by James Slater – Many Cuban fighters, being the great amateurs that they are, tend to move very fast upon turning professional. Once they’ve relocated to a country that allows and encourages pro boxing (usually the U.S or Germany nowadays), hot talents like Yuriorkis Gamboa, Guillermo Rigondeaux and Erislandy Lara waste no time at all in looking for a world title fight.
Take 26-year-old 154-pounder Lara, for example. Set to box against tough journeyman Jose Varela on the under-card of tomorrow night’s big Mayweather-Marquez show in Las Vegas, the 7-0(4) hot shot may well fight for a world title in his very next fight.. This is according to co-manager Luis DeCubas Junior, in speaking to Ring on line. DeCubas says his fighter, who had 400 amateur bouts, is more than ready to make the jump from six and eight-rounds bouts to challenging for a genuine world title.
“He [Lara] steps up with the level of his opposition,” DeCubas said to Ring. “He had 400 amateur bouts, he’s been getting great work in the gym as a pro and he thinks he’s ready, so we’re going to go for it.”
According to Lara’s co-manager, two possibilities for Lara are IBF light-middleweight champion Cory Spinks and also a fight with Kermit Cintron (even though the Puerto Rican is belt-less at present). If Lara were to actually get the fight with “The Next Generation” and beat him, the 26-year-old will have made fellow defector Gamboa’s climb to the interim WBA featherweight title look slow in comparison. The exciting southpaw’s team must have great faith in Lara if they are serious about putting him in with such a seasoned fighter as the gifted Spinks.
First, though, Lara must take care of business against tall (6’1″ according to BoxRec) Nicaraguan, Varela, 23-6(16). Though the 32-year-old was stopped in just 2-rounds by another promising talent in middleweight Daniel Jacobs in his last fight back in April, Varela has, in previous fights, taken such notable men as Edison Miranda and Richard Gutierrez the distance. A decent enough opponent for Lara certainly, the fighter who turned pro ten years ago will come to fight.
Lara, yet to go beyond six-rounds as a pro, won his last fight on points, and he will likely be looking to score an eye-catching KO tomorrow; particularly as he’s on such a big fight card. Matched well since his debut in July of last year, Lara has fought only one opponent who did not have a winning record. A clear points win would be okay against Varela, but the speedy southpaw would be happier with a stoppage. I think he will get one, around the 4th-round of the scheduled eight-rounder.
But will he then be ready for a guy like Spinks? It looks as though – barring a monstrous upset in Vegas tomorrow evening – we’re going to find out. The 31-year-old IBF 154-pound champ is reportedly looking for an adequate challenger for his October 31st bout, and Lara just might be the man.