Erislandy Lara vs. Delvin Rodriguez: Fight Time, Date, TV Info and Preview
The next Premier Boxing Champions card will take place in Chicago at the UIC Pavilion. The main event will feature WBA super welterweight champion Erislandy Lara (20-2-2, 12 KO) defending his title against Delvin Rodriguez (28-7-4, 16 KO). Lara and Rodriguez's clash has a lot to live up to. The last time the Pavilion hosted a PBC event was April 24.
The main event on that night was one of the better fights to take place thus far in 2015. Badou Jack won the WBC super middleweight crown by majority decision over Anthony Dirrell. Fight fans can only hope they get to see a scrap on par with that one Friday night.
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When: Friday, June 12 at 9 p.m. ET
Where: UIC Pavilion in Chicago
TV: Spike
Last Time Out
Lara
In December 2014, Lara rebounded from the first legitimate loss of his career (the defeat by Paul Williams in July 2011 was a travesty) to Canelo Alvarez with a unanimous-decision win over Ishe Smith. Lara's slick boxing was too much for the professional but awkward and slow Smith.
Lara had a 10-point edge on two of the judges' cards and a six-point advantage on the other.
Rodriguez
It's been more than a year since Rodriguez has been in the ring. In his last bout, he fought to a draw with 38-year-old journeyman Joachim Alcine. It wasn't an impressive performance considering Rodriguez was obliterated in his previous fight against Miguel Cotto.
There are serious questions about how much the 35-year-old Dominican has left in the tank.
What's At Stake
Lara
From the looks of the trunks Lara will wear for the fight, per this tweet, he is ready for war.
Perhaps he needs to be. The knock on Lara is somewhat similar to the criticism levied against fellow Cuban and former amateur standout Guillermo Rigondeaux. Many fans find their styles boring. When Lara has attempted to fight a more crowd-pleasing style, he's gotten himself into trouble.
Against Alfredo Angulo in June 2013, Lara was dropped twice before he broke the orbital bone over Angulo's right eye and forced the rugged Mexican to submit with a grotesque facial injury. When Lara boxed and moved in that fight, Angulo had nothing for him. Lara got hurt when he got off his toes and tried to trade.
In some ways, Lara is damned if he boxes and damned if he slugs. He doesn't possess the persona necessary to be an attraction with a pure boxing style, and the slugger role doesn't complement his skills.
Against Rodriguez, he'll have an opportunity to take some chances, and he needs to score an impressive knockout win. At 32 years old, Lara is no longer a young prospect. He needs to gain some serious buzz, and fast.
Rodriguez
No one really expects Rodriguez to win. Per Odds Shark, he's a 16-1 underdog. In that sense, he's playing with house money; but in reality, he's at a crossroads in his career. Another loss would officially make him a fighter just hanging on for a paycheck and taking beatings in the process.
He needs to at least have a respectable showing so that he can be taken seriously.
Who Wins?
Barring some sort of miracle, Lara wins this fight pretty easily. Alex McClintock of Queensberry Rules said this about the matchup:
"I think the best we can hope for is for Lara to take advantage of the talent gap and put on an impressive and entertaining performance that keeps his name in the mix with the genuine contenders at junior middleweight."
I couldn't agree more. The only question is: Will Lara open up in search of a spectacular finish or be content to pitch a virtual shutout and win a boring unanimous decision?
I'm betting he goes for the gusto in hopes of attracting a bigger fight and payday the next time out.
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