Erislandy Lara has the biggest fight of his career coming up with Canelo Alvarez on Saturday, but he may already have even larger fish on his mind.
Austin Trout talks about Alvarez-Lara fight
"First things first, and that means Canelo Alvarez," Lara said. "We'll be talking about the one everybody wants to see. After that there's only one way up, and that's Floyd Mayweather. I'll be at your press conference in September."
The end of his quote is a nod to how he managed to get this Alvarez bout. Lara's been vocal with his opinions of the Mexican superstar and how he's been coddled to the top; he even went as far as crashing Alvarez's press conference following his win over Alfredo Angulo. "I was definitely surprised. I never expected him to take the fight," Lara said.
Ronnie Shields calls Lara "better fighter" than Canelo
"He accepted it, I think, because of the pressure put on him at the press conference and on social media and from the fans. They demanded he step up to face the best fighter in the division, and that's me."
Alvarez is the betting favorite, but a common opponent the two share, Austin Trout, has placed his lot with the slick Cuban fighter. "I got Lara winning. I don't think he'll knock him out but I think he's going to dominate. He's gonna outbox the s**t out of him in my opinion. Whether they give it to him, that's the question," Trout said.
Lara's trainer Ronnie Shields spoke of Lara being able to capitalize on Alvarez's lack of versatility. "Canelo comes out the same way," Shields said.
"That's one area I can take advantage of. I think Canelo's skills are one-dimensional fighter. Trust me, Canelo is a one-dimensional fighter and not one to touch Erislandy Lara. If that was Lara right now with Canelo on the ropes, trust me, he would hit Canelo with every shot he's going to throw, because Lara is the most accurate puncher when he's got a guy on the ropes."
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