By David "Los Gatos" Rosenberg

Junior middleweight contender Erislandy Lara (15-1-1, 10KOs) doesn't believe Anthony Mundine (43-4, 25KOs) will accept a proposal to face WBA "regular" champion Austin Trout (23-0, 13KOs) in a Showtime televised fight on December 31. Lara is ready and willing to fight Trout, who defends his title on Showtime against Frank LoPorto on November 11.

"Mundine could have fought Trout months ago without having to take an eliminator. I don't know why Trout's management is wasting precious time with a guy like Mundine. He wouldn't fight them then and he won't fight them now. Mundine is too scared to  fight Trout in America, but I'm ready to step in there and grab that title with both hands. I'll fight Trout in his hometown and he can have his family members as the officials because that fight won't go the distance," Lara told BoxingScene.com.

"I won't bother wasting my breath any longer on Dmitry Pirog, who in reality is a one-punch wonder living off a single win over an untested prospect. I'll fight any of these guys right now, as in tomorrow. I'm not saying I'm Sugar Ray Robinson or the best thing ever. All I'm saying is that I'm confident in my skills against anybody in the world. I'm ready to fight anybody without any excuses."