Erislandy Lara TKO9 Danny Garcia... In Las Vegas on Saturday, WBA middleweight champion Erislandy “The American Dream” Lara (31-3-3, 19 KOs) scored his fourth- straight knockout as he stopped former two-division champion Danny “Swift” Garcia (37-4, 21 KOs) after nine rounds. The matchup pitted two of this era’s most accomplished fighters against each other, as the two had combined to face 21 world champions heading into the fight. Lara lead 88-82 on all three cards at the time of the stoppage but appeared to have his best round in the eighth, getting the nod on all three cards for the first time in the fight. However in round nine Lara again looked in control, eventually capping his performance with a clean left to the head that sent Garcia down for the first time in his career. "The punches I was landing were hurting him,” said Lara. “That punch that ended the fight was a big shot.” Garcia was able to make it to the corner after the bell ended round nine, but after a conversation with his father and trainer Angel Garcia, the corner officially waved off the bout.
"I'm okay. I came off a two year layoff and tried to be great, and it wasn't my night,” said Garcia. “No excuses. I didn't think the layoff would affect me like that, but there's no excuses. I couldn't find my rhythm. He had a strong jab and was controlling the distance well. At the end of the day my dad is always gonna do what's best for me. I tried to conquer a third division and I came up short. I've been at the top of the game for a long time, I take this on the chin like a true champion."
Boxing’s oldest reigning champion and the oldest Cuban champion of all time, Lara showed off the signature boxing skills that have allowed him to remain at the top of the sport for years. Lara’s movement held Garcia to just a 17% connect rate, while Lara was able to land over 37% of his power punches. "I felt that I boxed beautifully,” said Lara. “It was a work of art, like a Picasso. I negated everything Danny had. He's a great fighter and a Hall of Famer just like me. I used lateral movement with a long jab to land my big shots, just like you learn at the Cuban school of boxing.”
Despite his status as boxing’s oldest world champion, Lara declared his intention to continue his illustrious career. “I'm ready for the next challenge,” said Lara. “I'm here to stay. I have a lot of boxing left in me."
