin Rodriguez (28-7-4, 16 KOs) as Premier Boxing Champions heads back to Spike.

Additionally, Russian knockout artist Artur Beterbiev (8-0, 8 KOs) is set to square off against the ring-savvy Doudou Ngumbu (34-6, 13 KOs) of Haute-Garonne, France.

This edition of PBC on Spike begins at 9 p.m. ET. Doors at UIC Pavilion open at 5 p.m. CT with the first fight set for 5:30 p.m. CT.

“I’m very excited to be fighting on Spike TV on June 12th in Chicago.” said Erislandy “The American Dream” Lara. “Delvin Rodriguez is a tough veteran fighter who I respect. He has a lot of heart and determination. But once the bell rings I’m looking for the knockout!”

“On June 12, I am going to change everyone’s mind about me and show that I can beat Lara,” said Rodriguez.

Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by Warriors Boxing in association with Group Yvon Michel (GYM), are priced at $151, $101, $51, and $31, not including applicable service charges, and are on sale now. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000 or UIC Pavilion Box Office at (312) 413-5740. Tickets are also available at www.ticketmaster.com or by visiting the UIC Pavilion Box Office (Thursday or Friday 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.).

The 32-year-old Lara is a slick boxer with the ability to deliver punishment while taking very little of it in return. Lara has notched victories over Alfredo Angulo, Austin Trout and Freddy Hernandez throughout his career. As an amateur, Lara won numerous titles including a national championship at welterweight and also participated in the 2007 Pan-Am games. The fighter originally from Guantanamo, Cuba but fighting out of Houston most recently defeated former world champion Ishe Smith on his way to his 20th professional victory.

Already deep into an accomplished career, the 35-year-old Rodriguez looks to give Lara a stiff test and entertain the crowd at UIC Pavilion on June 12. Having battled the likes of Miguel Cotto and Austin Trout, Rodriguez has also picked up victories over Mike Arnaoutis, Pawel Wolak and Shamone Alvarez throughout his accomplished career. Born in Santiago de le Caballeros, Dominican Republic but fighting out of Danbury, Connecticut, Rodriguez will look to improve on his last outing, a draw against Joachim Alcine in May 2014.

Having floored every opponent he’s faced professionally, the now 30-year-old former amateur standout Beterbiev will be seeking to keep his knockout streak alive in Chicago. Having notched impressive wins over Tavoris Cloud in 2014 and Gabriel Campillo earlier this year, the heavy-fisted Russian knows he’ll be tested with an experienced opponent on June 12.

Following a hard-fought loss to Andrzej Fonfara in November 2014, France’s Ngumbu rebounded nicely with a knockout win in January of this year. The battle-tested 33-year-old veteran will look to use his wealth of professional experience at UIC Pavilion in order to emerge victorious.

For more information visit www.premierboxingchampions.com, www.spike.com/shows/premier-boxing-champions, follow on Twitter @PremierBoxing, @LaraBoxing, @DRodriguez1980, @WarriorsBoxProm and @SpikeTV and become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/PremierBoxing, www.Facebook.com/WarriorsBoxingPromoand www.Facebook.com/Spike.

PROVIDENCE (March 4, 2015) – Undefeated World Boxing Organization (WBO) junior middleweight champion Demetrius “Boo Boo” Andrade (21-0, 14 KOs) has challenged World Boxing Association titlist Erislandy “The American Dream” Lara (20-2-2, 12 KOs) to a unification title fight in April or May.

Andrade, the 2008 U.S. Olympian and 2007 World Amateur Championships gold medalist, and three-time Cuban National amateur champion Lara have traded barbs through the media this week.

Andrade says Lara has been running from him, while Lara claimed he’s not worried about fighting the gifted New Englander, calling him a “spoiled brat”.

In a statement, Lara said Andrade turned down an ESPN2 fight with him and that he “whooped that ass for free in the amateurs.” Lara also questioned who, in comparison, Andrade has fought. He also said Andrade pulled out of the biggest fight of his career against Lara’s stablemate, Jermell Charlo, implying that Andrade reneged on a signed contract.

For the record, Lara defeated Andrade in the 2007 Pan-Am Qualifier, 9-4, in a match held in Venezuela, however, Andrade’s manager Ed Farris was quick to add, “First of all, when did Lara ever whoop Demetrius’ ass? Does Lara mean in the amateurs when he ran away from him for three rounds? Their five-year age difference was significant in the amateurs because Demetrius was still a teenager and, even then, Lara needed overseas judges to steal that decision. Lara landed something like nine total punches during the entire fight. If that’s an ass kicking, well, count us in!”

Farris also added that the fight between Lara and Andrade should be easy to make. “Only a few days ago,” Farris noted, “Lara mentioned that he was willing to fight Demetrius in the past for only $15,000. So, I’m sure HBO or Showtime will gladly accommodate his request.”

Andrade captured the vacant WBO title November 9, 2013 by way of a 12-round decision over previously unbeaten Vanes Martirosyan (33-0-1), the same fighter Lara struggled with in a nine-round draw. Andrade’s most recent fight was last June in his first title defense against mandatory challenger Brian Rose (25-1-1), in which Andrade looked sensational in a seventh-round knockout of the Brit.

Point-by-point, Andrade countered Lara’s erroneous allegations and unsubstantiated claims. “When was this imaginary fight offer two years ago on ESPN,” Andrade asked rhetorically. “You and I both know that never happened, Lara. I sure as hell never saw any offer to fight Lara on ESPN. Who have I fought? I only need to mention one name: I beat Vanes Martirosyan, the guy Lara couldn’t beat! Lara was lucky enough to get a draw because he RAN around the ring for the first half of the fight instead of fighting. But, hey, that’s what Lara does. Just ask ‘Canelo’ (Alvarez) and boxing fans who watched their fight.

“Lara said anytime, anywhere. How about April or May if he needs more time to hit the track and get extra laps in? One more thing, Lara, I have NEVER walked away from a signed contract. EVER! You probably never stopped running around long enough to even know that. The only contract I ever signed to fight Charlo was a month ago and Charlo declined. Lara said I signed a contract to fight Charlo before that. If he can show me an agreement that I signed to fight Charlo on December 13th, I promise to stop calling him out. Lara, you can run – everybody knows you do — but you can’t hide. We have unfinished business to take care of.”

Lara’s powerful adviser, Al Haymon, has a slew of television dates, including April 18 on Showtime in Carson, California. Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr. faces Andrjej Fonfara in the main event but a co-main event hasn’t been announced.

“Lara will not be able to handle Demetrius’ size and strength,” Farris remarked, “and sooner or later Demetrius will catch him. The only time Lara stood and fought, he got his ass handed to him by (Alfredo) Angulo. The ONLY reason he got out of that fight alive is because Angulo suffered an eye injury at the end. Otherwise, Lara was headed to the canvas again for a third time and anyone that saw that fight knows it.”

Follow Demetrius Andrade on Twitter @BooBooBoxing.

Providence, RI (March 3, 2015)–The following is a response to WBA Super Welterweight champion Erislandy Lara from Paul Andrade, the father/trainer of undefeated WBO Jr. Middleweight champion Demetrius Andrade:

Dear Mr. Erislandy Lara:

In response to your comments, whoever wrote your response should get their facts correct.

When we listen to you, we see the final triumph of stupidity in this world. You are the only boxer that successfully brainwashed himself with false facts.

We were never in our life offered a fight on ESPN 2 to fight you. In fact, when I met you in that restaurant in New York, we even said that Demetrius would let his career develop and fight you for much more meaningful amount than $15,000. When was the last time you fought for $15,000? And you agreed with me.

Now the time is here for us to get together but all you talk about is a meaningless fight in a foreign country that you by just four points when Demetrius was just 17 and you were 21. On top of that, you know when an American goes to a foreign country his opponent always gets an extra five points. We saw it at the Pan Am Games, in the Olympics and whenever we have fought on foreign soil.

After seeing Demetrius talent level, you decided going to the Olympics would have been a failed effort and decided to turn pro.

As we all know, many times guys who have been beaten by an individual in the amateurs come back and open up a can of whoop ass when they fight as professionals.

I see you posted your long list of accomplishments, we all are fighters in development when we start but you claim we have not fought anybody and you have.

The only opponent that we have in common is Vanes Martirosyan. We have the utmost respect for him and the best you can do was pull out a draw. I guess you were happy that headbutt occurred because Vanes was on his way to knocking you out. Then comes Angulo. The moment he trapped you, he dropped you twice and again then you escaped because of a lucky thumb that swelled up Angulo’s eye. How many times will luck be on your side?

Now it is time for you to man up and take the challenge. Forget the cheap talk, do you want to get it on? Yes or No? A real man and a real champion would answer yes.

Sincerely,

Paul Andrade

HOUSTON, TX (March 2, 2015) – WBA Champion, Erislandy “The American Dream” Lara, responds to WBO Champion Demetrius Andrade’s claims that he’s not interested in a unification fight with him.

“I’ll fight him anytime! My resume speaks for itself. I’m willing to fight Cotto or GGG next…you think I’m worried about this little spoiled brat? Look at my resume of great fighters I’ve fought, Williams, Molina, Vanes, Trout, Canelo, Angulo and now Smith. In 24 fights, who has he fought?”

Lara went on to say about Andrade latest drama about pulling out if his last scheduled fight…

“I’m the best in the division. If I put my name to a contract I show up and fight, unlike him when he pulled out of the biggest fight of his career against Charlo. Not to mention, he turned down a fight with me on ESPN2 years ago when I was willing to whoop to put a beating on him for $15.000. And don’t forget, I already whooped that ass for free in the amateurs!!! His nickname serves him right…He’s Poo Poo!”

Providence, RI (March 2, 2015)–After WBO number-one ranked Jr. Middleweight, Jermell Charlo decided to not fight fight WBO Jr. Middleweight champion Demetrius “Boo Boo” Andrade, Andrade’s father/trainer Paul has turned his attention to a fight with WBA belt holder Erislandy Lara.

“We signed a contract to fight Charlo a month ago,” said Paul Andrade. “He opted to fight a guy that we beat already in Vanes Martiroysan. I don’t even think Charlo will beat him. I can see Vanes out bullying him and win a decision about eight rounds to four.”

“That’s in the past and now we have to look towards the future.”

That future hopefully includes Lara.

“The real fight for us is with Lara. Fighting Charlo would not have done much for us anyway. That would have been like a man fighting a boy.”

“We are calling Lara out but he has had no response. He doesn’t have a dance partner, so the time is right for both of us.”

Andrade believes turn about is fair play for the Cuban as he talked his way into a fight with Canelo Alvarez last year and now it’s time for him to be on the receiving end of somebody ready, willing and able to fight him.

“Lara thought he was cute by calling out Canelo by going to his press conference. He and trying to embarrass him and goad Canelo into a fight. Lara is now in that position. We would go to one of your press conferences and embarrass you but you don’t even have a fight on the table, so there is no press conference for you.”

“Why don’t you step up like Canelo and be a man and accept our challenge like Canelo did for you.”

“I guess it’s not so cute for him anymore. And if you do step to the plate, you can bring your running shoes because you are a better runner then boxer.”

Said Arthur Pelullo of Banner Promotions, co-promoter of Andrade, “This is a fight that Demetrius wants. Last year he wanted wanted a fight with Canelo. Canelo had and has other plans now so why not fight the man who some people believe beat him in Lara.”

“We feel Demetrius is the best jr. middleweight in the world and the way to prove that is to fight the best. Erislandy Lara has proven to be at the top of the division. This is the type of fight that will show the boxing world that Demetrius is a star.”, said co-promoter, Joe DeGuardia of Star Boxing.

Follow Banner Promotions on social media for all the latest Banner updates
@BannerBoxing #TeamBanner ;
Facebook.com/BannerPromotions; instagram.com/BannerBoxing

Erislandy Lara retained the WBA Super Welterweight title with a 12 round unanimous decision over former IBF champ Ishe Smith at the Illusions Theater in San Antonio, Texas.

Although Smith looked to be the aggressor, he was able to pick off a lot of shots and land some solid left hands. Smith tried to force action on the ropes but he was mostly ineffective/ Lara was able to get his offense over the second half of the fight and had Smith in some trouble in round eleven. Smith had some swelling along the left side of his face in round five.

Lara, 154 lbs of Guantanamo, CUB won by scores of 119-109 twice and 117-111 and is now 20-2-2. Smith, 153 1/2 lbs of Las Vegas is now 26-7.

Lara landed 124 of 569 punches while Smith landed just 68 of 572.

“I’m an experienced fighter and I know how to read my opponent. I read Ishe in the first round and I set up my game plan,” said Lara. “His body work didn’t affect me. I trained hard with Jack [Edward Jackson] and Ronnie [Shields]. He tried to break my concentration with his cheap tactics and dances, but I know how to control myself. I can control my impulses and I don’t let anything get in the way.”

“I want Floyd for my next fight. He’s the best pound-for-pound, and I want to find the best. I already beat Canelo and everybody else in the division,” added Lara.

“I did what I had to do, we had a great camp and I went out there and let it hang,” said Smith after the fight. “You win some you lose some. That’s life. Floyd [Mayweather] told me to keep my head up and that he’s proud of me.”

Badou Jack scored a 6th round stoppage over Francisco Sierra in a scheduled 10-round Super Middleweight bout.

Sierra weight in a staggering 28 pounds more then he did just 24 hours prior at the weigh in

Jack was cut high on the forehead in round one from a headbutt at the same time Sierra was cut around the right eye. In round four, Jack turned up the head as he landed two crushing body shots that doubled over Sierra. he ate another right that had Sierra’s mouthpiece fly out.

In round six, Jack continued to land shots and a final right hand forced the bout to be stopped at 1:58 of round six.

Jack, 169 1/2 lbs of Stockholm, SWE is now 18-1-1 with 12 knockouts. Sierra, 172 1/2 lbs of Tepic, MX is now 26-8-1.

Jack landed 137-262. Sierra 43-271

“He was what I thought he’d be,” said the 31-year-old Jack. “It wasn’t a perfect fight for me. It’s good to be back but I was looking a bit too much for the knockout, I should have relaxed a bit and used my jab. I felt good, I felt strong out there.”

Sierra was frustrated after the stoppage, “I’m angry with the referee for stopping the fight. I wanted to continue but the referee stopped it.

Chris Pearson remained undefeated with a 10-round unanimous decision over Steven Martinez in a Jr. Middleweight bout.

It was a good back and forth fight early with Martinez landed a lot of power shots early. Martinez was cut in round three on his forehead from an apparent headbutt. Pearson started to take over in the second half of the contest as he worked behind a hard jab and mixed in his rights to both the head and the body on a tired Martinez.

Pearson, 155 3/4 lbs of Dayton, OH won by scores of 98-92 & 97-93 twice and is now 11-0. Martinez, 154 lbs of Bayamon, PR is now 15-2.

“I knew he was coming forward, but I had to be smart because I know he’s a good fighter. I wanted to be patient and be smart and use my skills,” said Pearson. “It’s not always going to be a knockout or exciting but it can be dominant and I thought I was dominant.”

SAN ANTONIO (Dec. 10, 2014) – Six of the talented boxers who will fight Friday on SHOWTIME participated in an open media workout Wednesday at Champion Fit Gym ahead of what is expected to be an action-packed tripleheader.

In the main event of Friday’s SHOWTIME BOXING: SPECIAL EDITION tripleheader live on SHOWTIME (10:15 ET/PT) from The Illusions Theater at The Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, current WBA Super Welterweight Champion Erislandy “The American Dream” Lara (19-2-2, 12 KOs), of Houston, Texas, by way of Cuba, puts his title on the line against former IBF Junior Middleweight World Champion Ishe “Sugar Shay” Smith (26-6, 12 KOs), of Las Vegas, Nev., in a 12-round title fight.

In a pair of 10-round co-features, once-beaten super middleweight contender Badou Jack “The Ripper” (17-1, 11 KOs), of Las Vegas, Nev., by way of Sweden, takes on upset-minded power-puncher Francisco “Panchito” Sierra (26-7-1, 23 KOs), of Tepic, Mexico, and promising undefeated junior middleweight rising star Chris “Young King” Pearson (11-0, 9 KOs), of Dayton, Ohio, will take on once-beaten Steve “Hitman” Martinez (15-1, 12 KOs), of Bronx, N.Y., in a bout that will open the telecast.

Tickets, priced at $100, $75, $50 and $25, may be purchased by calling The Alamodome Box Office at 800-745-3000. Tickets are also available online at www.ticketmaster.com.

Below is what the fighters said at Wednesday’s workout:

ERISLANDY LARA

“People make excuses [for not wanting to fight me]. It has a lot to do with my style. I’m a crafty fighter but I can also punch. I look at it as excuses. Look at my record, look at all the styles I have fought. In 23 fights, there is not one guy in the sport who has fought all the guys that I have fought. I have fought [Carlos] Molina, Paul Williams, Alfredo Angulo, Canelo [Alvarez], [Austin] Trout. That’s six top 10 guys in 23 fights. Not even Floyd Mayweather or Manny Pacquiao have fought that type of opposition in 23 fights.

“Absolutely, I’m living the American dream. I am living a dream in general. To get good things in life, you have to go through hard times. Just like they say, hard times don’t last, tough people do, so I just keep marching forward.

“I have been working on making it absolutely clear there is no question of who won the fight [against Canelo]. As fights go on, you have to keep getting better and keep improving.

“You take an experience from every fight. I think there is no question I won over seven rounds of the fight [against Canelo]. If you want to give Canelo some of the rounds I wasn’t punching, that’s no problem, but you are not going to tell me I wasn’t punching and that he beat me in seven of the rounds. That’s crazy.

“I just want to fight the best. I want to fight Floyd Mayweather. I want to fight [Miguel] Cotto. If Canelo dares to do it again, I’ll beat him again. I’m not afraid of fighting anyone. I’ll fight the best. Look at my record, it speaks for itself.”

Ishe Smith

“This is a good opportunity being in San Antonio. This is my first time fighting here, but the fight fans are wonderful. I was here for Canelo vs. Trout and it was great. It’s just good to be here in San Antonio. Fighting in the main event, I’ve done it before and I’ve done it on the road. I won a title fighting Cornelius Bundrage in his hometown so its nothing I haven’t experienced before.

“Every fighter’s dream is to win a world championship. This is just another opportunity where I can cement my legacy in boxing when I’m gone. Obviously I can’t do this forever. I’m 36 now, its getting to that point but I’ve got many years left. I’m just excited to cement my legacy Friday.

“Lara had to do what he had to do in terms of making more money to fight Canelo. The opportunity was greater and he was on a bigger stage, so I understand that. Things happen for a reason and now we’re back here.

“We’ve prepared for the best possible Erislandy Lara on Friday. Whatever he brings to the table we’re ready for. He may shock everyone and want to stay there and fight. I’ve been hearing reports that he wants to be the first to knock me out so that means he has to fight. I’m excited about that. We’re just prepared for anything he may bring.
“Floyd brought me in when he was training for Cotto. He said boxing hadn’t been fair to me and that I deserve a title shot at least. He said, ‘I’m going to get you to the door. It’s up to you what you do when you get there.’ This is just another opportunity. He’s got me back to the door and I’m going to take advantage of it.

“Sometimes I have to pinch myself to realize I’m here. Every day I count my blessings and I don’t take it for granted that I’m still here and one of the few guys that made it out.

“On Friday, I’m going to win and as Al Davis says: ‘just win baby,’ that’s it. That’s the only thing I’m focused on. After I win I’m going to take a long vacation. These camps take a lot out of my body. I’m not 26, I’m more like 46…All I’m focused on is winning. That’s how I was going into the K9 fight. Everything was against me, we were in his backyard. All I told myself was ‘just win.’”

Badou Jack

“Camp went well; I had an injury before and its 95 percent good right now in my right hand. I had a good camp; I sparred with Ronald Gavril, Louis Arias, and a couple other guys.

“I won my last fight with one hand basically. I threw a couple of rights, but I couldn’t throw it with any power. I had a torn ligament in my right hand, but it’s healed and I feel good right now.

“I haven’t seen that much about him [Francisco Sierra], but I guess he’s about my height. He seems to have a good right hand.

“I’m confident I’m going to beat him.

“It’s a big opportunity to fight on SHOWTIME. A lot of people dream about this so I am very blessed and happy for that. I want to thank Floyd Mayweather and SHOWTIME for this. If everything goes well this fight, hopefully we get a big fight in May maybe, we’ll see.”

Francisco Sierra

“I spent the first part of training in Tepic, Nayarit and I trained the last two weeks in Guadalajara, Jalisco. Training camp has been very good. I’ve been doing very well. I’ve been training a lot, almost too much.

“I’ve fought on television many times and been to San Antonio a bunch of times. I like fighting in front of a large crowd.

“My biggest strength is my wicked punch. When I was a young kid my trainers got me up to 22 wins, 21 by knockout, and I’m just trying to keep impressing people.

“I know Badou Jack is a strong fighter but what we’ve got in common is that we’ve fought the same man, Marco Antonio Periban. I lost to him and Badou Jack didn’t win. We fought the same guy so we’re in the same category and Badou Jack’s going to have to fight. He’s going to have to give it.

“There’s a lot of Mexican blood up here in San Antonio and the Mexican people like boxing.
“It’s going to be a tough fight but I’m going to win.”

Chris Pearson

“It’s another opportunity God is giving me to put my skills and confidence on display so I’m thankful. Any time I get an opportunity I’m thankful. We put in a lot of work so we’re ready.

“I’m a boxer-puncher. I have a lot of amateur experience. I’ve been in with some tough guys and I’ve been able to beat some tough guys, so I feel like I’m proven. At this point I’m focused on Steve Martinez and on Friday night. The fans will see everything they need to see.

“Steve Martinez is just a solid guy. Not too much I’m looking out for. I know he comes to fight and I’m coming to fight, so we’ll see what happens.

“I fought in San Antonio in the amateurs. I won in the National Trials here so I’ve been here a few times…San Antonio has a lot of Hispanics here and Hispanics are some of the biggest boxing fans that support the sport. It’s going to be fun to have these guys at the Alamodome. I know the energy is going to be high.

“I’m focused on the fight right now. If I do what I need to do and take care of business and I’m sure 2015 will be a much bigger year, but I’ve got to take care of business Friday first.”

Steve Martinez

“To tell you the truth, for this training camp, I had tunnel vision. I have been focused on boxing, Chris Pearson, strength and conditioning, training, running and sparing. I have had tunnel vision preparing for this fight. The only thing I needed was a poster of him to wake up to see every morning. Everything else was blocked out.

“I watched his last fight and a couple of fights before that, but I wasn’t checking footage on him every day. A couple of times I checked him out to see what his defects are. I wasn’t doing that much studying, I let my trainer and my people around me do that.

“In his last fight there were times he got lazy, if he was to get lazy in there with me, it would be a different story. He should be on his toes and active 24/7. Every round, he must stay awake and active or else he will be baffled.

“I’m really humble, I know its SHOWTIME. I’m staying level headed. I’m not trying to be Mr. Big Shot and the star, I’m just trying to stay level. If anything bad happened [in this fight], I could rocket down. I’m staying level and staying humble. Coming out of the Bronx there are a lot of teens, kids, family members and neighbors that look up to me from my gym. It is a pleasure and an enjoyment. They know I’m working hard and I’m hungry. Coming out of the Bronx, it’s not a place where a lot of successful people come out of, so I am happy to show people that it is possible.

“My parents, friends, family and trainer know that this is a fight that I’ve been waiting for since I started boxing at 11-years-old. This is the fight I’ve been working more than half my life for to become a world champion. This is the first step to accomplishing my goals and dreams; my dream of becoming a world champion.”

# # #

“Lonestar Battle: Lara vs. Smith” is 12-round WBA Super Welterweight World Championship fight promoted by Mayweather Promotions and sponsored by Corona Extra. The night of fights is a SHOWTIME BOXING: SPECIAL EDITION (10:15 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast) taking place at the Illusions Theater at The Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas.

Tickets, priced at $100, $75, $50 and $25, are on sale and may be purchased by calling The Alamodome Box Office at 800-745-3000. Tickets are also available online at www.ticketmaster.com

SAN ANTONIO, Texas (Nov. 17, 2014) – Mayweather Promotions and SHOWTIME bring boxing fans a 154-pound world title showdown between WBA Super Welterweight Titlist Erislandy “The American Dream” Lara (19-2-2, 12 KOs) and former IBF Junior Middleweight World Champion Ishe “Sugar Shay” Smith (26-6, 12 KOs) in the Friday, Dec. 12 installment of SHOWTIME BOXING Special Edition.

“Lonestar Battle: Lara vs. Smith” is promoted by Mayweather Promotions and will take place at the Illusions Theater at The Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, live on SHOWTIME (10:15 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast).

Lara and Smith were originally scheduled to meet on Friday, May 2 in Las Vegas to kick-off Cinco de Mayo Weekend, but Lara withdrew from the fight to face Canelo Alvarez on July 12 on SHOWTIME PPV®. In a tightly contested fight, Lara dropped a close 12-round split decision to Canelo. Now, Lara is looking to reassert himself as one of the top 154-pound fighters in the world while Smith is looking to reclaim his piece of the world championship.

Also on the card is once-beaten super middleweight contender Badou Jack (17-1, 11 KOs) who will face Samuel Clarkson of Cedar Hill, Texas (12-3, 7 KOs) as he looks to climb back as a top contender in the 168-pound division. Additionally, promising undefeated junior middleweight and Mayweather Promotions rising star Chris “Sweet” Pearson (11-0, 9 KOs) of Dayton, Ohio, who will take on once-beaten Steve “Hitman” Martinez (15-1, 12 KOs), of Bronx, N.Y., in the 10-round co-feature. The matchup showcases two power-punchers who have combined to knock out 13 of their last 16 opponents.

Tickets, priced at $100, $75, $50 and $25, go on sale tomorrow, Tuesday Nov.18 at noon CT and may be purchased by calling The Alamodome Box Office at 800-745-3000. Tickets are also available online at www.ticketmaster.com.

“This is a fight I wanted and I’m happy that it’s finally going to happen,” said Lara. “We’ve had words in the past but now it’s time to see who the better fighter is. I’m the champion and Ishe Smith is going to realize that I’m on another level once he steps in the ring with me. I have a great team behind me and you’re going to see the best junior middleweight in the world in the ring on Dec. 12. Make no mistakes about it I’m coming to dominate.

“This is a fight I needed, the fight I wanted to secure my legacy in the sport of boxing,” said Smith. “There’s a chink in Lara’s armor, I’m fully ready to expose it on Dec. 12. I’ve always played the underdog role. I love when people count me out. I will become a two-time champion, crowned a champion again for the greatest city in the world Las Vegas.”

“I’m thankful for another opportunity to showcase my talents,” said Pearson. “I believe success is when opportunity meets preparation and I’m prepared. I will allow my performance to tell the rest of the story.”

“I am grateful for the opportunity to fight on SHOWTIME,” said Martinez. “Chris Pearson is a great prospect and my dream was always to fight the best in my division. This is the second go around for this fight. My respect to Mayweather Promotions who kept their word and put this fight together again.”

“I’m very excited to get back in action,” said Jack. “I’m ready to put on a fan-friendly fight in a great fight town.”

Slick southpaw Lara, 31, graduated from the renowned Cuban Amateur Boxing Program and migrated to the U.S. to pursue a professional boxing career. As a young contender, he suffered a controversial loss against Paul Williams. Since then he has established himself as one of the sport’s most prominent fighters highlighted by a TKO of Alfredo Angulo and a 12-round unanimous decision over Austin Trout on Dec. 7, 2013 which earned him the WBA Super Welterweight World Championship.

After a long career that saw him go from the world of reality television as a star on “The Contender” to competing at the top level at 154 and 160 pounds, Ishe Smith, 36, finally put it all together in 2010, beginning a four-fight winning streak that culminated in a decision win over Cornelius Bundrage for the IBF Junior Middleweight Title on Feb. 23, 2013, becoming the first native Las Vegan to ever win a world title. He subsequently lost his title on September 14, 2013 by a close split decision to the always-tough Carlos Molina. Coming off of a second-round knockout over Ryan Davis on May 2 of this year, Smith will attempt to win his second world championship in a span of less than two years.

The 31-year-old Jack was undefeated and on the verge of a world title shot before getting caught with a punch in the first round against Derek Edwards this past Feb. 28. The hard-hitting Jack, of Las Vegas by way of Stockholm, Sweden, rebounded in his next bout with a 10-round unanimous decision victory over Jason Escalera on Aug. 30. Jack is looking for another win on Dec. 12 to climb back into contention for a world title at 168 pounds as he faces Texas’ Clarkson.

Pearson, 24, compiled an outstanding record of 96-8 in the amateurs and was a 2011 U.S. National Champion at 165 pounds. A natural right-hander who fights left-handed, Pearson went 3-0 in the World Series of Fighting matches. Two of the victories were noteworthy, as they came against Olympic Games medalists (2008 gold medalist Bakhyt Sarsekbayen and 2012 bronze medalist Yamaguchi Florentino). Due to an injury, Pearson will be fighting for the first time since February, when he won a close eight-round split decision over Lanardo Tyner on ShoBox: The New Generation. Pearson, despite going down in the sixth, won the toughest test of his career by the scores of 78-73 twice and 75-76. Prior to that fight, Pearson registered a 1:44, first-round knockout over Acacio Ferreira on Dec. 6, 2013 also on ShoBox.

Martinez, 24, promoted by Star of David and Square Ring, was also an accomplished amateur, going 103-17 while winning three New York Golden Glove titles as well as a National Golden Glove title. A pro since Aug. 2009, Martinez will be seeking to establish himself as a legitimate prospect with the first significant victory of his career. Martinez is a poised fighter with a good punch. He went 11-0 at the outset of his career before suffering his lone setback on an eight-round split decision to lefty Dennis Douglin in Jan. 2012. He has gone 4-0 with three knockouts since, including a fifth-round TKO over Antonio Fernandez in his most recent start last May 15. This will be the third fight of the year for Martinez, who is making his SHOWTIME debut.

For more information, visit www.mayweatherpromotions.com and follow on Twitter with @mayweatherpromo, @ShoSports, @LaraBoxing, @IsheSugarShay, @_ChrisPearson or @BadouJack. Become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/MayweatherPromo and www.facebook.com/SHOBoxing or visit the SHOWTIME Boxing Blog at theboxingblog.sho.com. Also, follow the conversation using #Lonestarbattle.

NEW YORK (July 18, 2014) – Last Saturday’s SHOWTIME PPV® event headlined by Canelo Alvarez and Erislandy Lara will premiere on SHOWTIME this Saturday at 9 p.m. ET/PT, immediately followed by the premiere of ALL ACCESS: Canelo vs. Lara Epilogue.

The SHOWTIME premiere of Canelo vs. Lara will also include last Saturday’s thrilling showdown between Juan Manuel Lopez and Francisco Vargas, which featured a Round of the Year candidate.

Canelo won a split decision at the sold-out MGM Grand, but the debate of who deserved the nod in the Mexico vs. Cuba showdown didn’t end after ring announcer Jimmy Lennon Jr. read the judges’ scorecards.

“The fight felt as close as the numbers indicated.” – Chris Mannix, Sports Illustrated

Most experts agree that many of the rounds were “toss ups,” but will their opinion change the second time around? Re-watch and re-score the fight yourself this Saturday to formulate your own opinion on the boxer vs. puncher matchup.

ALL ACCESS: Canelo vs. Lara Epilogue, the third and final installment of this edition of the SHOWTIME Sports EMMY® Award winning series, offers viewers a glimpse into the drama of fight night from a unique perspective and lifts the curtain on the rarely seen aftermath of world championship prizefighting.

Epilogue takes viewers inside the ropes and chronicles the intense events surrounding a marquee boxing event like no other show on television. From jubilation to heartbreak, ALL ACCESS grants you locker room access to capture the emotions following the razor close – and somewhat controversial – decision.

# # #

“Honor & Glory: Canelo vs. Lara,” a 12-round junior middleweight fight that took place Saturday, July 12 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, was promoted by Golden Boy Promotions and Canelo Promotions and sponsored by Corona and AT&T. In the co-main event, Abner Mares returned to the ring to face Puerto Rico’s Jonathan Oquendo in a 10-round featherweight bout. In the SHOWTIME PPV opening bout, Johan Perez defended his interim WBA Junior Welterweight World Title against Mauricio Herrera in a 12-round matchup. Also, Juan Manuel Lopez meet Francisco Vargas in a 10-round bout for the WBO International Super Featherweight Title. The event was produced and distributed live by SHOWTIME PPV beginning at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT. The event could also be heard in Spanish using secondary audio programming (SAP). For information, visit www.SHO.com/Sports. Canelo vs. Lara was shown on the big screen in movie theaters across the country via Fathom Events.

SHOWTIME televised 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.”

For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com and www.mgmgrand.com, follow on Twitter at @GoldenBoyBoxing, @CaneloOficial, @LaraBoxing, @abnermares00, @jonathanoquen, @juanma_lopez, @elbandido130, @elmaestro1, @mgmgrand, @SHOSports and @Swanson_Comm, follow the conversation using #CaneloLara and become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing and www.facebook.com/SHOBoxing.

Watching Saturday night’s pay-per-view fight between former champions Saul Alvarez and Erislandy Lara, IBF Light Middleweight Champion “King” Carlos Molina had to have felt like he wasn’t invited to his own party.

Alvarez and Lara duked it out this past Saturday (July 12) at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas with Alvarez winning a close decision over a gun-shy Lara. And while an old-school fighter like Molina appreciates when top contenders don’t make excuses and face each other, what bothers the 31-year-old champion is the way the fight was billed.

“The media kept saying that Canelo and Lara was supposedly between the two best fighters at 154 lbs, like I’m not even there,” said Molina. “They’re trying to overlook me and not give me a chance. And after the way they both looked in there, I know I could beat both those guys. I already beat Lara, not officially, but in the eyes of most people who saw the fight.”

Molina has a strong case. When Molina took on Lara in March of 2011, despite what the scorecards said (the fight was ruled a majority draw with two judges scoring 95-95 and one giving Molina the win with a much more accurate 97-93 tally), Molina handled Lara much more handily than Alvarez.

“Every time you see a fight in your weight class, you try to see how you would fight them and neither guy looked really spectacular. Give me the chance and I’ll do to Canelo what I did to Lara. I’m the true champion in this weight class.”

Molina (22-5-2, 6 KOs) is currently training hard for his next fight, a defense against former champion Cornelius Bundrage in Cancun, Mexico.

“Training is going great. I’m very focused and everything is good. Eager to get in the ring and show once again I belong at the top of the division.”
ABOUT WARRIORS BOXING

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With a series of successful Pay-Per-View shows and packed houses to it’s credit, the Warriors business model is working wonders in a sport that was sorely in need of the innovation and energy that the company brings to the table.

When it comes down to it though, a promotional company is only as good as the fighters and fights it promotes. Warriors Boxing has delivered on all fronts, with outstanding bouts such as Lara-Molina, Cayo-Peterson, Abraham-Miranda I and II, Miranda-Pavlik, Miranda-Green, Ibragimov-Briggs, Ibragimov-Klitschko, Urango-Hatton, Urango-Bailey, Cayo-Maidana and Ibragimov-Holyfield.

For more information on Warriors Boxing, visit their website at www.WarriorsBoxing.com.

LAS VEGAS (July 14, 2014) – After landing more punches and connecting with a higher percentage, Erislandy “The American Dream” Lara (19-2-2, 12 KOs) feels he was robbed in his fight with Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (44-1-1, 31 KOs) that took place at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas this past weekend.

Fact, Lara landed 107 total punches to Alvarez’s 97 and had a higher connect percentage (28% Lara – 23% Alvarez). The body shots that Alvarez landed were grazing shots that Lara blocked with his elbows, and most of them came in the round he got cut.

Erislandy sounds off on why he feels he won the fight and deserves an immediate rematch.

“Before the decision was announced, I felt 100% confident I won the fight,” said Lara. “The facts don’t lie, I landed more total punches. Looking at it from the punch stats, you’re supposed score based on clean and effective blows landed. Most of the shots that Canelo landed were body blows that didn’t even land cleanly, and most of them came in the round where I got cut. All my punches were clean shots. I out jabbed him and boxed his ears off. The punch stats don’t lie…there is no way I lost to Canelo.”

“I’m very disappointed in Judge Levi Martinez for his horrendous score. How in the world did he score it 117-111? Before the decision was announced, I stood across the ring and saw Team Canelo and their body language said it all. You could see the depression in their eyes. Everyone on their whole team had a look of despair because they were defeated. When the final score was read, their look went from despair to relief. They knew they lost the fight, period.”

“Levi definitely needs to be investigated and he should never be appointed to judge a big fight again. I’m not sure if he’s dishonest or inept to be judging at this level, either way he needs to be reprimanded for this horrible decision. This is the second time this has happened to me and I wouldn’t want to see this happen to someone else. Like what happen to the judges in New York in the Williams fight, Levi should be suspended. I left communist Cuba to escape corruption and now I see it happening here in the boxing world.”

“Oscar De La Hoya said that I have to wait in line to fight Alvarez again because there are 10 others ahead of me. That speaks volumes because he knows Canelo got a gift.” Lara concluded. “Who are these 10 guys he’s talking about…I want to know. I won this fight and a rematch needs to happen right away.”

By Bart Barry-

When Mexican Saul “Canelo” Alvarez fought countryman Alfredo Angulo in March, I attended a viewing party at the home of a Puerto Rican boxing trainer who, despite no rooting ethnic interest whatever, found his home filled by seven other Puerto Rican aficionados. Saturday, when Alvarez decisioned Cuban southpaw Erislandy Lara at MGM Grand, by a split decision that might have gone to either fighter fairly, I attended a viewing party at the home of that same boxing trainer, and this time we were two. Total.

Puerto Rico’s proximity to Cuba cannot explain such clairvoyance, alone, but might begin to tell why otherwise committed aficionados decided to mend fences with their spouses, Saturday, rather than give an hour of one evening to an Erislandy Lara match. Lara is indeed as near to unwatchable as a main-event fighter dare be, and if my friend’s house may act as an informal revenue predictor, Alvarez, though he may not have deserved Saturday’s decision, does deserve begrudging respect for enduring a fight with Lara for what inevitably will be a cut in pay.

It became once more apparent sometime in the early part of Saturday’s match Saul Alvarez is exactly what we believed he was during a reign of terror he began in 2010 on the oddly, albeit timelessly, named Queer Street, against Miguel Cotto’s resentful older brother, a thoroughbred’s gallop through pasty competition done at a canter, plodding as Alvarez occasionally was against foes unremarkable as Matthew Hatton and Ryan Rhodes. Three years ago Alvarez appeared a b-level fighter with a great marketing team and surprising poise. The marketing team has fallen-off a bit, after a hell of a run, but Alvarez is otherwise very much a b-level fighter with remarkable poise.

More than any quality that served him Saturday was Alvarez’s self-belief. Perhaps Erislandy Lara is not a puncher serious as other men Alvarez has faced, though he can’t be far behind, but Alvarez was unyielding in his self-belief, wandering wantonly at Lara’s fists regardless of their accuracy. Likely that was the fulcrum upon which the judges’ decision got leveraged: The fighters’ reactions to each other’s punches.

When Alvarez got pasted with a stiff left cross or impaled himself on Lara’s jab, he immediately shuffled his feet and sped forward like a kid trying to impress a prospective coach with hustle on his first day of tryouts. When Lara got kissed by so much as the soughing breeze caused by Alvarez’s right fist flying harmlessly overhead, he jogged the perimeter of the ring like Barry Bonds rounding second after dunking a ball in McCovey Cove. It was absurd the joy Lara brought himself by not getting hit, the way an avoided blow pacified him and revealed his curious fighting character, one to take no umbrage with another man’s attempt to decapitate him; were it not ostensibly a savage happening for which Americans paid $60-per-view, a full day’s wages in many cases, Saturday’s fight would have been a spectacle of Christian forgiveness to rival any Papal Mass.

Lara’s abundance of ruth and want of vengefulness, finally, was the reason most aficionados’ eyes were dry over Saturday’s conceivably unfair decision, and why Lara’s postfight corner comprised a full tally of those in the world who desire Alvarez-Lara 2. Spare us, Lord, please! the misery of ever again enduring a match like that one, and if that means somehow bestowing a fortune so vast upon Erislandy Lara he does not don boxing gloves once more, why, may Thy will be done!

Canelo Alvarez would be an asterisk in a better era, a picture of profitable precocity whose carrot coif would not have won him a match with the era’s best, Floyd Mayweather – though, of course, in a better era, Mayweather himself might struggle to be in the Top 5. And no, there isn’t a prizefighting era in which Erislandy Lara’s pacifism would have been welcomed.

In a different if not better era, a Soviet era in which Moscow paid Cuba sugar prices justifiable only if Fidel were an alchemist converting cane to nukes, Lara might have remained a career amateur in the Cuban system and found his lifestyle suitable enough not to defect, amassing four or five gold medals. Lara’s mastery of amateur tactics is unrivaled: In the last century of American sport, only golf’s Bobby Jones perhaps accomplished more as an amateur against professionals than Lara has.

Alvarez may be limited but he has more dimensions than Lara, a man with seemingly no transitional capacity, defense to offense. How different an outcome might Saturday have brought if Lara had seen his opponent’s misses as occasions for retribution, not revelry? Several times early in the fight, Lara stood under his feet, delivered a crisp 1-2 to Alvarez’s ever predictably placed head, and then, as Alvarez began his impress-the-coach shuffle, Lara launched a homerun trot for reasons even a defensive specialist like Pernell Whitaker would not have fathomed. In those instants, Alvarez, hands low, freckled neck freshly stiffened by clean shots, wanted no part whatever of more contact from Lara, who, had he followed with even a measuring jab after those 1-2s, might have taken the fight, 10 rounds to 2 at least, on two scorecards, while earning a draw from judge Levi Martinez, reliably scoring another match for the promoter’s favorite color, red corner or blue.

It’s what makes Mayweather a special prizefighter where Lara is a special amateur; Mayweather showed Alvarez a new rhythm each round, keeping the fearless if not perspicacious Mexican unbalanced throughout, preventing the very sort of belligerence Alvarez showed in the final five minutes of Saturday’s match, flying at Lara like a man confident no more than two punches would come in succession, punches he didn’t mind swallowing in behalf of what loyally loud countrymen dutifully filled MGM Grand.

That Alvarez made a choice for violence Lara did not is reason enough to see a close fight Canelo’s way, keeping him boxing’s third most-reliable draw in this soggy era. Erislandy Lara, meanwhile, can content himself with remaining one of the greatest amateurs of this era or any other.

Bart Barry can be reached at bart.barrys.email (at) gmail.com

LAS VEGAS – It wasn’t pretty. In terms of style, it was more of a miss than a hit. More whiff than wow. A lot was expected of Canelo Alvarez and Erislandy Lara. In the end, however, it was exactly what many thought it would be.

Controversial.

Split decisions always are.

Alvarez won it. But he didn’t exactly celebrate it. There was frustration in the wake of his narrow victory Saturday nght. Without unanimity, criticism is bound to follow Canelo, no matter who’s next on his dance card. If anybody came away from the bout looking good, it had to be Miguel Cotto. There’s been a lot talk that Cotto would face the winner. Right now, it looks as if he’d beat the winner.

Even in victory, Alvarez’ liabilities were apparent throughout the 12 rounds against the quicker, more agile Lara.

“He didn’t come to fight,’’ Alvarez (44-1-1, 31 KOs said. “He came to run.’’

But there’s no prohibition on running in any of boxing’s current rule books. Lara (19-2-2, 12 KOs) did what he has done best. He circled Alvarez often enough to make the red-headed Mexican dizzy. The Cuban defector stepped in, stepped out. He ducked and bobbed beneath and around Alvarez hooks that were thrown with enough force to create a breeze that could be felt in at ringside.

“I know I made him look bad in front of his own people,’’ said Lara, who wore the American flag on one side of his trucks and the Cuban flag on the other.

But Lara also had to know that winning a close fight at the MGM Grand was unlikely. The capacity crowd of 14,239 was dominated by Canelo-chanting fans. Lara scored with quick combos, especially in the early rounds. But he never seemed to pursue a knockout, or even a knockdown that could have been decisive on the score cards. Judge Dave Moretti scored it for Alvarez, 115-113. Levi Martinez gave it to Canelo by a wide margin, 117-11. On Jerry Roth’s card, Lara was a 115-113 winner.

There were at least two elements that could have given Canelo an edge. In the seventh, a Canelo uppercut left Lara with a nasty cut above his right eye. Blood from the wound seemed to bother him during the subsequent rounds. Then, there were successive rounds, the sixth through the ninth, when Canelo was effective with a combination of body punches. According to CompuBox, Alvarez landed 73 power shots to the body.

“It was a difficult fight,’’ Canelo promoter Oscar De La Hoya said. “Everybody thought it would be. The message was that he was landing combinations. He was landing solid shots to the body.’’

De La Hoya then smiled, almost in relief. With the Alvarez victory, De La Hoya’s company can expect another chance at big-money maker featuring the popular Mexican. That might have been the real message.

More for the $$$ on the PPV Ticket

The decision was unanimous, but the reviews were mixed for ex-champion Abner Mares (27-1-1, 14 KOs) in beating Puerto Rican Jonathan Oquendo (24-4, 16 KOs) in his first fight since Jhonny Gonzalez knocked him out. Mares, who scored heavily with body punches, appeared tentative and conceded he was sluggish in a 10-round featherweight bout, which left him with a nasty cut over his left eye from head butt in the fourth.

Juan Manuel Lopez, a former champion at two weights, has been in a desperate battle to resurrect his career. Lopez (34-4, 31 KOs) was told he could be one loss away from the end. That loss landed on his future like shrapnel in a fast-and-furious stunner delivered by Francisco Vargas (20-0-1, 8 KOs), a Mexican junior-lightweight whose knockdown of Lopez in a wild third round led to the Puerto Rican’s surrender while still on the stool before the start of the fourth.

The PPV card began with a back-and-forth exchange that Los Angeles junior-welterweight Mauricio Herrera (21-4, 7 KOs) managed to narrowly win by majority decision over Johan Perez (19-2-1, 13 KOs), a lanky Venezuelan whose long, looping punches landed without much impact.

Rest of the Undercard

ON-TV: In a televised intro to Showtime pay-per-view telecast, Tomoki Kameda proved to be more than just a warm-up act. Kameda (30-0, 18 KOs), the World Boxing Organizations’ bantamweight champion, got the show rocking with a liver shot that resulted in a stoppage of Pungluang Singyu that was as abrupt as it was dramatic.

Kameda, a Tokyo fighter who has been banned from fighting in his own country by the Japanese commission, appeared to be in trouble against Singyu (46-3, 31 KOs), a kick boxer from Thailand. The aggressive Singyu rocked Kameda with a body-and-head combo in the fourth. He relentlessly moved forward in fifth and again in the sixth. It looked as if the Thai fighter sensed he had a chance at an upset.

But after a jab and head-butt in the seventh, Kameda landed a paralyzing left to the liver. Singyu seemed to freeze for a brief second and then collapsed as though he had been shot. Singyu was cut above one eye. Blood and anguish covered his face. It was over. One look at Singyu and Russell Mora ended at 1:35 of the round.

OFF-TV: It was a short introduction. Sweet, too. Jason Quigley, an Irish Olympian, was a winner in his pro debut within 90 seconds. Quigley overwhelmed Howard Reece (2-7, 1 KO) of Ocala, Fla., in a middleweight bout stopped by referee Jay Nady at 1:22 of the opening round. . . . Yoandris Salinas (20-1-2, 13 KOs) of Miami got the contender knocked out of him by Enrique Quevedo (16-7-1, 10 KOs), a Los Angeles junior-featherweight who knocked him down three times before Mora stopped it in the fifth. . . .Puerto Rican junior welterweight John Karl Sosa opened the show three-and-a-half hours before the pay-per-view part of the Showtime telecast began. Amid echoes in an empty arena, a handful of ushers watched Sosa (12-0, 6 KOs) win the matinee, battling through an unexpected challenge from Mexican Luis Bello (5-2, 2 KOs) for a six-round split decision. …Quitting time: It arrived after three rounds of a sustained beating from Los Angeles middleweight Yamaguchi Falcao (2-0, 1 KOs), who won a TKO when the corner for Puerto Rican Jesus Cruz (1-2-1) threw in the towel before the fourth.

By Norm Frauenheim=

A catch-weight clause in the Canelo Alvarez-Erslandy Lara contract quickly became a forgotten controversy Friday when each fighter weighed in at 155-pounds at the MGM Grand for a Showtime pay-per-view bout Saturday night with a lot hanging in the balance, yet no significant title at stake.

It’s a mystery why a catch-weight was in the deal at all. Canelo demanded it. Lara was angered by it. There was a theory that it was Canelo’s way of saying he couldn’t make the junior-middleweight limit of 154 anymore. Perhaps, it’s a sign he’s moving up in weight to 160 after Lara, the World Boxing Association’s champion.

Or maybe it was just a question of money. Why pay the WBA a sanctioning fee? It would have cost Canelo three percent of his purse. According to contracts filed with the Nevada State Athletic Commission, Canelo is guaranteed $1.5 million, which doesn’t include an undisclosed percentage of Mexican television revenue. At minimum, he would have paid the WBA $45,000.

Whatever the motivation, Canelo (43-1-1, 31 KOs) saved himself and Lara (19-1-2, 12 KOs) some money. Lara’s contract guarantees him $1 million. Lara also walks away from Saturday night’s fight with his title no matter what happens.

Yet, Lara still looked like an angry young man at Friday’s formal weigh-in. After the fighters stepped off the scale, there was the ritual eye-to-eye, nose-to-nose pose for cameras and fans. Lara, about a 2-to-1 underdog late Friday, rolled his head one way, then another, in Floyd Mayweather-like fashion. It was a menacing bit of theater. But it didn’t seem to affect the ever-unflappable Canelo, who faced Mayweather in the same ritual before his loss to the pound-for-pound king in September. Canelo never blinked then. He didn’t blink Friday.

“I wanted to break his face then,’’ Lara, a Cuban, said in Spanish interpreted by manager Luis DeCubas Jr.

A crowd of about 4,000, dominated by Canelo fans from Mexico, roared its disapproval. Saturday night, Lara said, those fans will change their tone. He seemed to say that in the very least they’ll learn to respect him.

“They will find out exactly what the Cuban school of boxing means,’’ Lara said through DeCubas

But Canelo wasn’t buying into Lara’s school of thought.

“Tomorrow,’’ he said, ‘’we’ll find out who takes who to school.’’

Notes: Abner Mares weighed 126.5 pounds for his comeback in a bout with Jonathan Oquendo Oquendo also weighed 126.5 pounds.. …Ex-WBO featherweight champion Juan Manuel Lopez was at 130-pounds for his junior-light-weight bout against Francisco Vargas, who came in at 129.

LONDON (July 11) – Mexican star Canelo Alvarez believes that Erislandy Lara will go down as one of the best fighters he will ever face.

The 23-year-old fan favourite Alvarez takes on the wily Cuban this Saturday night at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, live and exclusive on BoxNation, with both men looking to categorically prove that they are the light-middleweight division’s number one.

Alvarez, however, is aware of the threat that the man from Guantanamo presents and admits that when he hangs up the gloves Lara will be amongst the very best he would ever have gone toe-to-toe with.

“This fight is important because Lara and I are the best two fighters in our weight class. He might not have the most recognisable name, but in the boxing world, everybody knows he is the most dangerous opponent. This will be a very important victory,” said Alvarez.

“Without a doubt this is one of the best opponents that I’ll ever have. But I’m always going to look for tough opponents, tough rivals. I want to fight the best,” he said.

Despite the magnitude of this fight, this weekend’s bout will not be for a world title, something which has no bearing on the former unified 154-pound champion Alvarez, who will be looking to use his speed to overcome his well-schooled opponent.

“A title doesn’t matter to me for this fight. This fight is for honour, for glory. We’ll go for a world title next year,” said Alvarez.

“How will I beat him? With speed, movement and combinations. He’s a fighter that moves very well. He has a very tight defence, but the thing that he doesn’t move well is his feet, his legs.

“We know his style; he has a very difficult style. But we’ve prepared to break down that style. We worked for a difficult style, for a southpaw. Without a doubt we had the right sparring partners. It’s not an easy fight but we’ve prepared for everything,” said Alvarez.

31-year-old Lara is in equally buoyant mood, having finally been given his shot at the big time.

Now fighting out of Houston, Texas having defected from Cuba before the 2007 Pan American Games, Lara is unperturbed by Alvarez’s size advantage and says the boxing style he was raised with will help see him through.

“Every fighter that I’ve fought has been heavier than me and I’ve been able to deal with them, so we’re not worried about Canelo’s size. Everyone goes into the ring how they feel comfortable. I’m not worried about his weight on fight day,” said Lara.

“The Cuban style is the best style in boxing. Everybody knows that we win the most medals at the Olympics, at international tournaments. And that’s shown throughout our history.

“We’re going to wait for him. We’re going to see what he can show. I just keep working hard. Anybody who comes to this country is dreaming of this opportunity. I need to take advantage of it. I’m ready for this fight,” he said.

This weekend’s card will also see the return of Mexican idol Abner Mares, who makes his first appearance since his shock loss to Jhonny Gonzalez in August last year, when he takes on Jonathan Oquendo.

“I’m very excited to be back. It’s been 11 months [away] in a sport I love that’s given me everything. I’m very hungry to return, I’m a three-time world champion and I want more. I’m only 28 years old and I’m very determined,” said Mares.

“Oquendo is a young determined fighter, but if he’s been hungry for a week, I’ve been hungry for almost a year,” he said.

The stacked bill also has a rejuvenated Juan Manuel Lopez featuring, following his devastating second round stoppage of Daniel Ponce De Leon, when he takes on unbeaten Francisco Vargas.

The man who ran Danny Garcia extremely close in his last outing, Mauricio Herrera, is in action too and takes on interim WBA light-welterweight champion Johnny Perez.

Canelo Alvarez vs Erislandy Lara is live on BoxNation (Sky 437/490HD & Virgin 546) this Saturday night. Visit www.boxnation.com to subscribe.

Canelo Alvarez 155 – Erislandy Lara 155
Abner Mares 126.5 – Jonathan Oquendo 126.5
Juan Manuel Lopez 130 – Francisco Vargas 129
Johan Perez 140 – Muaricio Herrera 140

LAS VEGAS (July 10, 2014) – Two days before they enter the ring for “Honor & Glory: Canelo vs. Lara,” Canelo Alvarez, Erislandy Lara and undercard fighters on Saturday’s SHOWTIME PPV® four-fight telecast took part in the final press conference at the Hollywood Theatre at MGM Grand.

In the 12-round main event Saturday night, Canelo Alvarez takes on Erislandy “The American Dream” Lara. The co-main event will pit Abner Mares against Jonathan “Polvo” Oquendo. The co-featured fight will match Juan Manuel “JuanMa” Lopez against Francisco “El Bandido” Vargas. Finally, in the opening SHOWTIME PPV bout, Johan “El Terrible” Perez will be opposed by Mauricio “El Maestro” Herrera. This exciting card comes to you live at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT on SHOWTIME PPV.

Tickets are still available at the $750, $500, $250, $150, $75 and $50 price ranges, not including applicable service charges. Tickets are limited to eighteen (18) per person with a limit of eight (8) at the $75 and $50 price ranges. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. Tickets also are available at www.mgmgrand.com or www.ticketmaster.com.

Here is what the participants had to say at Thursday’s final press conference:

CANELO ALVAREZ, Former WBA & WBC Super Welterweight World Champion

“This fight is important because Lara are and I are the best two fighters in our weight class.

“He might not have the most recognizable name, but in the boxing world, everybody knows he is the most dangerous opponent. This will be a very important victory.

“How will I beat him? With speed, movement and combinations.

“You can’t predict a knockout; a knockout comes on its own. Sometimes, as much as you want it, it doesn’t come. If it comes, I will take advantage of it. But if it doesn’t, I will be ready for 12 rounds.

“I’m just waiting anxiously for the weigh-in. For many fighters this is the tensest part of training. We’re just waiting to weigh-in and fight.

“Without a doubt this is one of the best opponents that I’ll ever have. But I’m always going to look for tough opponents, tough rivals. I want to fight the best.

“A title doesn’t matter to me for this fight. This fight is for honor, for glory. We’ll go for a world title next year.

“He’s a fighter that moves very well. He has very tight defense, but the thing that doesn’t move well is his feet, his legs.

“I haven’t been watching or studying tapes. We know his style; he has a very difficult style. But we’ve prepared to break down that style. We worked for a difficult style, for a southpaw. Without a doubt we had the right sparring partners. It’s not an easy fight but we’ve prepared for everything.”

ERISLANDY LARA, WBA Junior Middleweight World Champion

“We’re ready I don’t think there’s much more to say. I’m ready for this fight and we’ll see you all July 12.

“Every fighter that I’ve fought has been heavier than me and I’ve been able to deal with them, so we’re not worried about Canelo’s size. Everyone goes into the ring how they feel comfortable. I’m not worried about his weight on fight day.

“We’re going to wait for him. We’re going to see what he can show.

“The Cuban style is the best style in boxing. Everybody knows that we win the most medals at the Olympics, at international tournaments. And that’s shown throughout our history.

“I just keep working, working hard. Anybody who comes to this country is dreaming of this opportunity. I need to take advantage of it.”

ABNER MARES, Former Three-Time, Three-Division World Champion

“I’m very excited to be back. It’s been 11 months [away] in a sport I love that’s given me everything.

“I’m very hungry to return, I’m a three-time world champion and I want more.

“I’m only 28 years old and I’m very determined. I want to dedicate this fight to Mexico.

“Oquendo is a young determined fighter, but if he’s been hungry for a week, I’ve been hungry for almost a year.”

JONATHAN OQUENDO, Featherweight Contender

“I won’t say too many things but I’m very well prepared to give everyone a good fight.

“I know the great fighter that Abner Mares can be and I prepared well for him. I know that Puerto Rico vs. Mexico always puts up good fights and this won’t be an exception.

“All I’m doing now is waiting for fight time so you can see the best Jonathan Oquendo possible.

“I’ve trained hard to give my maximum effort and I’m ready.”

JUAN MANUEL LOPEZ, Former Two-Division World Champion

“This is the fourth time I’ve come to Las Vegas to fight. The first three I won by knockout and I hope to continue that.

“This is a great opportunity for me to take full advantage of and I’m going to give it my all.

“I’m on a great card with so many great fighters and I’m going to give you a great victory.”

FRANCISCO VARGAS, 2008 Mexican Olympian & Super Featherweight Contender

“I’m very happy to be on this great card with so many great fighters. Being on this card motivates me to put on a great fight and make everyone happy.

“I had a great training camp in Mexico City and I’m prepared to give everyone a great fight.

“I’m going to give it my all and lay it on the line Saturday night.”

JOHAN PEREZ, Interim WBA Junior Welterweight Champion

“I’m well prepared, I’ve trained hard and I’m ready to give the public what they want to see – a great fight.”

MAURICIO HERRERA, Junior Welterweight Contender

“I’m real happy to be fighting on a big card like this under Canelo. I had a big fight with Danny Garcia and that’s what got me here.

“They put me with another tough guy in Johan Perez. I come well prepared and I want to show everyone who Mauricio Herrera is. What better way than on this great card.

“I’m going to give you guys a great show Saturday night.”

OSCAR DE LA HOYA, President and Founder of Golden Boy Promotions

“On Saturday evening, July 12, eight hungry, determined, motivated and extremely talented fighters will enter the ring focused on honor and in search of glory. They seek the ultimate prize in boxing, which is to win by knockout.

“From experience, every time I said ‘I let the knockout come’, in the back of my mind I was thinking, ‘I want to knock this guy out’ and I have a great feeling that’s what we’re going to get Saturday.

“Canelo-Lara, is a matchup for the ages. It’s a matchup that doesn’t come by every day. You will be watching the best 154-pound fighters in the world today, in the same ring, for the same prize, for honor and glory.

“Who’s going to win? The fight fans. That is what its all about. Delivering the best of the best. “The whole card will be one for the ages. We have the much-anticipated return of a great fighter in Abner Mares, going up against a hard-hitting fighter in Jonathan Oquendo.

“When you match up Mexico vs. Puerto Rico you know you will get passion in that ring. There have been many great wars with this matchup and we will see more of that Saturday night.

“Juan Manuel Lopez is a tremendous fighter with explosive power, but more importantly he has the determination to get back on top of the boxing world.

“Lopez is facing an undefeated Olympian from Mexico who is determined to give it all for the honor and glory of his country, in Francisco Vargas.

“The opening bout I can guarantee will be a great one. Their fighting styles guarantee that. We have seen Johan Perez and Mauricio Herrera give us great heart and determination every time they’re in that ring.

“I have to admit, I took out a page of Dana White’s playbook, with stacking the cards from top to bottom, making sure that the fans are getting their early to watch exciting champions of tomorrow and today in these terrific fights.”

JOSE “CHEPO” REYNOSO, Canelo’s Trainer

“I appreciate everyone being here for this great fight Saturday. I just want to repeat a poem from a great Mexican composer, the time for words is over, “it’s time to fight with our fists in the ring”

“Bell man, ring that bell because Canelo and Lara are ready for Saturday night.”

EDDIE REYNOSO, Canelo’s Co-Trainer

“There’s nothing more to say, we had a great preparation. We have a great fighter, with great qualities that can fight any style. He’s ready to fight on Saturday night and to prove he’s the main guy at 154 pounds.”

LUIS DECUBAS JR., Lara’s Co-Manager

“We’re excited, you guys are going to see a great fight Saturday night. ’The American Dream,’ Erislandy Lara is going to win this fight Saturday night, no question and prove he is the best 154 pounder.”

BOB SANTOS, Lara’s Co-Manager

“We had a tremendous camp. Canelo is a great fighter, but on Saturday night Erislandy Lara is going to prove he is the best 154-pounder in the world, bar none.”

STEPHEN ESPINOZA, Executive Vice President & General Manager, SHOWTIME Sports

“This is the fourth boxing event at MGM Grand this year, plus two last year and with that lineup there is no doubt that the biggest stars in boxing fight here at MGM Grand. Five out of those six are SHOWTIME events and we are very proud of our relationship with MGM Grand.

“For the last two years, SHOWTIME has been the exclusive home of the biggest events in boxing and Saturday will be just that, one of the biggest boxing events of the year, featuring the brightest young star in boxing.

“Canelo Alvarez has already shown his popularity in the Hispanic community, and we are now seeing his ability to crossover and attract all ethnicities across the country.

“A big part of Canelo’s popularity stems from his desire to face the very best opponents, and Erislandy Lara is just that, the very best challenge in the 154-pound division.

“It’s very rare we get to see consensus No. 1 and No. 2 ranked boxers in the same division face each other, but that’s exactly what we have and that what is drawing so much attention to this event.

“Add to that an undercard filled with intriguing storylines and the potential for explosive action, and you get the guaranteed excitement and entertainment on Saturday night.

“One element we’re very proud of is the fact that this card is filled with boxers built on SHOWTIME’s platforms. This will be Canelo’s fifth appearance on SHOWTIME, Lara’s sixth, Abner Mares has appeared eight times on SHOWTIME, this will be his ninth. ’JuanMa’ has appeared on SHOWTIME six times, Francisco Vargas four times and Mauricio Herrera twice.

“So get to the MGM Grand early or tune in to SHOWTIME to see all the action.”

BOB BENNETT, Executive Director of the Nevada State Athletic Commission

“I would like to thank all the fighters for their efforts this Saturday night and we wish you the very best and your continued success in the sport.”

RICHARD STURM, President of Entertainment, MGM Resorts International

“We are excited to add to the heat of the summer with a fantastic showdown this Saturday. It’s a pleasure to welcome back the Mexican superstar Canelo Alvarez, who looks to leave the MGM with another victory.

“Welcome to Erislandy Lara, who returns after fighting at the MGM in 2010. The Cuban champion will no doubt bring a great show to the ring Saturday night.”

# # #

“Honor & Glory: Canelo vs. Lara,” a 12-round junior middleweight fight taking place Saturday, July12 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions and Canelo Promotions and sponsored by Corona and AT&T. In the co-main event, Abner Mares returns to the ring to face Puerto Rico’s Jonathan Oquendo in a 10-round featherweight bout. In the SHOWTIME PPV opening bout, Johan Perez defends his interim WBA Junior Welterweight World Title against Mauricio Herrera in a 12-round matchup. Also, Juan Manuel Lopez meets Francisco Vargas in a 10-round bout for the WBO International Super Featherweight Title. The event will be produced and distributed live by SHOWTIME PPV beginning at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT. The event can be heard in Spanish using secondary audio programming (SAP). For information visit www.SHO.com/Sports. Canelo vs. Lara will be shown on the big screen in movie theaters across the country via Fathom Events. Information will be available at www.fathomevents.com.

Plus, SHOWTIME® will 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” (7:30 p.m. ET / 4:30 p.m. PT, immediately preceding the live PPV event).

LONDON (July 10) – Erislandy Lara has said he doesn’t owe Canelo Alvarez anything other than left hands as he prepares do battle with the Mexican superstar this weekend.

The Cuban light-middleweight takes on the dangerous Alvarez this Saturday night at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, live on BoxNation, and despite being one of the divisions most avoided fighters says he isn’t indebted to the former unified champion for taking the fight.

“I don’t owe him anything other than left hands. I forced this fight. It wasn’t because he wanted to take this fight [that he agreed to fight],” said Lara.

“We’ve been after this fight for two years and I’ve been putting pressure on social media and interviews and jumping on stage, that’s what pressured him to take this fight.

“I know he didn’t want this fight, and on July 12th you’re going to see the reason why he didn’t want this fight,” he said.

The 31-year-old has earned a reputation as a slick and polished competitor having honed his skills in the fabled Cuban amateur system.

Having fled the Communist state and his home of Guantanamo to establish his career as a professional fighter, victory for Lara will see him fulfil a lifelong ambition of becoming one of boxing’s very best.

“I wanted to come to this country and fight the best. That’s what I wanted to do since my seventh professional fight,” Lara said.

“I was asking to fight for a world title. And championships come and go, but these are the types of fights that will leave history, so that’s what I plan on doing on July 12th.

“I always want to stand up and show why Cuban boxing’s the best – that’s what I’m going to do on Saturday,” he said.

Lara, who has only lost one fight in his 22 as a professional, that being a controversial points loss to Paul Williams in 2011, has vowed to do a number on the cinnamon haired Alvarez, a fighter who he believes is the perfect style for him.

“It’s a good style match up because I know Canelo’s going to try to press forward and press for action, and that’s a style I like. I like guys that come and fight, and I pick them apart, like I’ve done to several guys coming up,” Lara said.

“These are the fights I like. I like guys who come to fight and I like to put them in the dirt, and that’s what I plan on doing,” he said.

The much respected trainer Ronnie Shields, who has trained the likes of Evander Holyfield and Mike Tyson, will be in Lara’s corner for the fight and agrees with his charge, though he says his power in this fight will compliment his skilled southpaw counter-punching.

“I think those guys with the come forward styles really complement Lara’s style. But at the same time Lara punches harder than people give him credit for, and on Saturday July 12th you’re going to see that,” said Shields.

“I think if you look at him everything has improved. I think there’s just an improvement in him on him being just a pure boxer. He’s probably one of the best counter punchers out there. You’re not going to find anybody else better.

“Lara, he fights anybody and everybody. Lara asked for this, he asked for every fight that he’s been in basically because nobody wants to fight him. He only wants to fight the best fighters, and this is why you’ll see him fight on July 12th with Canelo Alvarez,” he said.

Canelo Alvarez vs Erislandy Lara is live on BoxNation (Sky 437/490HD & Virgin 546) this Saturday night. Visit www.boxnation.com to subscribe.

-Ends-

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By Bart Barry-

Saturday at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand, home of Floyd Mayweather’s entranceway shrine, Mexican Saul “Canelo” Alvarez will make a pay-per-view match with Cuban Erislandy “The American Dream” Lara to determine who will be considered the world’s best junior middleweight until Mayweather returns to the division. Those who consider themselves insiders are, in many cases, expecting an overrated Alvarez to lose to what they believe is an underrated Cuban boxer-puncher.

Were official sportsbook Boxing Betting Odds right about Alvarez?”

Erislandy Lara has gotten extended mileage out of his and trainer Ronnie Shields’ claims of others’ avoidance. He is aesthetically displeasing, often in the very worst way of sloppy retreat, hopping sideways in shows of inefficiency to make Amir Khan’s head shake, while he is possessed of wiles enough to make his unconsciousness in a prizefighting ring unlikely. He approached the dais after Alvarez’s last fight, a sanctioned assault of Alfredo Angulo in March, with the trepidatious look of a man pushed from the wings by a stagehand longer on enthusiasm than prudence. Alvarez fielded him nearly with pity, sensing almost immediately Lara was driven by others, not restrained, confidently patted his shoulder, and told Lara to wait his turn.

Their encounter bore the markings of a nervous little guy in a struggling beard sent on a dare by his gamer buddies to game a supermodel on the arm of the bar’s largest and most masculine presence; the podium was the lass and Lara the nervous suitor. After a quiet and somewhat rambling bit of Cuban Spanish from Lara, Alvarez relieved his command and asked who wanted to see them fight, laughed at most of the room’s silence, then asked two of those who spoke up if they, too, were Cubans. Then Alvarez dismissed Lara, as if empathetically.

Some weeks later, with Alvarez wanting back on pay-per-view soon, and his U.S. promoter privately unraveling towards a soon-to-be-public firing of its CEO, Alvarez-Lara got announced, a match Lara’s true believers believe will justify years of their man’s contending he is the game’s most-avoided prizefighter, a match that may prove an aesthetic disaster, but may not, and will be Alvarez’s to lose – either via brutal stoppage or sympathetic judging by some who know a healthy Las Vegas economy is a burden no Cuban’s popularity should be asked to support.

There will be very few Lara supporters at Saturday’s match because most Lara fans are committed to misanthropy more than boxing. In Lara they see a soulmate spoiler of sorts, a man who makes their contrary impulses dance like disco lights in a kaleidoscope. Alvarez is the sort of person a Lara fan never expected to fight their guy. For having been ushered to stardom via haircolor and Mexican daytime television – and Mexicans’ rapacious desire to claim prizefighting’s best as their own – “Canelo” is the anti-Lara, a man whose image surgepumps lighter fluid on the dull if ever-breathing embers of resentment from which many casual boxing fans, and even some serious ones, draw their animating force.

Not enough is yet known about the fiscal health of Alvarez’s U.S. handler, Golden Boy Promotions, or even if it has been acting legally as Alvarez’s promoter – a Florida courthouse will begin sorting this out in October, when All Star Boxing, headed by one of the more charismatic promoters our sport boasts, Tuto Zabala, sees the fruition of a lawsuit it initiated in 2011 – to comment intelligently on the outfit’s future. There is doubt, though.

While Golden Boy Promotions’ deposed executive Richard Schaefer is arguably the least-charismatic promoter our sport boasts, or boasted anyway, he built a robust company while answering to about as zany a boss as any serious professional ever did. In and out of rehab and surely suffering worse and deeper troubles than ever had their day in the tabloids, Oscar De La Hoya disappeared frequently, appeared sporadically, and rarely said an insightful or particularly coherent thing while in public during much of the last half of Schaefer’s tenure.

Indications are that Schaefer did not represent De La Hoya’s best interests at all times, though a day may come when it is apparent De La Hoya’s best interests were not necessarily the same as his company’s, and while Schaefer auctioned off assets of the corporation, many possibly to manager Al Haymon, they were assets Schaefer nevertheless acquired in the first place, assets that were going to float away regardless of the promoter’s attaining some fees from them in the meantime. Floyd Mayweather may well have been a free agent, in other words, but the buffet of substandard Golden Boy Promotions fighters upon which he feasted, instead of Manny Pacquiao, was no accident and brought Golden Boy Promotions much greater revenues than it would have raised on its own, whatever conditional promises were made to attain them.

How well boxing’s second-best promoter will function in Schaefer’s absence is anyone’s guess. No knowledgeable person expects De La Hoya to have the acumen or attention span to replace Schaefer by himself. One hopes, for our sport’s longterm health, then, De La Hoya is busy interviewing potential replacements, sifting through an impressive stack of impressive resumes, at this very moment.

One hopes, yes, but one does not expect.

Where Top Rank comprises a roster of esteemed professionals and Don King Productions once comprised one of the world’s most relentlessly enormous personalities, Golden Boy Promotions comprised a rightfully famous figurehead and a savvy CEO. It no longer has a savvy CEO.

Despite himself in many cases, De La Hoya was en route to becoming something our sport lacks and truly needs: a happy ending. The tenuous partnership of De La Hoya and Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, tenuously linked, may not be any handicapper’s best place to put his money, but for now, it’s what’s on the quick sheet and deserves at least well-wishes, if not additional investment from fans.

Either way, I’ll take Alvarez, UD-12, in a match that proves Erislandy Lara is not underrated.

Bart Barry can be reached at bart.barrys.email (at) gmail.com

Las Vegas (July 9, 2014) – Fighters on this Saturday’s “Honor & Glory: Canelo vs. Lara” card took part in open to the public workouts earlier today, just three days before their scheduled bouts on Saturday, July 12 at MGM Grand Garden Arena live on SHOWTIME PPV®.

Fighters on the PPV card, Canelo Alvarez, Erislandy “The American Dream” Lara, Abner Mares, Jonathan “Polvo” Oquendo, Juan Manuel “JuanMa” Lopez, Francisco “El Bandido” Vargas, Johan “El Terrible” Perez, and Mauricio “El Maestro” Herrera joined undercard fighters Tomoki Kameda, Pungluang Singyu, Yamaguchi Falcao and Jason Quigley in the ring to give the fans a show before their Saturday bouts.

Click HERE for pictures from today’s workouts
Photo Credit: Gene Blevins/Hogan Photos
Photo Credit: Esther Lin/SHOWTIME

# # #

“Honor & Glory: Canelo vs. Lara,” a 12-round junior middleweight fight taking place Saturday, July12 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions and Canelo Promotions and sponsored by Corona and AT&T. In the co-main event, Abner Mares returns to the ring to face Puerto Rico’s Jonathan Oquendo in a 10-round featherweight bout. In the SHOWTIME PPV opening bout, Johan Perez defends his interim WBA Junior Welterweight World Title against Mauricio Herrera in a 12-round matchup. Also, Juan Manuel Lopez meets Francisco Vargas in a 10-round bout for the WBO International Super Featherweight Title. The event will be produced and distributed live by SHOWTIME PPV beginning at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT. The event can be heard in Spanish using secondary audio programming (SAP). For information visit www.SHO.com/Sports. Canelo vs. Lara will be shown on the big screen in movie theaters across the country via Fathom Events. Information will be available at www.fathomevents.com.

Plus, SHOWTIME® will 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” (7:30 p.m. ET / 4:30 p.m. PT, immediately preceding the live PPV event).

Tickets are still available at the $750, $500, $250, $150, $75 and $50 price ranges, not including applicable service charges. Tickets are limited to eighteen (18) per person with a limit of eight (8) at the $75 and $50 price ranges. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. Tickets also are available at www.mgmgrand.com or www.ticketmaster.com

LAS VEGAS (July 8, 2014) – With “Honor & Glory: Canelo vs. Lara” just days away, Canelo Alvarez, Erislandy “The American Dream” Lara, Abner Mares, Jonathan “Polvo” Oquendo, Juan Manuel “JuanMa” Lopez and Mauricio “El Maestro” Herrera made their grand arrivals Tuesday to the MGM Grand Hotel Lobby to officially kick off fight week activities leading up to this Saturday night’s SHOWTIME PPV® event.
Boxing fans were on hand to support the fighters before they lay it all on the line this Saturday, July 12.

Tickets are still available at the $750, $500, $250, $150, $75 and $50 price ranges, not including applicable service charges. Tickets are limited to eighteen (18) per person with a limit of eight (8) at the $75 and $50 price ranges. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. Tickets also are available at www.mgmgrand.com or www.ticketmaster.com.

Here is what the fighters had to say:

CANELO ALVAREZ, Former WBA & WBC Super Welterweight World Champion

“Erislandy Lara insulted me and my country. He insulted my ability to box, and I take that seriously. This is more than just a fight for me. On Saturday, I’m not only fighting for my honor, I’m fighting for the pride of my country.

“We’re ready to fight and I’m so happy to see all these people anxious for the day to finally arrive.

“The fans are my motivation to keep winning and competing at a high level.

“There’s a lot more of my story to be written so I am completely focused on Saturday night.

“Lara can get motivated however he wants, talking or not. The best man will win on Saturday.

“This fight will give me personal satisfaction. It’s about fighting the best and beating the best. The media and the fans know that this is a dangerous fight and them knowing that will make my win that much better. It’s a personal satisfaction to be fighting the best and beating the best.”

ERISLANDY LARA, WBA Junior Middleweight World Champion

“When I arrived to the United States from Cuba, times were tough. I’ve built what I have from nothing. I take pride in the opportunities that this country has given me. And I’m not about to let this one go by.

“On Saturday I will trudge through the doors that my boxing skills have opened up for me and the world will know who I am.
“I feel very special to be here right now. I don’t feel any pressure because I am ready to fight.

“They can say what they want Canelo is Canelo. I’m ready to fight because I believe the best should fight the best.

“Right now Canelo is my enemy and this is war now.

“I trust my trainer Ronnie Shields. He knows exactly what he is doing. Ronnie is the best trainer that I have ever had. I had great trainers as an amateur, but Ronnie is the best professionally.

“I’m fighting for my family, to put food on the table for them. No one can take that away from me.”

ABNER MARES, Former Three-Time, Three-Division World Champion

“This fight is no walk in the park. Jonathan is a warrior and that’s why I trained very hard. I’m here to make a statement.

“The Mexico vs. Puerto Rico rivalry lets you know this is going to be a great fight.

“I’m glad he has the mentality of the knockout, but on Saturday it is going to be my night in the ring.”

JONATHAN OQUENDO, Featherweight Contender

“I’m not going to lie; I have a lot of respect for Abner Mares, but don’t let that fool you. I don’t feel any pressure, he’s a great champ but there will be blood in the ring on Saturday, and it won’t be mine.

“We have great fighters from Puerto Rico and this is for those fans who will see something great Saturday.

“The knockouts come naturally to me; if it presents itself I will definitely knock him out.”

JUAN MANUEL LOPEZ, Former Two-Division World Champion

“I feel good and very confident. I’m simply a better fighter. Come Saturday night, Puerto Rico will school Mexico. Vargas better watch out.

“Everything I did in the gym takes the pressure away and makes my confidence rise.

“We’ve got two great countries, Puerto Rico and Mexico battling it out and I just want to prove Puerto Ricans can fight.”

FRANCISCO VARGAS, 2008 Mexican Olympian & Super Featherweight Contender

“I’m ready for war, Juanma better be ready to fight a true Mexican warrior.

“I don’t feel any pressure, that stuff just motivates me.

“I’m glad to have all my countrymen here and we will give them all a war.”

JOHAN PEREZ, Interim WBA World Junior Welterweight Champion

“I know what I have in front of me. Mauricio is a tough, aggressive fighter and we’re going to give a great fight.

“Make sure you don’t miss my fight Saturday. I’m going to be his problem, not Danny Garcia.”

MAURICIO HERRERA, Junior Welterweight Contender

“I’m coming off of a controversial loss, and I’m not about to let that happen again. I’m going to come out victorious on Saturday night and no judge will think otherwise.

“We’re going to go through Johan first before worrying about another chance at Danny Garcia.

“Johan is the guy in front me and I’ll show all of you a great match on Saturday.”

OSCAR DE LA HOYA, President and Founder of Golden Boy Promotions

“Fights like these are all for the fans, that’s why we’re in this business. The match-up between Canelo Alvarez and Erislandy Lara is going to be explosive and everyone in attendance and watching on television will witness the heart and will of two true champions.

“When the final bell sounds on Saturday night, there will not only be a winner in the ring but the fight fans will walk away the winners as well because they will have seen boxing at it’s best.

“Make sure you get there early for fireworks in the ring.

“Top to bottom, this card is going to be explosive.’’

# # #

“Honor & Glory: Canelo vs. Lara,” a 12-round junior middleweight fight taking place Saturday, July 12 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions and Canelo Promotions and sponsored by Corona and AT&T. In the co-main event, Abner Mares returns to the ring to face Puerto Rico’s Jonathan Oquendo in a 10-round featherweight bout. In the SHOWTIME PPV opening bout, Johan Perez defends his interim WBA Junior Welterweight World Title against Mauricio Herrera in a 12-round matchup. Also, Juan Manuel Lopez meets Francisco Vargas in a 10-round bout for the WBO International Super Featherweight Title. The event will be produced and distributed live by SHOWTIME PPV beginning at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT. The event can be heard in Spanish using secondary audio programming (SAP). For information visit www.SHO.com/Sports. Canelo vs. Lara will be shown on the big screen in movie theaters across the country via Fathom Events. Information will be available at www.fathomevents.com.

Plus, SHOWTIME will televise undefeated WBO Bantamweight World Champion Tomoki “El Mexicanito” Kameda defending his title against No. 1-ranked contender Pungluang Sor Singyu during “Canelo vs. Lara: COUNTDOWN LIVE” (7:30 p.m. ET / 4:30 p.m. PT, immediately preceding the live PPV event).

LAS VEGAS (July 8, 2014) – There will be a distinct international flavor to the “Honor & Glory: Canelo vs. Lara” SHOWTIME PPV® undercard this Saturday, July 12, as top boxers from Brazil, Ireland, Cuba and Puerto Rico all enter the ring in the lead-up to the long-awaited main event between Canelo Alvarez and Erislandy Lara. Featured will be former Olympian Yamaguchi Falcao, Jason Quigley, Yoandris “El Nino” Salinas and John Karl Sosa.

Tickets are still available at the $750, $500, $250, $150, $75 and $50 price ranges, not including applicable service charges. Tickets are limited to eighteen (18) per person with a limit of eight (8) at the $75 and $50 price ranges. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. Tickets also are available at www.mgmgrand.com or www.ticketmaster.com.

“This is a very special undercard to kick-off what will be one of the best fight nights of the year,” said Oscar De La Hoya, president and founder of Golden Boy Promotions. “Top level fighters from around the world will be competing in quick succession leading up to the Canelo vs. Lara four-fight pay-per-view event. Fight fans should plan on getting to the MGM Grand Garden Arena early so they don’t miss this top to bottom thrilling card.”

A 2012 Olympic Bronze medalist for Brazil, Sao Mateus native Yamaguchi Falcao (1-0) now makes his home in Los Angeles, where he hopes to one day make a run for world championship gold. Last April 26, the 26-year-old southpaw picked up his first professional victory, shutting out Fernando Najera, and this weekend, he will attempt to keep his unbeaten record intact when he faces Arecibo, Puerto Rico’s Jesus M. Cruz (1-1-1) in a four/six-round middleweight bout.

Fighting out of County Donegal in Ireland, 23-year-old Jason Quigley has been one of Europe’s top amateurs for years, winning several championships and accolades along the way. A member of the Golden Boy Promotions’ roster, Quigley is ready to make his pro debut this Saturday in a four-round middleweight contest against Ocala, Florida’s Howard Reece (2-6, 1 KO).

A veteran of nearly 300 amateur bouts, Cuba’s Yoandris “El Nino” Salinas (20-0-2, 13 KOs) is getting closer to a title shot in the 122-pound weight class. Unbeaten as a pro, the 28-year-old came close in October of 2013 before a controversial draw verdict was rendered in his WBA World Super Bantamweight Title fight against Scott Quigg. Back in the ring and hungrier than ever, Salinas will square off in a 10-round bout against tough Los Angeles native Enrique Quevedo (15-7-1, 9 KOs).

In the six-round welterweight opener, Caguas, Puerto Rico’s John Karl Sosa (11-0, 6 KOs) will seek his third win of 2014 when he meets Michoacan, Mexico’s Luis Bello (5-1, 2 KOs)..

“Honor & Glory: Canelo vs. Lara,” a 12-round junior middleweight fight taking place Saturday, July12 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions and Canelo Promotions and sponsored by Corona and AT&T. In the co-main event, Abner Mares returns to the ring to face Puerto Rico’s Jonathan Oquendo in a 10-round featherweight bout. In the SHOWTIME PPV opening bout, Johan Perez defends his interim WBA Junior Welterweight World Title against Mauricio Herrera in a 12-round matchup. Also, Juan Manuel Lopez meets Francisco Vargas in a 10-round bout for the WBO International Super Featherweight Title. The event will be produced and distributed live by SHOWTIME PPV beginning at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT. The event can be heard in Spanish using secondary audio programming (SAP). For information visit www.SHO.com/Sports. Canelo vs. Lara will be shown on the big screen in movie theaters across the country via Fathom Events. Information will be available at www.fathomevents.com.

Plus, SHOWTIME® will 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” (7:30 p.m. ET / 4:30 p.m. PT, immediately preceding the live PPV event).

LONDON (July 8) – Oscar De La Hoya has labelled this weekend’s clash between Mexican superstar Canelo Alvarez and Erislandy Lara as a battle for ‘honour and glory’.

The boxing legend, and boss at Golden Boy Promotions, will see his premier charge Alvarez take on one of his toughest fights to date when he steps in against the slick Lara at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, live this Saturday night on BoxNation.

The Hall of Famer is well aware of the challenge that faces Alvarez, and despite no title being up for grabs between two of the world’s leading light-middleweights, it was a fight both men wanted as they look to establish their legacy in the sport.

“This fight is not about a title. This fight is about honour and glory,” said De La Hoya. “When people say I didn’t want this fight for Canelo, obviously it wasn’t the first choice. As a promoter you don’t want the most difficult fight out there for him.

“But this is what Canelo’s all about, ultimately it’s his decision, and his decision is a very calculated decision. He’s confident in his abilities, and he wants to fight the very best. That’s the bottom line,” he said.

Though this is anticipated as the 23-year-old Alvarez’s hardest fight since his loss to Floyd Mayweather last September, De La Hoya believes that the former unified 154-pound champion has seen something in Lara, like he did before his victory over Austin Trout.

“Canelo’s a fighter who continues to improve, who continues to grow. He is a fighter who has tremendous, tremendous abilities inside the ring,” said De La Hoya.

“We feel that with Austin Trout, Canelo saw things in Austin Trout, we saw things in Austin Trout, and the same here with Erislandy Lara.

“Yes, he’s very difficult and it’s a difficult style, it’s a tough test in front of him, but like we saw something with Austin Trout you always see something with Erislandy Lara, you see things that obviously Canelo can do and take advantage of.

“But only the fighter can tell you. The fighter can tell you exactly what he saw and what makes him believe that he can beat him,” he said.

The fiery red-headed Alvarez is coming off an impressive stoppage win over Mexican rival Alfredo Angulo.

He suffered a setback when he was convincingly beaten by pound-for-pound star Mayweather but has shown great resolve as he looks to re-establish himself amongst boxing’s best with victory this weekend.

“I improve on every fight and I gain experience, I get better and without an exception this isn’t going to be anything different. We feel very confident and very comfortable,” said Alvarez.

“Lara’s one of the best fighters out there in the world in this weight division, so the winner of this fight will, without a doubt, be the best fighter in the division,” he said.

Throughout the promotion Alvarez has refused to be drawn into the perceived mind-games of the tricky Cuban, who has said that the Angulo he fought and beat was a lesser fighter than the one his younger foe overcame in March.

“I’m not going to get into his games. If I didn’t want the fight [with Lara], the fight wouldn’t be happening. The fight is here because I wanted the fight. And on July 12th we’re going to see who hits who,” he said.

“It doesn’t matter what they say [about Angulo]. They can say whatever they want. I’m not going to lose sleep over that. I know what I did. I know I did a very good fight. But that fight’s behind us. That fight’s in the past. Now I’m preparing for the next fight and for the future,” said Alvarez.

Canelo Alvarez vs Erislandy Lara is live on BoxNation (Sky 437/490HD & Virgin 546) this Saturday night. Visit www.boxnation.com to subscribe.

LAS VEGAS (July 7, 2014) – Unbeaten Southern California prospects Santiago Guevara, Oscar Negrete and Joet Gonzalez will make the trip to The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas on Wednesday, July 9 when they compete in separate bouts on the Golden Boy Live! undercard aired on FOX Sports 1 and FOX Deportes. The event is part of a mega-fight week capped off by the highly anticipated junior middleweight bout between Mexican superstar Canelo Alvarez and Erislandy “The American Dream” Lara on Saturday, July 12 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena and televised live on SHOWTIME PPV®.

In the Golden Boy Live! main event on it’s the return of former world title contender Alfonso Gomez as he battles Ed Paredes in a 10-round junior middleweight bout. Plus, 2012 United States Olympian Joseph “JoJo” Diaz competes in his first 10-round featherweight bout against Guanajuato up-and-comer Ramiro “Zurdo” Robles and 19-year-old phenom Diego “The Golden Kid” De La Hoya risks his unbeaten record against veteran Miguel Tamayo in a six round junior featherweight.

“This is the perfect treat for the fight fans in Las Vegas and we’re bringing an action-packed show to FOX Sports 1 and FOX Deportes viewers,” said Oscar De La Hoya, president and founder of Golden Boy Promotions. “Ed Paredes can make a big move up the rankings if he can get by the always-dangerous Alfonso Gomez and in Joseph Diaz Jr. and Diego De La Hoya, we’re getting a look at the future of this great sport, but they’ll be tested in their fights.”

U.S. Olympian Joseph Diaz Jr. (11-0, 7 KOs) has used his immense talents to impress the boxing world since the London Games. The 21-year-old from South El Monte, Calif. has shown maturity beyond his years along the way. Diaz is coming off of a shutout win over the 50-fight veteran Luis Maldonado in April. Diaz will stay busy in a 10-round featherweight bout against fellow prospect Ramiro “Zurdo” Robles (11-1-1, 6 KOs) who has compiled a seven-fight win streak heading into this bout. Like his opponent, the Guanajuato southpaw is 21 years old and hungry to make an impression in his United States debut.

Nineteen-year-old Mexicali phenom Diego De La Hoya (5-0, 3 KOs) is starting to garner the buzz once heard by his cousin, newly inducted Hall of Famer Oscar De La Hoya. Looking to stay active in 2014, “The Golden Kid” will be making his fourth appearance in the ring since February. On July 9, De La Hoya will look to keep his win streak alive when he faces Ciudad Obregon’s Miguel Tamayo (14-8-2, 12 KOs) in a six-round junior featherweight matchup. Coming off of a tough loss to top contender Gary Russell Jr., Tamayo hopes to get off to a fast start against De La Hoya and with 11 of his knockouts coming in four rounds or less, he has the tools to pull off the upset.

In a six-round lightweight rematch, Los Angeles’ Santiago Guevara (7-0, 3 KOs) returns to the ring for the third time this year when he faces Las Vegas’ own Rocco Espinoza (4-8). Guevara came out on top of a four-round split decision win over Espinoza in January, but this time around, Espinoza vows to even the score, while Guevara looks to keep the judges out of it.

A former amateur star in Colombia who now makes his home in Los Angeles, unbeaten Oscar Negrete (5-0, 1 KO) has impressed fans with his ring savvy and championship potential. On July 9, he will face Carlos Medina (1-0) of Nayarit, Mexico in a four-round junior featherweight bout. In the opening bout of the evening scheduled for six rounds in the featherweight division, Glendora’s Joet Gonzalez (7-0, 1 KO) faces off against San Diego’s David Clark (6-3, 4 KOs).

Gomez vs. Paredes is a 10-round junior middleweight bout presented by Golden Boy Promotions and sponsored by Corona and O’Reilly Auto Parts. The Joint doors will open at 5:00 p.m. PT and the first fight begins at 5:15 p.m. PT. The FOX Sports 1 and FOX Deportes broadcast airs live at 10:00 p.m. ET/7:00 p.m. PT.

Tickets, priced at $95, $65, $35 and $25, not including applicable service charges and taxes, are on sale now and available for purchase by visiting The Joint box office, calling 888.9.AXS.TIX or online at www.axs.com.

For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com, www.FOXSports.com/FOXSports1, www.FOXDeportes.com, follow on Twitter at @GoldenBoyBoxing, @AlfonsoSGomez, @JosephDiazJr. and @DiegoDeLaHoya, @FOXDeportes and follow the conversation using #GoldenBoyLive, become a fan on Facebook at Golden Boy Facebook Page and visit us on Instagram @GoldenBoyBoxing. For more information on FOX Sports 1 visit www.FOXSports.com/watch/FOXSports1 and become a follower on @FOXSports.

Kelly Swanson
Thanks everyone, for joining us today for what will be the final conference call before “Honor and Glory: Canelo vs. Lara” takes place on Saturday, July 12th at MGM Grand. Live on SHOWTIME PPV®. What an exciting fight! Even out on the street people are talking about who’s going to win this one. So, it’s a pleasure and an honor to have both of the main event fighters taking time out of camp today to talk to us.

The odds show Alvarez being the betting favorite

Canelo Alvarez, Erislandy Lara, Chepo Reynoso (Canelo’s trainer) and Ronnie Shields (Lara’s trainer), and we’re going to start the call with Lara and Ronnie Shields. But to make the official introductions I’d like to introduce Oscar De La Hoya, president and founder of Golden Boy Promotions.

Oscar De La Hoya
Thank you very much, Kelly. Yes, we are counting down the days. Everybody’s really excited. Just to point out to you, the event is almost sold out, a complete sell out. We are also hearing from all the cable operators that this fight is tracking extremely well, so it’s obviously a great indication not only of Canelo’s star power and not only of the great stacked card that we have, but also because this is a great fight that a lot of people feel is a toss-up fight. Before I introduce the trainers and the fighters, let me introduce to you the Vice President of Communications at SHOWTIME®, Chris DeBlasio, to say a few words.

Chris DeBlasio
Thank you, Oscar. And thanks to the press for participating on this call. Some housekeeping from SHOWTIME: Stephen Espinoza, our Executive Vice President and Head of Programming couldn’t join us today and he extends his apologies. So briefly, our Emmy Award-winning documentary series ALL ACCESS has returned to chronicle Canelo and Lara’s preparations for this fight. Our first episode you may have seen premiered last Friday night. Our second episode in advance of the PPV event will be televised on Wednesday, July 9th on SHOWTIME (9 p.m. ET/PT). We encourage you to tune in. That is the linchpin of the shoulder programming that is airing on SHOWTIME EXTREME®, available on our website, SHOWTIME ON DEMAND®, as well as on mobile devices via SHOWTIME ANYTIME®.

ALL ACCESS, as I previously mentioned, is the linchpin of that content, but in addition we have past fights from Canelo, Erislandy Lara, Abner Mares and Mauricio Herrera. We have several past fights available; these are some of the gems from each of these fighters’ careers, as well as a ton of other content available throughout the week leading up to the PPV event, including our “Canelo vs. Lara: COUNTDOWN LIVE”, which airs live on SHOWTIME on Saturday, July 12th. The countdown show will air at 7:30 p.m. Eastern/4:30 p.m. Pacific live from MGM Grand, and it will include a live championship fight leading up to the 9:00 p.m.ET/6:00 p.m.PT live SHOWTIME PPV event from MGM Grand.

So, we’re excited about the content and mostly excited about the live fights that will take place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, as I’m sure the rest of you are looking forward to it.

O. De La Hoya
Thank you very much, Chris. And let me take this opportunity to say a few words. He is a trainer that we all know very well. He’s a great trainer, and he is in Lara’s camp getting him ready for the big showdown, and that is Ronnie Shields. Ronnie?

Ronnie Shields
Thank you, Oscar. I just wanted to say that everything’s going great here in camp. Erislandy Lara’s in great condition. Like always, he’s been doing everything that we’ve asked of him. Our whole team is really, really focused on making sure that you get the best possible fight out there. It’s going to be a really, really great fight. We’re looking forward to it. Lara’s condition is really great, and we really give all the credit to [indiscernible] Jackson [indiscernible] conditioning coach. He’s been doing a great job. And everybody else in camp has really been doing really good, and Lara’s in good spirits. He can’t wait until July 12th to get in the ring with Canelo Alvarez.

O. De La Hoya
Thank you very much, Ronnie. And now let me introduce to you the fighter who hails out of Guantanamo, Cuba. He suffered a controversial decision, lost to Paul Williams in 2011. He’s won the WBA Junior Middleweight World Championship, defeating Alfredo Angulo. He has a great win, a 12-round unanimous decision over Austin Trout. He is obviously here and ready and willing, with a record of 19-1-2, with 12 knockouts, let me introduce to you Erislandy Lara.

Erislandy Lara
Hi to everybody on the call; thank you guys for being present. There’s not much more to talk about. I’m ready to fight. I’m in great shape. And you’ll see against Canelo on July 12th.

Q
Hello, everybody. Thank you. When you came to America to pursue your professional dream to fight, was this everything that you thought it would be, to get into these kinds of fights? I know it took a little while to get here, but you’re here now, how do you feel looking back, the way things have gone over the past few years getting to this point?

E. Lara
One hundred percent. That’s what I wanted to do, that’s the reason I came to this country was to fight in these types of fights, and to fight at this level.

Q
And when you came here Canelo wasn’t a big name or anything at the time, but were you thinking not only world titles and those types of fights, but significant opponents and pay-per-view level fights? Did he even know what pay-per-view was? They don’t have that in Cuba.

E. Lara
Yes. One hundred percent, that’s exactly what I wanted to do. I wanted to come to this country and fight the best. That’s what I wanted to do since my seventh professional fight. I was asking to fight for a world title. And championships come and go, but these are the types of fights that will leave history, so that’s what I plan on doing on July 12th.

Q
You and Canelo have a couple of common opponents, both have fought Austin Trout, both have fought Angulo, each one of them had, one was easy for one guy and one was tough for the other guy. I’m curious, do you put any stock into the fact with the way that those went down, or is this just a totally separate situation?

E. Lara
No. They have nothing to do with each other, basically all styles are different. And I’m focused on Canelo and I don’t think it makes a difference on who that he fought in the past. What makes a difference is how our styles mesh, and I plan on dominating Canelo Alvarez on July 12th.

Q
Thank you. You’ve been training Lara for a while now. I just wonder, from the point of view of the trainer, he’s had some really, really outstanding performances, he’s had a couple of fights that were maybe a little inconsistent. How do you go about trying to make sure that we see the dominant top notch Lara come next Saturday, as opposed to the guy that kind of gets through the fight and maybe doesn’t look great but does what he has to do, but maybe there’s a question when the fight’s over in some people’s minds about the result, to have him really primed for that night?

R. Shields
Well, the most important thing is style, and he’s one of these guys that, Canelo, I think is who’s in front of you that makes a big difference in any fight, some guys are hard to get out front, some guys are not. But obviously I think Canelo Alvarez is one of the guys that you know you have to be at your best, and I think that’s what you’re going to see on July 12th. I can’t say that I can worry about anything else other than doing the right things. And we’ve been working on [indiscernible] in camp and he’s showing it up real good in training, everything’s great, the sparring has been really great. So, we’re just looking forward to it and we’re going to follow our game plan on July 12th.

Q
Ronnie, do you think that Lara seems to be a better level of technique and skill than Canelo does, maybe a little bit better quickness, do you think that is going to basically be the difference in the fight, that he can take over because he’s going to basically be making Canelo missing him while he’s countering him?

R. Shields
Yes, without a doubt. Also, I think that Lara is just a better fighter, period, than Canelo. You can’t take anything away from Canelo, he’s a really good fighter, you can’t take anything away from that, but understand this, Erislandy Lara has a better amateur career and he’s having a better pro career. It’s just as simple as that. And Erislandy Lara is one of the best fighters and anybody and everybody who will invite him, so Lara doesn’t have a pick-and-choose career. If you take Canelo’s career, his career has been pick-and-choose.

Q
Ronnie, why is this a good style match up for Erislandy?

R. Shields
Well, it’s a good style match up because if you look at Canelo, he’s one of these guys that, he’s a good puncher with both hands and he’s an arrogant guy, in a great way, because he talks a lot, but he backs it up. And Lara is basically the same way. But when you look at the styles, if you look at Canelo, he’s a guy, he likes to throw combinations. And that’s perfect for Lara, because Lara’s a perfect counter puncher. So, as far as style match up goes, this is going to be a great fight. It’s going to be a great fight because I know both guys are in great condition, and that’s what the people want to see.

Q
Erislandy, why is this a good style match up for you? Why do you feel comfortable going into this fight? And obviously it’s a high stakes fight too.

E. Lara
It’s a good style match up because I know Canelo’s going to try to press forward and press for action, and that’s a style I like. I like guys that come and fight, and I pick them apart, like I’ve done to several guys coming up. These are the fights I like. I like guys who come to fight and I like to put them in the dirt, and that’s what I plan on doing.

Q
The controversy notwithstanding, Ronnie, when he fought Williams everybody at ringside thought he won the fight, and obviously he dominated Trout probably the same way. It occurs to me that both of them are southpaws and skillful fighters, did that have anything to do with why he performed so well against both of those guys, as opposed to Angulo and Molina, both were good fights but there were some people who thought Molina beat him, and obviously Angulo dropped him twice.

R. Shields
Well, I think when you go back, I remember in the Molina fight that we took the fight on very short notice and we really didn’t have a whole lot of time to prepare for Molina. Molina is a good fighter, we can’t take anything away from him, but I still go back and look at that fight, and there’s no way in the world Lara lost that fight. Lara won that fight. He won six rounds of that fight, so I know he won that fight.

But with the Angulo fight, Alfredo Angulo was a tough, tough fighter, and you can’t take that away from him. He was one of the best junior middleweights in the world who can punch with both hands, and Lara as a fighter, he got caught and he went down. But you know what a good fighter does, he gets up and he comes back, and he stopped Angulo.

That’s just the way it is, to have to deal with whether a guy is a southpaw or a right hander. Lara, he fights anybody and everybody. Lara asked for this, he asked for every fight that he’s been in basically because nobody wants to fight him. He only wants to fight the best fighters, and this is why you’ll see him fight on July 12th with Canelo Alvarez.

Q
But the two fights that I mentioned before, though, Trout and Williams, why was he so dominant in those fights, and what did he do well in those fights that you think is part of his signature?

R. Shields
Well, he counter punched and he boxed the way he’s supposed to box. And I think those guys with the come forward styles really complements Lara’s style. But at the same time Lara punches harder than people give him credit for, and on Saturday July 12th you’re going to see that.

Q
I’ve got one more question for Erislandy. One of your countrymen, Yuriorkis Gamboa, lost, and I wonder if you feel any patriotism to step up for the Cubans in the wake of his loss?

E. Lara
Gamboa is Gamboa, and in the Cuban system there’s teams, here, this is an individual sport, I’m focused on what I’ve got to do. It has nothing to do with my game plan or changes what I’ve got to do. My main focus is beating Canelo Alvarez, and that’s what I plan on doing July 12th. And obviously I always want to stand up and show why Cuban boxing’s the best, and that’s what I’m going to do on July 12th. And it has nothing to do with Gamboa, obviously we have completely different styles and we’re completely different fighters. Other than being Cuban, that’s the only thing they have in common.

Q
Mr. Lara a lot of popular fighters would go the easy road and avoid you. Do you feel you owe Canelo some debt of gratitude for actually agreeing to meet you in the ring?

E. Lara
Absolutely not. I don’t owe him anything other than left hands. I forced this fight. It wasn’t because he wanted to take this fight. We’ve been after this fight for two years and I’ve been putting pressure on social media or interviews and jumping on stage, that’s what pressured him to take this fight. I know he didn’t want this fight, and on July 12th you’re going to see the reason why he didn’t want this fight.

Q
Just a quick question. For the year, all in all, through whether it’s Top Rank, Golden Boy, SHOWIME, HBO, pay-per-view results haven’t been too, too impressive. Are you worried about the amount of buys this fight will receive? It’s a very good match up, probably the best all-around match of this year so far, but are you worried that there might be some fatigue as far as buyers go?

O. De La Hoya
No, not at all because, first of all, when you have Canelo involved in a pay-per-view fight, as the numbers show, his very first pay-per-view that he was headlining generated close to 400,000 homes. Having this fight with Erislandy Lara, having the stacked card, people know what they’re going to watch and people are going to tune in to watch a spectacular event, so, we’re not worried one bit whatsoever.

Q
Ronnie, there is no question that Canelo Alvarez was having trouble with Austin Trout up until he dropped him in the seventh. Was it a bad style match up until then, or was it the mere fact that Austin Trout is a big junior middleweight?

R. Shields
Austin Trout is just a good fighter, period, as simple as that. Austin Trout knows his way around that ring. This is why you’ve seen him beat several great fighters. This is why you’ve seen him beat everybody he’s fought up until he met Canelo. And that fight was very, very close, to me, even with the knockdown. But just to say Austin Trout is just a good boxer, no. Austin Trout is a great boxer.

Q
The question was basically, given the political situation in Cuba, have we missed a lot of great fighters that haven’t made it to the U.S.?

E. Lara
Absolutely. Obviously Cuba’s a very strict country, it’s a country that you’ve got to do a lot of things to get over here to be free, and there are a tremendous amount of fighters in Cuba that would be world champions or very good fighters over here that are never able to make it.

Q
My question’s for Erislandy. I’m just curious, Erislandy, if you’ve had a chance to view the fight that Saul Alvarez had with Alfredo Angulo. I wanted to know if you thought that he looked good in that fight, or if he was facing a lesser version of Angulo?

E. Lara
Yes, I was there in person and I didn’t see the same Angulo, the same fighter that I saw in my fight. I thought that it was a decent fight, nothing special, and I dont think that that benefits either guy either way.

Q
Do you feel any extra pressure being the fact that Canelo’s the big star or whether or not he believes he can get a fair decision?

E. Lara
I’ve got no pressure to knockout, the knockout comes along. My main focus is dominating Canelo Alvarez. We have three great officials with the Las Vegas Commission that we know they’re going to do their job, and I’ve got to do my job.

Q
All right, my last question’s for Ronnie Shields. Ronnie, when you’ve got Erislandy Lara and he was experienced, he could come as a fighter, I’m just curious through your time working with him what do you believe you’ve improved in him most?

R. Shields
Well, I think if you look at him everything has improved. I think there’s just an improvement in him on him being just a pure boxer. And he’s probably one of the best counter punchers out there. You’re not going to find anybody else better. That’s number one. And he had that already, but the most important thing is I think is the guys that they put in front of you, and he’s beaten everybody that they’ve put in front of him. What else could you expect from a guy like Erislandy Lara? The kid trains as hard as anybody I’ve ever seen, and this is every day. So, I think it is what it is and it all depends on who’s in front of you.

K. Swanson
Okay, thanks, everybody. Now we’re going to thank Ronnie and Erislandy for joining us. We are now making our way to Canelo Alvarez, who is joining us on the call at this time. So, you guys, thank you so much, and we will see you next week.

O. De La Hoya
Thank you, Canelo. Thank you very much, guys. Thank you to all the press. Let me introduce to you now, he is Canelo’s manager and trainer, to say a few words on how preparation is going and counting down the last few days of training camp Jose “Chepo” Reynoso.

Jose Reynoso
We’re very happy, very optimistic with the work that Saul’s been doing. He’s been working very hard, very happy. And we’re really happy with what has been done and looking forward to July 12th.

O. De La Hoya
Now, I would like to introduce to you, to all the media, one of the most compelling fighters on the planet today, a former World Champion and still just 23 years old, known for his exciting style and charismatic demeanor. He’s been a professional since 2005, and he won the WBC Junior Middleweight title in 2011, and successfully defended it five times. He’s back on track with a March 2014 technical knockout win over Alfredo Angulo, and now making a huge statement for July 12th, facing the very difficult Erislandy Lara. Let me introduce to you the Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, Saul, “El Canelo” Alvarez.

Canelo Alvarez
Good afternoon to everybody. I just want to let you know I’m very happy. I’m happy that the fight’s right around the corner, and I want to let you know that I’m ready. I’m ready for that great night.

Q
The question is for Saul, for Canelo Alvarez, you mentioned that you’ve chosen opponents, more dangerous opponents than both Manny Pacquiao and Mayweather. Do you think that’s going to put you even at a higher plateau, at a higher level in the future?

Canelo
No, the question was asked to me that I was in a position to pick opponents similar to Floyd and Manny, and my response was, look, I pick the most dangerous, the best fights because at the end of the day I fight for the fans and I want to give them the best fights out there. As far as getting further out in my career and reaching new heights, you know, by fighting the toughest fights, by fighting the best fighters out there, that’s how I fulfill myself, taking on the biggest challenges. And time will tell.

Q
Canelo, you know how the passion in the Mexican fans are for futbol, soccer, a victory on the 12th for you, will that give us a little bit of satisfaction that Mexico was eliminated and give us that sense of patriotism?

Canelo
Yes, of course. And when it comes to World Cup Soccer we’re all right there with the patriotism following our country, and I’m hoping that July 12th my victory will give all of my countrymen the same satisfaction as well and keep them happy.

Q
The question is for Oscar, Chris, and Canelo. What do you guys think of Mayweather taking over these dates so important to Mexico, like September, like May, dates that have in the past meant dates of Julio Cesar Chavez and Oscar De La Hoya, and do you see in the future these dates once again becoming dates, like Canelo Alvarez or even Abner Mares, who’s on the card?

O. De La Hoya
Saul “Canelo” Alvarez has given me strict orders, obviously he wants to follow in the footsteps of the great champions hailing from Mexico like Julio Cesar Chavez, fighters that have started the tradition of fighting Cinco de Mayo, started the tradition of fighting in September. Canelo now being a star of his own and a big draw and a person who the fans adore, me, as his promoter, it is my obligation to do what’s best for the fighter. So we’re obviously focusing 100 percent on Erislandy Lara and then we will be sitting down with Saul Canelo Alvarez and plan out his future.

Canelo
I want to retake those dates and bring them back. Those dates are Mexican dates, they’re Mexican independence dates, and yes, for next year I will be fighting, I want to be fighting on those dates.

Q
What now do you expect to see in what you learned from Mayweather, building off the momentum from Angulo, what do you expect to show us tactically against Lara that shows your improvement?

Canelo
Lara and his camp have their strategy and they’re working their game plan. But I’m comfortable with mine. I’m working very hard. I’m working for this fight. Every fight is different. You prepare for every opponent differently. And I’m very confident that come July 12th once we’re in the ring all the other stuff goes out the window and it’s just him and I up in the ring. And that’s what I’m preparing for, and that’s what’s going to take care of business on the 12th.

Q
Oscar, can you weigh in on that? I know you actually stated that you were concerned about him taking this fight and in fact didn’t want this fight necessarily for him. What about Canelo, has changed your mind? Do you expect to see a better Canelo than the one you saw against Floyd and Angulo?

O. De La Hoya
Yes, when people say I didn’t want this fight for him, obviously it wasn’t the first choice. As a promoter you don’t want the most difficult fight out there for him. But this is what Canelo’s all about, ultimately it’s his decision, and his decision is a very calculated decision. He’s confident in his abilities, and he wants to fight the very best. That’s the bottom line. And me as a promoter and me as an ex-fighter, I look at it in two ways. Here I was as a fighter fighting the very best, just like Canelo’s doing, and as a promoter this wasn’t my first choice. But you have to go with what the fighter says, with what the fighter feels. And this is what is most admirable of Canelo Alvarez is that he wants to please the fans. He wants to give the fight fans the most difficult fights out there.

Q
Have you talked to Canelo since he decided, and you’ve all decided, that this is the fight he’s going to take and kind of gotten a glimpse of what he thinks he can do in this fight? And if so, I guess not without revealing too many secrets, what do you think you’re going to see in terms of improvement?

O. De La Hoya
Well, obviously Canelo’s a fighter who continues to improve, who continues to grow. He is a fighter who has tremendous, tremendous abilities inside the ring. We feel that with Austin Trout Canelo saw things in Austin Trout, we saw things in Austin Trout, and the same here with Erislandy Lara, yes, he’s very difficult and it’s a difficult style, it’s a tough test in front of him, but like we saw something with Austin Trout you always see something with Erislandy Lara, you see things that obviously Canelo can do and take advantage of. But only the fighter can tell you. The fighter can tell you exactly what he saw and what makes him believe that he can beat him.

Q
Canelo, Erislandy says that the Angulo that you fought was a lesser Angulo than the one he fought. Tell us, was that an improved Canelo Alvarez, or a lesser Angulo, as Lara said?

Canelo
It doesn’t matter what they say. They can say whatever they want. I’m not going to lose sleep over that. I know what I did. I know I did a very good fight. But that fight’s behind us. That fight’s in the past. Now I’m preparing for the next fight and for the future.

Q
This is a great matchup, but the fight got made at 154 pounds, I hadn’t heard from Canelo, from his own words as to why he was not interested to fight for the title belt that Lara has.

O. De La Hoya
This fight is not about a title. This fight is about honor and glory..

Q
I’m wondering, given that it’s going to be a little bit over the Junior Middleweight limit, as was the fight against Angulo, is it just as the fights go along, is Canelo, is he thinking that with each passing fight that his future is really going to be as a middleweight? Is he having trouble making 154, and does he see big things as a middleweight in the future?

Canelo
No, I feel very comfortable at 154, and I’ll be here for the next few years, if not the rest of my career. I don’t know yet. It’s when my body tells me otherwise that it’s time to move then we’ll do it. But I’m very comfortable right now at 154.

Q
I don’t think that Canelo has a lot of experience against left-handed fighters at this point, so I’m wondering, when he thinks about it or when he’s been training for the fight, what are his views of what kind of issues that stance could cause him, if any, because Lara’s such a technical guy anyway.

Canelo
Definitely, he’s a very good, slick southpaw, a very tricky southpaw, a good one. But I’ve never had problems with southpaws, I’ve been able to adapt. And this won’t be the exception. Thank God, I’ve always been good with southpaws.

Q
Is this opponent anything like Trout in his mind, as he’s viewing the videos or scouted him on his own, or heard from his trainers, are there similarities between the two? And in the Trout fight did he learn anything about how to fight against that kind of fighter?

Canelo
No, definitely we’ve seen improvement. Obviously, I improve on every fight and I gain experience, I get better. and without an exception this isn’t going to be anything different. We feel very confident and very comfortable.

Q
Does Canelo view the fight between himself and Lara as, although no title belt’s at stake and one pound over the limit, but basically the winner of this fight is the best fighter in the world as a junior middleweight?

S. Alvarez
Yes, without a doubt he’s one of the best fighters out there in the world in this weight division, so the winner of this fight will, without a doubt, be the best fighter in the division.

Q
Oscar, I’d like you, if you could, to weigh in on that also. Do you think that the winner of this fight really has a stranglehold on being called the best Junior Middleweight in the world, even though Floyd could come back and even though the fight’s one pound over the weight limit?

O. De La Hoya
Absolutely. This is a junior middleweight fight, and you have the number one and number two guy in the world, so absolutely the winner will be considered the best 154 pound champion.

Q
What do you, as the promoter, view as the next step for the winner of this fight?

O. De La Hoya
We haven’t even discussed it. We haven’t even talked about it. The focus is 100 percent on Lara. After the fight, we will either make an announcement, or just sit down and discuss it with Canelo and his team, and come out with a plan. This fight is so difficult and dangerous that we cannot look past Erislandy Lara. So, no, we are not looking past him right now. Canelo is solely focused on Lara.

Q
Because you complained about his attitude throughout the promotion for this fight, do you feel his attitude to be genuine, or do you think he’s just trying to get inside your head? In other words, do you think he doesn’t like you, or is he just trying to psych you out before fight time?

Canelo
I’m not going to get into his games. If I didn’t want the fight, the fight wouldn’t be happening. The fight is here because I wanted the fight. And on July 12th we’re going to see who hits who.

Q
Throughout the promotion of this fight, Canelo, you’ve said in the press that this fight has become personal with the comments that Lara has made. And I have to ask you, is that just promotion, or do you generally have a dislike towards Erislandy Lara?

Canelo
No, this is real. This is very personal. You guys know me. That’s not my character to be promoting and be talking for promotional issues. This is personal. He [Lara] offended me. He offended my person. He offended Mexican boxing. So, yes, it’s very personal.

Q
How does it make you feel that you’re now in the talks and the names with Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao as the top Pay-Per-View stars in boxing?

Canelo
No, I’m very happy. I’m very proud, because we have to show the world that us as Latinos, us as Mexicans, we can be at the top as well. So, yes, I’m very happy for that.

Q
I just want to get your official prediction for the fight. Do you see this fight going the distance?

Canelo
Yes, exactly the fight is near. And you know what, we’re ready, we’re prepared. I can’t really give you if the knockout comes, but I can guarantee you this, that we’re going to come out with a hand raised.

O. De La Hoya
Thank you. Thank you very much. That was the last question of this conference call. We will see you at Fight Week. The Grand arrivals will be Tuesday at the MGM, so we’re looking forward to that. We have all the festivities all during the week. So, I’m looking forward to that, to spend time with the press, to spend time with the fans and the fighters. We will see you next week. Thank you very much.

# # #

“Honor & Glory: Canelo vs. Lara,” a 12-round junior middleweight fight taking place Saturday, July 12 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, is promoted by Golden
Boy Promotions and Canelo Promotions and sponsored by Corona and AT&T. In the co-main
event, Abner Mares returns to the ring to face Puerto Rico’s Jonathan Oquendo in a 10-round
featherweight bout. In the SHOWTIME PPV opening bout, Johan Perez defends his interim WBA Junior Welterweight World Title against Mauricio Herrera in a 12-round matchup. Also, Juan Manuel Lopez meets Francisco Vargas in a 10-round bout for the WBO International Super Featherweight Title. The event will be produced and distributed live by SHOWTIME PPV beginning at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT. The event can be heard in Spanish using secondary
audio programming (SAP). For information, visit www.SHO.com/Sports. Canelo vs. Lara will be shown on the big screen in movie theaters across the country via Fathom Events. Information will be available at www.fathomevents.com.

Tickets are still available at the $750, $500, $250, $150, $75 and $50 price ranges, not including applicable service charges. Tickets are limited to eighteen (18) per person with a limit of eight (8) at the $75 and $50 price ranges. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. Tickets also are available for purchase at www.mgmgrand.com or www.ticketmaster.com

For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com and www.mgmgrand.com, follow on Twitter at @GoldenBoyBoxing, @CaneloOficial, @LaraBoxing, @abnermares00, @jonathanoquen, @juanma_lopez, @elbandido130, @elmaestro1, @mgmgrand, @SHOSports and @Swanson_Comm, follow the conversation using #CaneloLara and become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing and www.facebook.com/SHOBoxing.

LAS VEGAS (July 4, 2014) – On independence day in the USA, Erislandy “The American Dream” Lara, is grateful to be an American as he celebrates “Fourth of July” in Las Vegas in anticipation of his showdown with Canelo Alvarez. The opportunities that Lara has experienced since arriving in the United States of America have been unbelievable. Having come from a communist country, Erislandy knows firsthand how important freedom is.

“When you’ve lived in a communist country, you really don’t understand how important your freedom is until you lived it,” said Erislandy Lara. “In America if you work hard the opportunities to prosper are endless, that’s why I’m so grateful to be living in the States. To the people who have sacrificed to make this country great, I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart. America is the best country on earth and I’m proud being an American…I’m living the American Dream!”

By Norm Frauenheim-

Erislandy Lara, a Cuban defector, calls himself The American Dream. Nothing new about the nickname.

David Reid, a junior-middleweight from Philadelphia, got the same name after winning an improbable gold with a 1996 Olympic knockout of a heavily-favored Cuban at the Atlanta Games. His dream ended quickly and sadly. Reid, who won a WBA title in only his tenth fight, was finished as a pro after 19 bouts (17-2, 7 KOs) in 2001, because of a detached retina and drooping eyelid that led to fears his vision was in jeopardy.

Henry Cejudo, a wrestler from Phoenix and a U.S.-born son of illegal immigrants, was The American Dream in 2008 when he won gold on Beijing’s Olympic mats in a moment as compelling as Michael Phelps’ record-setting eighth gold in the pool.

Different dreams.

Different stories.

It’s hard to know where the Lara edition of The Dream is headed, mostly because his July 12 showdown against Canelo Alvarez at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand in a Showtime pay-per-view bout is tough to pick. Styles make fights and Lara appears to have an edge in that proven category. He possesses the quick footwork and counter-punching precision that Floyd Mayweather Jr. employed in a dominant decision that left Canelo looking bewildered and overmatched last September. However, bouts of inconsistency on Lara’s resume are impossible to ignore. He drew with Carlos Molina in a bout many thought he lost during a 2011 that included a controversial loss by majority decision to Paul Williams. Yet, Lara was more impressive in beating Austin Trout than was Canelo, who escaped from that one with a decision in April, 2013.

More recent and perhaps more problematic was Lara’s 10th-round TKO over Alfredo Angulo in June, 2013. Angulo knocked down Lara twice, first in the fourth round and again in the ninth. In March, Canelo was never in any serious trouble in stopping Angulo, also in the 10th.

Lara survived Angulo’s one-dimensional power. But Canelo is at his best with combinations, which means a follow-up that Angulo couldn’t really deliver. Lara got up twice from one-punch power. But two-fisted power? It’s one question among many in an intriguing match between fighters closer to the prime than the twilight. Golden Boy Promotions is calling it Honor & Glory. Don’t be surprise if there’s Controversy, too. There’s a 155-pound catch-weight, which means Lara’s 154-pound title, the WBA’s interim version, won’t be at stake. The catch-weight clause appears to be an invitation to miss weight altogether. Canelo has played the scale game before. In 2011, he failed to make a 150-pound catch weight for Matthew Hatton, weighing in at 151.8. Against Angulo, the weight was re-negotiated when Canelo realized he couldn’t make the junior-middle limit. It was re-set at 155.

“Canelo can’t make the weight, so he refused to fight for the title,” Lara said through manager and translator Luis DeCubas, Jr., Wednesday during a conference call. “It’s very disrespectful and my motivation to beat him has increased because of it.”

It appears Lara has managed to annoy Canelo at news conferences and through social media. He interrupted Canelo’s post-fight celebration of his victory over Angulo. At the news conference, he taunted Canelo, demanding that fight him. He has called Canelo “a baby.” Much of it sounds orchestrated. Lara is not the free-wheeling trash-talker that fellow Guantanamo native and Cuban defector Joel Casamayor was. Casamayor used every obscenity and probably introduced a few new ones to the book of expletives. Lara appears to be more distant and calculating. Nonetheless, he’s not afraid of controversy. He kept the pot stirring Wednesday with the conference call’s best comeback. He was asked if he owes Canelo a thank-you for the opportunity in a bout that could be career-maker.

“I don’t owe him nothing other than left hands,” he said through DeCubas. “I forced this fight. It wasn’t because Canelo wanted to take this fight. I’ve been after this fight for two years.”

There’s arrogance in that comment.

Fearlessness, too.

Lara already has encountered plenty to fear. His journey from Cuba isn’t unique. Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig traveled it in his own way. Lara in another. No matter what the path, peril is there. For Lara, it started in Brazil. He and Cuban teammate Guillermo Rigondeaux tried to defect before the 2007 Pan-American Games. They were caught by Brazilian authorities, who sent them back to Cuba. An angry Fidel Castro banned both from boxing. In 2008, Lara escaped Cuba and fled to Mexico on a boat. Then, he headed to Germany. He made his pro debut in Ankara, Turkey, fought once in Germany and then headed for America. But his Dream sometimes looked unattainable. In 2009, he was not granted a license to fight in Tucson. The Arizona State Boxing Commission said he was not able to get a work visa, then mandated in a state which was about to be embroiled in the 2010 immigration controversy over the SB 1070 legislation.

But he endured. Lara fought through the setbacks, came back from each in a way that could have prepared him for
Canelo. There’s no Dream without comebacks. Against Canelo, Lara might have to pull off another one.

NEW YORK (July 3, 2014) – As part of a robust block of programming in advance of the SHOWTIME PPV presentation of “Honor & Glory: Canelo vs. Lara,” on Saturday, July 12 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, SHOWTIME will televise undefeated WBO Bantamweight World Champion Tomoki “El Mexicanito” Kameda defending his title against No. 1-ranked contender Pungluang Sor Singyu during “Canelo vs. Lara: COUNTDOWN LIVE” (7:30 p.m. ET / 4:30 p.m. PT, immediately preceding the live PPV event).

Nearly a week’s worth of live and taped programming will be available on SHOWTIME, SHOWTIME EXTREME®, SHOWTIME ON DEMAND®, on mobile devices via SHOWTIME ANYTIME®, and on the premium network’s website at SHO.com/Sports.

The blitz of programming will feature classic fights, the premiere of ALL ACCESS: Canelo vs. Lara Episode 2 on Wednesday, July 9 on SHOWTIME (9 p.m. ET/PT), the event’s final press conference on Thursday, July 10 (live at 4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT) and the Official Weigh-In on Friday, July 11 (live at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT). Both the press conference and weigh-in will be streamed live via SHO.com/Sports with the weigh-in also being televised live on CBS Sports Network.

Fight Day coverage begins with a SHOWTIME EXTREME roadblock–five continuous hours of programming beginning at 10 a.m. ET/PT.

Kameda (29-0, 18 KOs), of Tokyo, Japan, will make his second title defense against Sor Singyu (46-2, 31 KOs), of Bangkok, Thailand. Sor Singyu formerly held the same championship belt until losing it to Paulus Ambunda in March 2013. Ambunda lost his belt to Kameda last August in a unanimous decision in the Philippines.

Kameda, who turns 23 on the night of the fight, will face his most experienced opposition yet in Sor Singyu, 26, who has produced three wins in a row since losing the WBO title. Both fighters will be making their U.S. debuts.

Kameda and his two brothers, Koki, 27, and Daiki, 25, are among the most famous boxers in the history of Japanese boxing as all three recently held world titles at the same time. While Tomoki held the WBO Bantamweight Championship, Koki was the WBA Bantamweight Champion until he voluntarily relinquished the title in December in order to move down to flyweight, and Daiki was the IBF Junior Bantamweight Champion until he lost by decision last December.

Below is the list of encore presentations of Classic Fights that will air on SHOWTIME EXTREME beginning Monday, July 7. Note: these programs are currently available on SHOWTIME ON DEMAND® and on mobile devices via SHOWTIME ANYTIME® Monday, July 7
Ø Canelo’s action-packed and controversial showdown with Alfredo Angulo (10 p.m. ET/PT)
Ø Lara’s brutal slugfest with Mexican brawler Alfredo Angulo (11:15 p.m. ET/PT)
Tuesday, July 8
Ø Canelo’s memorable win over Austin Trout in front of nearly 40,000 fans at San Antonio’s Alamodome (10:30 p.m. ET/PT)
Ø Lara’s impressive performance against former world champion Austin Trout (11:30 p.m. ET/PT)
Wednesday, July 9
Ø Canelo’s SHOWTIME debut against upset-minded Josesito Lopez (10 p.m. ET/PT)
Ø Lara’s SHOWTIME debut against Ronald Hearns, where he showed why he is one of the most talented and dangerous fighters in the world (11:00 p.m. ET/PT on ShoBox
Ø Abner Mares’ controversial showdown versus Daniel Ponce de Leon (11:10 p.m. ET/PT)
Thursday, July 10
Ø Action-packed showdown between Juan Manuel Lopez and Daniel Ponce de Leon (10:30 p.m. ET/PT)
Ø Showdown of undefeated contenders Francisco Vargas and Brandon Bennett (10:45 p.m. ET/PT)
Ø Mauricio Herrera’s thrilling slugfest with unified super lightweight champion Danny Garcia (11:30 p.m. ET/PT)

# # #

“Honor & Glory: Canelo vs. Lara,” a 12-round junior middleweight fight taking place Saturday, July
12 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions and Canelo
Promotions and sponsored by Corona and AT&T. In the co-main event, Abner Mares returns to the ring
to face Puerto Rico’s Jonathan Oquendo in a 10-round featherweight bout. In the SHOWTIME PPV
opening bout, Johan Perez defends his interim WBA Junior Welterweight World Title against Mauricio
Herrera in a 12-round matchup. Also, Juan Manuel Lopez meets Francisco Vargas in a 10-round bout for
the WBO International Super Featherweight Title. The event will be produced and distributed live by
SHOWTIME PPV beginning at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT. The event can be heard in Spanish using secondary
audio programming (SAP). For more information visit www.SHO.com/Sports. Canelo vs. Lara will be shown onthe big screen in movie theaters across the country via Fathom Events. Information will be available at www.fathomevents.com

LONDON (3 July) – BoxNation’s stacked summer schedule is set to get even hotter this July with heavyweight hitters Tyson Fury and Dereck Chisora’s world title eliminator headlining a sizzling set of fights, live and exclusive on ‘The Channel of Champions’.

The mammoth showdown between two of the world’s best heavyweights, taking place at the Phones4U Arena in Manchester on July 26th, will see the victor go on to challenge the reigning WBA Super, IBF and WBO world champion Wladimir Klitschko next up.

First, however, they must cross paths once again, with Chisora looking to avenge his 2011 points loss to Fury, as both men put their careers on the line in their bid for world title glory.

BoxNation will be bringing viewers unprecedented access ahead of their mouth-watering meeting, with the channel set to air – ‘Before the Bell: Chisora v Fury’ – a fly on the wall documentary series, starting this coming Monday at 7.30pm, delving into the lives of both fighters as they gear up for the biggest bout of their careers.

Episode two airs on Monday 14th July at 7.30pm, with the final show on Monday 21st July at 7.30pm.

The world’s best boxing channel will get their enthralling July schedule off to a bang this weekend, though, with further heavyweight action when Uzbekistan’s Ruslan Chageav challenges hard-hitter Fres Oquendo for the vacant WBA title.

The following week on July 12th, one of boxing’s very best, Canelo Alvarez, is back in action when he takes on the slick and slippery Cuban Erislandy Lara in a matchup that continues to divide opinion amongst fight aficionados.

Mexican superstar, Alvarez, will be looking to continue his route back to the very top, following his loss to Floyd Mayweather last September.

He has already shown that he is ready to challenge the best around again after his convincing victory over Alfredo Angulo earlier this year, but, Lara is a different prospect altogether, having racked up 19 wins in 22 fights and with world title ambitions of his own.

The card at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas will also witness the revitalised Juan Manuel Lopez up against Francisco Vargas following his stunning win over Daniel Ponce De Leon in March, with the man who ran Danny Garcia extremely close – Mauricio Herrera – returning against Johan Perez.

There is domestic action on July 16th when talented super-middleweight prospect Frank Buglioni looks to bounce back in style following his shock defeat to Sergey Khomitsky.

The power puncher, known as ‘The Wise Guy’, goes up against Sam Couzens at the York Hall, with 21-year-old super-featherweight ace Mitchell Smith battling Peter Cope, and highly-touted welterweight Bradley Skeete taking on Steven Pearce.

BoxNation then returns back to Macao, China when the supremely gifted Guillermo Rigondeaux puts his WBA Super and WBO super-bantamweight world titles on the line against the experienced Sod Kokietgym on July 19th.

The end of BoxNation’s packed July schedule, with back-to-back fights each weekend, featuring the very best boxing action from around the world, culminates in the mega-clash between Fury and Chisora as they ‘fight for the right’.

To subscribe to BoxNation (Sky 437/490HD & Virgin 546) an unmissable July for only £12 a month, please visit www.boxnation.com.

-Ends-

About BoxNation
BoxNation, the Channel of Champions and proud partner of Rainham Steel, is the UK’s first dedicated subscription boxing channel. For £12* a month and no minimum term customers can enjoy great value live and exclusive fights, classic fight footage, magazine shows and interviews with current and former fighters.

BoxNation is proud to support Fight for Peace, a charity that uses boxing and martial arts combined with education and personal development to realise the potential of young people in communities that suffer from crime and violence. Buy LUTA (www.luta.co.uk) clothing and support Fight for Peace.

Previous highlights have included Haye vs Chisora, Khan vs Diaz and Mayweather vs Alvarez.

The channel is available on Sky (Ch.437), Virgin (Ch.546), online at Livesport.tv and via iPhone, iPad or Android. BoxNation is also available in high definition on Sky (Ch. 490), at no extra cost to Sky TV subscribers, providing they are already HD enabled.

BoxNation is also available to commercial premises (inc. pubs, clubs and casino’s) in the UK and Ireland, for more information on a commercial subscription please call 0844 842 7700.

For more information visit www.boxnation.com