“He said at the press conference that he was going to knock me out, but he ran right into that punch,†said Lara. “Maybe he was overthinking it all along.â€Â
Cuba’s Lara became a three-time, two-division champion in his middleweight debut, after an extended run as one of the 154-pound division’s elite fighters. Lara found a home for his left hand early in the first round, and eventually timed a perfect one that caught LaManna and sent him to the mat. Referee Thomas Taylor immediately jumped in to halt the bout at 1:20 into the round.
After the triumph, Lara expressed his desire to seek out the biggest fights at 154 and 160-pounds.
“I felt strong and sharp tonight at middleweight, but I still want all of the big fights at 154-pounds too,†said Lara. “I want the winner of the Jermell Charlo-Brian Castaño unification fight. (WBC Middleweight Champion) Jermall Charlo is like family, we worked in the same gym for years, but this is a sport and I’d welcome the challenge.
“I feel great physically. I’m going to keep doing this until my body tells me I can’t do it anymore. I don’t feel like I’ve taken a lot of punishment in my career and I know I have at least another three years of my prime left.”
#ErislandyLara #LaraLamanna #Boxing
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