Canelo Alvarez is the name carrying the July 12 card pitting him against Erislandy Lara, but the Cuban's style may present big trouble for the Mexican superstar. They have a few common opponents, the most recent one being Alfredo Angulo.
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Canelo dispatched "El Perro" with ease the last time he stepped in the squared circle, while Lara earned a tougher victory by breaking Angulo's orbital bone and forcing a stoppage. During the course of that bout, most had Lara ahead on the cards, but he was knocked down twice.
Against Canelo, Angulo looked much less potent; Lara believes he wasn't the same man after their clash. "He [Angulo] lost a lot in our last fight. He took a ton of punishment, and I think it showed when he fought Canelo," Lara said. "That wasn't the same Angulo as the Angulo I fought."
While Canelo would surely beg to differ, there's no question Lara is a dangerous opponent for Alvarez. Another opponent both have conquered is Austin Trout, whom Lara dominated for an easy win. Conversely, despite flooring Trout for the first time in his career, Alvarez struggled with his defensive style and fought tooth and nail for a win.
Alvarez is viewed as a possible successor to Floyd Mayweather's throne as boxing's top draw, and claims he was advised by some to avoid Lara and his dangerous style. To his credit, Canelo hasn't shown a propensity for ducking tough opponents.
Lara didn't give him so much credit, saying Alvarez really didn't have much of a choice but to face him. "He had to fight me. What other high caliber opponents are there?" Lara asked. "If he wants to stay at this level he has to fight top guys, so I think he had to fight me."
Both men have one loss on their record. Canelo's only blemish came in September 2013 when he was dominated by Mayweather; Lara's 4-0-1 in his last five fights, with his sole defeat coming against Paul Williams in 2011.
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