Erislandy Lara (30-3-3 18 KOs) looks to continue his WBA middleweight championship reign against former two-division champion Danny Garcia (37-3, 21 KOs) next Saturday, September 14th, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The match will be the co-main event for the Canelo Alvarez versus Edgar Berlanga card. A star-studded card that also features PBC stars Caleb Plant and Rolando Romero.
Danny Garcia makes his return to the ring after a 2-year layoff and makes his middleweight debut against Lara. His last match against Jose Benavidez Jr. was his first and only match at 154 pounds, and he is now moving up to 160.
Can Danny be successful at middleweight? Garcia had great success at the lighter weight divisions, but once he moved up to welterweight, he began to struggle. He suffered his first loss at welterweight against Keith Thurman and had additional losses against Shawn Porter and Errol Spence.
Boxers become bigger and stronger as one progresses through weight classes, and this is what Danny Garcia has experienced. His record at 147 pounds or heavier stands at 7-3, a winning record, but not the dominance he once demonstrated at the lighter weight classes, 30-0.
On September 14th, he’ll face an aging Lara who is not as agile, elusive, or mobile as he once was. At 41, Lara has become an economical puncher who seeks to land effective power punches. He’s scored a knockout in four of his last five fights.
Danny has himself become less mobile but will need to utilize in-and-out movement if he intends to go the distance against the bigger Lara. Up to now, Garcia has shown to have a great chin but it will be put to the test at middleweight.
Lara has a 6.5-inch reach advantage against Danny, and he’ll know how to use it. He’ll set up with the jab, throwing it at a distance, searching for the perfect opening to land the straight left.
Garcia will need to stay out of range to minimize Lara’s effectiveness. This will be Danny’s second fight in four years, and inactivity could lessen his sharpness and timing. He has had a healthy output, throwing over 700 punches in his last two full 12-round matches against Errol Spence and Jose Benavidez Jr. (Compubox).
He’ll need to maintain that output if he intends to outpoint Lara. It’s been nearly five years since Garcia scored his last knockout against Adrian Granados. It’s highly unlikely he’ll score a knockout in his middleweight debut against the bigger, lengthier, and stronger Lara.
Erislandy knows Danny is a step up in competition from his previous five opponents. The biggest question is how will Danny fair at middleweight? Lara was a technical, slick boxer for much of his career. Age has caused him to be less mobile and fight in the pocket much more.
He is a very patient fighter now who calculates every punch. He’ll use his experience, long reach, and power to keep Danny at bay. If Garcia is unable to make adjustments to get on the inside, he’ll have a very challenging night.
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