by Cliff Rold

Does Erislandy Lara ever wish he were fighting in the fifteen round era?

Or that fights were contested on an odd number rounds basis?

It wouldn’t be a surprise if he does. With three draws in his career, and a couple losses that fell within a round or two of victory, Lara has to wonder what he could do with more time. As is, one of the steadiest, most consistent fighters of the era again falls short of victory as much because of that fighting temperament as in spite of it.

Lara’s style means he’s always going to win a lot of rounds because of his accuracy, timing, and ring IQ. It also means he’s susceptible to being outworked or at least fostering the appearance of it.

Both happened on Saturday. Castano wasn’t always landing, but in enough rounds he was likely too busy to deny for the judges. There was also plenty getting home to the body and with Castano’s hard to time right hand. Lara will fight as hard as an opponent can make him. The last two fights, that has meant time well spent for viewers.

Let’s get into it.

The Future for Lara: The Cuban veteran has two rematch options he can pursue and both would likely be welcome by fans. Saturday wasn’t as thrilling as his battle with Jarrett Hurd last year but it was still plenty entertaining. Lara started well and deserves credit for a body attack that stemmed what looked like real momentum for Castano near the midway point of the fight. Lara landed some brutal body shots in the sixth round and Castano was sucking air in the corner after the round. The younger man stayed aggressive but Lara slowed him down just enough to make him a little more careful. Castano went more jab heavy in the seventh and his output ebbed just a hair in the next few rounds before a cascade of leather in the last two rounds. At 35, Lara should take the available fight that pays best and is available. Given his activity level, that might end up being Castano in the fall if Hurd ends up in a unification fight with the winner of Tony Harrison-Jermell Charlo II.  

The Future for Castano: Maybe Lara has slowed a bit at 35 but pressure fighters have had success against the Cuban before. Castano, when he went to the body along the ropes, joined men like Alfredo Angulo and Jarrett Hurd and settled right between them in outcome. Castano will look back and wonder what he might have done if he maintained his body attack during the heart of the fight but the draw leaves room for a rematch and opens him to other opportunities. The leading WBA contender (and Castano retained the WBA’s sub-title in the class) at Jr. middleweight is Kell Brook. If Lara were to go in the direction of a rematch with Hurd, Brook is an option for Castano with the promise of a solid check and another big platform. The Argentine didn’t win Saturday in the ring but he didn’t lose and made his name bigger. That will pay off sooner than later.

Rold Picks 2019: 12-6

Cliff Rold is the Managing Editor of BoxingScene, a founding member of the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board, and a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America.  He can be reached at roldboxing@hotmail.com