By Norm Frauenheim-
Erislandy Lara, a Cuban defector, calls himself The American Dream. Nothing new about the nickname.
David Reid, a junior-middleweight from Philadelphia, got the same name after winning an improbable gold with a 1996 Olympic knockout of a heavily-favored Cuban at the Atlanta Games. His dream ended quickly and sadly. Reid, who won a WBA title in only his tenth fight, was finished as a pro after 19 bouts (17-2, 7 KOs) in 2001, because of a detached retina and drooping eyelid that led to fears his vision was in jeopardy.
Henry Cejudo, a wrestler from Phoenix and a U.S.-born son of illegal immigrants, was The American Dream in 2008 when he won gold on Beijing’s Olympic mats in a moment as compelling as Michael Phelps’ record-setting eighth gold in the pool.
Different dreams.
Different stories.
It’s hard to know where the Lara edition of The Dream is headed, mostly because his July 12 showdown against Canelo Alvarez at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand in a Showtime pay-per-view bout is tough to pick. Styles make fights and Lara appears to have an edge in that proven category. He possesses the quick footwork and counter-punching precision that Floyd Mayweather Jr. employed in a dominant decision that left Canelo looking bewildered and overmatched last September. However, bouts of inconsistency on Lara’s resume are impossible to ignore. He drew with Carlos Molina in a bout many thought he lost during a 2011 that included a controversial loss by majority decision to Paul Williams. Yet, Lara was more impressive in beating Austin Trout than was Canelo, who escaped from that one with a decision in April, 2013.
More recent and perhaps more problematic was Lara’s 10th-round TKO over Alfredo Angulo in June, 2013. Angulo knocked down Lara twice, first in the fourth round and again in the ninth. In March, Canelo was never in any serious trouble in stopping Angulo, also in the 10th.
Lara survived Angulo’s one-dimensional power. But Canelo is at his best with combinations, which means a follow-up that Angulo couldn’t really deliver. Lara got up twice from one-punch power. But two-fisted power? It’s one question among many in an intriguing match between fighters closer to the prime than the twilight. Golden Boy Promotions is calling it Honor & Glory. Don’t be surprise if there’s Controversy, too. There’s a 155-pound catch-weight, which means Lara’s 154-pound title, the WBA’s interim version, won’t be at stake. The catch-weight clause appears to be an invitation to miss weight altogether. Canelo has played the scale game before. In 2011, he failed to make a 150-pound catch weight for Matthew Hatton, weighing in at 151.8. Against Angulo, the weight was re-negotiated when Canelo realized he couldn’t make the junior-middle limit. It was re-set at 155.
“Canelo can’t make the weight, so he refused to fight for the title,” Lara said through manager and translator Luis DeCubas, Jr., Wednesday during a conference call. “It’s very disrespectful and my motivation to beat him has increased because of it.”
It appears Lara has managed to annoy Canelo at news conferences and through social media. He interrupted Canelo’s post-fight celebration of his victory over Angulo. At the news conference, he taunted Canelo, demanding that fight him. He has called Canelo “a baby.” Much of it sounds orchestrated. Lara is not the free-wheeling trash-talker that fellow Guantanamo native and Cuban defector Joel Casamayor was. Casamayor used every obscenity and probably introduced a few new ones to the book of expletives. Lara appears to be more distant and calculating. Nonetheless, he’s not afraid of controversy. He kept the pot stirring Wednesday with the conference call’s best comeback. He was asked if he owes Canelo a thank-you for the opportunity in a bout that could be career-maker.
“I don’t owe him nothing other than left hands,” he said through DeCubas. “I forced this fight. It wasn’t because Canelo wanted to take this fight. I’ve been after this fight for two years.”
There’s arrogance in that comment.
Fearlessness, too.
Lara already has encountered plenty to fear. His journey from Cuba isn’t unique. Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig traveled it in his own way. Lara in another. No matter what the path, peril is there. For Lara, it started in Brazil. He and Cuban teammate Guillermo Rigondeaux tried to defect before the 2007 Pan-American Games. They were caught by Brazilian authorities, who sent them back to Cuba. An angry Fidel Castro banned both from boxing. In 2008, Lara escaped Cuba and fled to Mexico on a boat. Then, he headed to Germany. He made his pro debut in Ankara, Turkey, fought once in Germany and then headed for America. But his Dream sometimes looked unattainable. In 2009, he was not granted a license to fight in Tucson. The Arizona State Boxing Commission said he was not able to get a work visa, then mandated in a state which was about to be embroiled in the 2010 immigration controversy over the SB 1070 legislation.
But he endured. Lara fought through the setbacks, came back from each in a way that could have prepared him for
Canelo. There’s no Dream without comebacks. Against Canelo, Lara might have to pull off another one.
