Erislandy Lara facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Erislandy Lara
Lara vs. Brewer, 2010
Statistics
Real name	Erislandy Lara Santoya
Nickname(s)	El Oro de Guantanamo The American Dream
Rated at	Light middleweight Middleweight
Height	5 ft 9 in
Reach	75+1/2 in
Nationality	Cuban (until 2017) American (since 2017)
Born	(1983-04-11) 11 April 1983 (age 42) Guantanamo, Cuba
Stance	Southpaw
Boxing record
Total fights	37
Wins	31
Wins by KO	19
Losses	3
Draws	3
Medal record Men's amateur boxing Representing  Cuba World Championships Gold 2005 Mianyang Welterweight Central American and Caribbean Games Gold 2006 Cartagena Welterweight World Cup Silver 2005 Moscow Welterweight

Erislandy Lara Santoya (born April 11, 1983) is a professional boxer from Cuba and the United States. He has won many world championships in two different weight classes. Since 2023, he has held the World Boxing Association (WBA) middleweight title. Before that, he held the WBA super welterweight title from 2014 to 2021.

Lara has been known for over 16 years as one of the most skilled boxers in the world. He was the captain of Cuba's national amateur team. He won a gold medal in welterweight at the 2005 World Amateur Boxing Championships. He also won three Cuban national championships in a row from 2005 to 2007.

Amateur Boxing Career

In 2005, Erislandy Lara became a top amateur boxer. He won against Yudel Jhonson Cedeno several times. He then went to the World Championships. There, he beat Russian Andrey Balanov and American Boyd Melson. He also surprised Olympic champion Bakhtiyar Artayev and won a gold medal against Magomed Nurutdinov.

World Cup Results

Lara also competed in the Boxing World Cup.

• In 2005, he won against Manon Boonjumnong (Thailand).
• He also defeated Stefan Dragomir (Romania) and Bakhyt Sarsekbayev (Kazakhstan).
• He lost to Andrey Balanov (Russia) in that competition.

Leaving Cuba

Lara was expected to win a gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. But in 2007, Lara and Guillermo Rigondeaux left Cuba during the Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. They were caught and sent back to Cuba. Lara was then not allowed to box anymore.

In 2008, Lara tried to leave Cuba again. This time, he used a speed boat to get to Mexico. He made it to Hamburg, Germany. There, he joined other Cuban boxers who had also left their country.

Professional Boxing Journey

Starting Out as a Pro

On January 1, 2009, Lara had his first fight on ESPN. He won by Technical Knockout (TKO) in the first round. His next fight was on February 20, 2009, against Keith Gross. Lara won quickly again with a TKO in the first round. On May 2, 2009, he fought Chris Gray and won by unanimous decision. Lara then won nine fights in a row, with four of them being first-round knockouts.

Moving Up in the Ranks

Big Fights and Close Calls

On March 25, 2011, Lara fought Carlos Molina. The fight ended in a majority draw, meaning two judges scored it a draw and one favored Molina. Many thought Lara landed cleaner punches.

Lara then fought former champion Paul Williams on July 9, 2011. Lara lost by a majority decision. However, most boxing experts and fans believed Lara clearly won the fight. The judges' scores were very controversial. Because of this, the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board suspended all three judges. This was Lara's first professional loss.

Comeback Wins

On April 20, 2012, Lara returned to the ring. He fought Ronald Hearns and won with an impressive TKO in the first round.

On November 10, 2012, Lara faced Vanes Martirosyan, who had never lost a fight. After a clash of heads caused a cut over Martirosyan's eye, the fight was stopped. It ended in a technical draw.

Becoming a WBA Champion

Winning Titles

On June 8, 2013, Lara fought Alfredo Angulo. Lara was knocked down twice in the fight. But he came back to win by TKO in the tenth round. He won the interim WBA super welterweight title. Angulo had to stop because of a broken bone near his eye.

On December 7, 2013, Lara fought Austin Trout. Lara put on a strong performance. He knocked Trout down in the eleventh round. Lara won by unanimous decision and kept his WBA interim title.

Lara vs. Álvarez

Lara fought Canelo Álvarez on July 12, 2014. This was a non-title fight at a special weight. It was a very close fight that went to a split decision. Álvarez won, but the decision was controversial. Many people thought Lara's clean punches and defense should have won him the fight. This was Lara's second professional loss.

Defending His Title

On December 12, 2014, Lara defended his WBA (Regular) super welterweight title against Ishe Smith. Lara showed great skill, moving in to punch and then quickly moving away. He dominated the fight and won by unanimous decision.

WBA and IBO Super Welterweight Champion

More Title Defenses

On June 12, 2015, Lara defended his WBA title and won the vacant IBO title against Delvin Rodríguez. Lara landed many more punches and knocked Rodríguez down in the sixth round. He won by unanimous decision.

On November 25, 2015, Lara defended his titles against Jan Zaveck. Lara won by TKO in the third round after Zaveck stopped fighting due to pain.

Rematch with Martirosyan

Lara had a rematch with Vanes Martirosyan on May 21, 2016. Their first fight in 2012 ended in a draw. In this rematch, Lara was more mobile and controlled the fight. He landed sharp punches and showed great defense. Lara won by unanimous decision.

Lara vs. Foreman

On January 13, 2017, Lara defended his titles against Yuri Foreman. Lara knocked Foreman down in the third round. He then won the fight with a knockout in the fourth round. After the fight, Lara said he wanted to fight Gennady Golovkin and have a rematch with Canelo Álvarez.

Lara vs. Gausha

On October 14, 2017, Lara fought former Olympian Terrell Gausha. Lara knocked Gausha down in the fourth round. He won by unanimous decision, keeping his world titles. Lara praised Gausha after the fight, saying he was a good fighter.

Lara vs. Hurd

On April 7, 2018, Lara had a big fight against Jarrett Hurd. Hurd was the IBF junior middleweight champion. This fight was to unify their titles. Hurd won by a split decision. He knocked Lara down in the final round, which was a key moment. Lara's eye was cut and swollen during the fight. Many rounds were very close. Lara believed he was winning before the knockdown. Hurd became one of only seven unified world champions in the light middleweight history.

Later Career Fights

Lara vs. Castano

On March 2, 2019, Lara fought Brian Castaño for the WBA world super welterweight title. The fight ended in a split-decision draw. This means one judge scored for Lara, one for Castano, and one scored it a draw. Both boxing fans and experts agreed it was a fair result.

Lara vs. Alvarez

In his next fight, Lara faced Ramón Álvarez, who is the brother of Canelo Álvarez. This fight was for the vacant WBA super welterweight title. Lara said the fight was personal because of his past with the Álvarez family. Lara won the fight by TKO in the second round, earning another title belt.

Lara vs. Vendetti

In his first defense of this new title, Lara fought Greg Vendetti. Vendetti showed a lot of courage, but Lara was too skilled for him. Lara outboxed Vendetti in almost every round. All three judges scored the fight for Lara, who won by unanimous decision.

WBA Middleweight Champion

Lara vs. Zerafa

On March 30, 2024, Lara fought Michael Zerafa in Las Vegas. Lara won by TKO in the second round. This was his second successful defense of his WBA middleweight title.

Lara vs. Garcia

Lara is scheduled to defend his WBA middleweight title against Danny Garcia on September 14, 2024.

Professional Boxing Record

Pay-Per-View Fights

See also

In Spanish: Erislandy Lara para niños

• List of world light-middleweight boxing champions
• List of world middleweight boxing champions