by Cliff Rold
The first fight ended with the score all tied after nine, a cut forcing an early end after nine rounds. To many observers, it appeared Cuba’s Erislandy Lara had done more than enough to win what was not the most crowd-pleasing of affairs.
The judges disagreed.
Now, an unlikely rematch headlines as the spotlight falls on the Jr. middleweight division with three alphabet titles on the line. It’s part of what should be a packed weekend of boxing with quality action all over the world including a significant heavyweight contest and unification at cruiserweight.
Stateside, the televised day will center around Showtime (9 PM EST/6 PM PST) as a former Olympian (Vanes Martirosyan) and former world amateur champion (Lara) attempt to settle their differences.
Let’s go the report card.
The Ledgers
Erislandy Lara
Age: 33
Title: WBA Super Welterweight (2013-Present, 5 Defenses), IBO Super Welterweight (2015-Present, 1 Defense)
Previous Titles: None
Height: 5’9
Weight: 153 ½ lbs.
Hails from: Houston, Texas (Born in Cuba)
Record: 22-2-2, 13 KO?
Record in Major Title Fights: 3-0, 1 KO (5-0, 2 KO including interim title fights)
Rankings: #1 (BoxingScene, TBRB, ESPN, Ring, BoxRec)
Current/Former World Champions/Titlists Faced: 3 (Carlos Molina D12; Paul Williams D12; Austin Trout UD12; Saul Alvarez L12; Ishe Smith UD12; Jan Zaveck TKO3)
Vs.
Vanes Martirosyan
Age: 30
Title/Previous Titles: None
Height: 5’11 ½
Weight: 153 ½ lbs.
Hails from: Glendale, California (Born in Armenia)
Record: 36-2-1, 21 KO?
Record in Major Title Fights: 0-1
Rankings: #5 (TBRB, ESPN, BoxRec), #6 (BoxingScene), #7 (Ring)
Current/Former World Champions/Titlists Faced: 7 (Kasim Ouma UD10; Erislandy Lara D9; Demetrius Andrade L12; Ishe Smith MD10)
Grades
Pre-Fight: Speed – Lara B; Martirosyan B
Pre-Fight: Power – Lara B; Martirosyan B
Pre-Fight: Defense – Lara B; Martirosyan B
Pre-Fight: Intangibles – Lara B+; Martirosyan B
It’s easy to see, watching some of their first fight again, why the judges might have had a hard time in the first fight between these two. They’re fairly evenly matched in speed, neither could really hurt the other, and Lara was very selective with his punches while Martirosyan was the one often coming forward.
We could see a lot of the same here. Lara is always selective. He’s a scoring nightmare at times. Look no further than healthy debate about his match with Saul Alvarez. There are some who swear they saw him win that fight based on punching accuracy and ring generalship. Others swear just as vehemently that the aggression of Alvarez and willingness to engage won the day.
.jpg)
It’s not just that he’s selective. He’s defensively responsible, if not unhittable, mitigating the output of opponents. Martirosyan is the taller man but his shots aren’t as crisp, allowing Lara to beat him to the punch with straighter blows. The southpaw stance of Lara made it difficult for Martirosyan to get the timing down and the fight was often a one-punch-at-a-time chess match.
Martirosyan will need more than that Saturday. This could be his last real chance at a title after a pro tenure of over a decade. Sure, he could get called on as a somewhat known name but he isn’t getting any younger. He has to up his work rate and hope that steals rounds.
Of course if he does, he’ll also eat more of Lara’s counter fire. When he is on, as he was in a robbery loss to Paul Williams and a drubbing of Austin Trout, Lara can look like one of the best in the world. Lara’s problem can sometimes be a failure to close. He is so consistent that it’s sometimes hard to shake out of his rhythm and increase his attack. If this is close, or could be close, he will have to press to insure the judges see it his way.
The Pick
From these eyes, it looked like Lara won seven or eight rounds pretty clearly the first time. Both men have only grown older but it is Martirosyan who appears to have aged more in the ring if not on the calendar. Given the size of the opportunity, Martirosyan is likely to press harder here. When he does, Lara will have the chances to counter he needs. Expect a sequel better than the original with Lara winning a decision.
Report Card and Staff Picks 2016: 16-7
Cliff’s Notes…
While this is the highest profile US fight, it likely won’t be the best fight of the day…In Russia, a potential brawl looms in a cruiserweight unifier. IBF titlist Victor Ramirez (22-2-1, 17 KO) and WBA titlist Denis Lebedev (28-2, 21 KO) should mix like gas and fire but Lebedev has home turf in Russia. If it’s close, Lebedev should get the nod. If it’s not, it’s because the heavier handed Lebedev asserted his place. Either way, the Russian wins…In New Zealand, hot heavyweight prospect Joseph Parker (18-0, 16 KO) has a chance to truly stamp himself a contender against veteran Carlos Takam (33-2-1, 25 KO). He will, and probably by knockout…On the Showtime undercard, Jermell Charlo (27-0, 12 KO) should join his twin brother as a titlist at 154 lbs., facing John Jackson (20-2, 15 KO) for the vacant WBC belt. Jackson had Andy Lee on the deck before getting flattened and has good genes in father Julian “The Hawk” Jackson but that won’t be enough. Charlo is more skilled and should earn a decision even if he has some rocky moments…Jermall Charlo (23-0, 18 KO) appears the more complete of the pair with more pop in his arsenal. He’s also matched tougher with former titlist Austin Trout (30-2, 17 KO) fighting for his professional life. Trout will make him work but Charlo could come out of this with a statement stoppage win.
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
ADD COMMENT VIEW COMMENTS (9)