Erislandy Lara calls 160 pounds ‘a whole different ball game’ for Danny Garcia

Middleweight titlist Erislandy Lara, 41, boxing’s oldest active world belt holder, will face Danny Garcia in the co-feature of the Saul “Canelo” Alvarez-Edgar Berlanga pay-per-view on Sept. 14 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

The bout, while a compelling matchup between veteran fighters, also has implications for determining the world’s top middleweight. Despite Garcia’s entrance (Lara will be his first fight at 160 pounds), the division has recently seen a downturn.

Titleholder Carlos Adames has been inactive, and the future of unified titleholder Janibek Alimkhanuly remains uncertain. Lara (30-3-3, 18 KOs), the division’s other major titleholder, can only continue beating Father Time for so long. While Troy Isley, Amari Jones, Lester Martinez and veteran Kyrone Davis are emerging talents, the division lacks the star power it once had with Gennady Golovkin, Miguel Cotto and Alvarez.

Lara moved up to middleweight in 2021, winning his title with a first-round knockout of Thomas LaManna. He has since defended the belt twice, stopping Gary “Spike” O’Sullivan and Michael Zerafa. The second-round knockout of Zerafa in March marked the first time Lara fought twice in a year since 2019.

Against Garcia, Lara believes his experience at middleweight gives him the edge.

“All I can say is, be ready,” Lara said at Tuesday’s media workout. “Danny Garcia was a great champion, but that was at a lower weight class. One-sixty is a whole different ball game.”

Garcia (37-3, 21 KOs), a former unified junior welterweight champion and former welterweight titleholder, fought only once at junior middleweight before moving up to face Lara. At 36, he could be in one of the last fights of his career as he seeks to add another achievement to his legacy.

“He better come ready,” Lara said, “because at 160, things are different.”

When asked what advice Lara would give his younger self, he pointed to the importance of hard work and the payoff of his current longevity.

“It’s about doing what you have to do and staying disciplined,” Lara said.

Lucas Ketelle is a proud member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and author of “Inside The Ropes of Boxing” (available on Amazon). Contact him on X @LukieBoxing.