Lara & Garcia Hope To Turn Back Time In Past-Due To-Do

For much of the early 2000s, one of the most desired fights in boxing was a rematch between Roy Jones Jr. and Bernard Hopkins. Their 1993 original, which Jones won by dull decision, seemed to happen before Hopkins hit his peak. The “Executioner” ultimately made the most defenses in middleweight history, 20. And so the rematch seemed to hit all of the historic markers and was eagerly anticipated.

But, despite live verbal duals on HBO, the fight never happened. At least – it didn’t happen when it mattered. When it did, in 2010, Jones had already been knocked cold three times. And the fight was actually worse than the first, with clinches and ugly fouling. Hopkins got his revenge by decision, but no one cared. It was way past its sell-by date. Erislandy Lara vs. Danny Garcia  – which happens Saturday in a 157-pound catchweight contest on the Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez–Edgar Berlanga undercard at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas – seems to fit that “Better Never than Late” mold. They were both at one time elite performers. But that time has passed. In 2024, Lara-Garcia is in less demand than ever – but here we are, even as both of their careers are now awash in stagnation. Can these former stars from another era (and separate weight divisions) produce fireworks one more time?

The Tale of Two Aging Fighters

Lara, (30-3-3, 18 KOs), is one of the best professional fighters to come from Cuba. He has been a major player since 2011 – some 14 years now. Known as a slickster with beautiful boxing moves, supreme reflexes, and enough pop to get attention from tough guys, Lara learned in battles with Carlos Molina (D 10) and Paul Williams (L 12) before winning the WBA junior middleweight title vs. Mexican toughman Alfredo Angulo via 10^th-round TKO.  He bounced back from two knockdowns to do it.

Lara then put it all together in December 2013 when he dominated Austin Trout, dropping the New Mexican in the 11^th round to win a surprisingly easy decision. It set up the biggest fight of his career, as he battled Canelo Alvarez on even terms in a 155-pound catchweight affair before dropping a close and controversial split decision in July 2014. It’s a fight that some believe Lara did enough to earn the win – or at least a draw. He boxed and often frustrated Canelo, but his offensive output didn’t impress the judges.

He went on a six-fight win streak after that before losing to Jarrett Hurd in 2018 in a war. He’s on another win streak but against modest opposition. His second-round knockout of Michael Zerafa in March was his first fight in almost two years. At age 41, he is the oldest world champion in boxing (the WBA stipulated him as champion in 2023). That title is not at stake Saturday.

Garcia, meanwhile, will be fighting for the first time since July 2022, when he outpointed Jose Benavidez Jr. His record is still solid at 37-3 (21 KO’s), but “Swift” is now 36 years old – the same age as the opponent with whom he made his name.

In March 2012, Garcia battled back and forth with the then 36-year-old Mexican warhorse Erik Morales. An 11th-round knockdown sealed it for Garcia, who won the vacant WBC junior welterweight title. He then shocked Amir Khan with a fourth-round knockdown in July 2014 in a huge upset and rounded out the year with a rematch knockout of Morales (KO 4). Garcia stayed on his roll, outpointing Zab Judah in April 2013 before scoring the biggest win of his career. In September 2013, on the Canelo-Floyd Mayweather undercard, Garcia dropped and scored an impressive win over feared puncher Lucas Matthysse. The win was so good that Garcia was a strong contender for a mammoth money fight with Mayweather.

But in March 2014, Garcia fought tricky stylist Mauricio Herrera and was lucky to escape with a win.  He won another controversial nod over Lamont Peterson in 2015 before moving up to welterweight and winning the vacant WBC crown against Robert Guerrero. In 2017, he suffered his first loss in a barnburner with Keith Thurman. He lost to Shawn Porter and Errol Spence in 2018 and 2020.

Even he seemed indifferent at recent press conferences. Once one of boxing’s bright young stars, Garcia indicated that the fire in his belly may be extinguished. Lara, for his part, seems as eager as he did more than a decade ago. In boxing, you never know. Great fighters can produce fireworks again, as Morales showed us against Garcia. And sometimes they deliver duds, as Hopkins and Jones did in 2010.

We’ll see on Saturday.

Matthew Aguilar

Matthew Aguilar is a columnist and sportswriter. Over his nearly 30-year writing career, he has contributed to Associated Press, USA Today, The RING, Ringside Seat, Boxing Weekly, many newspapers within the Gannett newspaper company and his hometown El Paso Times, where he covered everything from college football and basketball to rodeo. Now based in Chicago, he is a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America, the Transnational Boxing Rankings and is a voter for the International Boxing Hall of Fame. He was inducted into the El Paso Boxing Hall of Fame in 2013.

See author's posts