Cuban veteran scores two knockdowns and dominates Johan Gonzalez over twelve rounds at the Frost Bank Center.
Erislandy Lara, currently the oldest world champion in professional boxing, has once again proven why he is still one of the elite of the middleweight scene at the age of 42. In the Frost Bank Center Arena in San Antonio, Texas, the Cuban defended his WBA world title for the third time in a row – this time with a clear points victory by unanimous decision over the hard-hitting challenger Johan Gonzalez.
Lara (32-3-3, 19 knockouts) made an early statement: a precise, lightning-fast straight left sent the dangerous puncher Gonzalez (36-5, 34 knockouts) to the ground late in the first round. This knockdown had an immediate impact on the fight – Gonzalez acted noticeably more cautiously in the following rounds and hardly found ways to unleash his feared offensive power.
The champion dictated the action over the entire distance. With his typical ring IQ, fluid footwork and razor-sharp left straights, Lara hardly allowed anything. Gonzalez only landed the odd grazing punch, while Lara landed the clearer and harder shots. In the twelfth and final round, the defending champion put down another exclamation marker: A hard punch combination sent Gonzalez to the floor again and cemented Lara’s dominant performance.
“Gonzalez came to fight and win,” said Lara in the ring interview. “We knew him well enough, were prepared and made the necessary adjustments. He was a tough opponent, but we implemented the gameplan perfectly. I showed that I’m still one of the best in the world at the age of 42.” The Cuban was clear about potential upcoming opponents: “I don’t care about Janibek and I don’t want to talk about him anymore.”
With this performance, Erislandy Lara impressively underlines that he remains a dangerous and technically brilliant world champion beyond the age of 40 – ready for any big challenge in the middleweight division.