Erislandy Lara still unbeaten in his mind, ready to defend his 154-pound title
CHICAGO - Sometimes boxers insist they've never lost - even when they have. It's a psychological trick they play on themselves to stay hungry and maintain their self-confidence.
But when Erislandy Lara says it, he has a point.
Lara lost to Paul Williams in a fight that is considered one of the worst decisions of 2011. And last July he dropped a split decision to Mexican star Saul "Canelo" Alvarez in a controversial fight many ringsiders had him winning.
Lara, 20-2-2 (12 KOs) defends his WBA world super welterweight title Friday when he takes on veteran Delvin Rodriguez, 28-7-4 (16 KO's), in a "Premier Boxing Champions" showdown at the UIC Pavilion in Chicago (9 p.m. ET, Spike).
"Everyone who saw that Canelo fight knows what happened," Lara, 32, said. "I was the victim of boxing politics. Obviously, (Alvarez promoter) Oscar De La Hoya did his best to get his guy the win. But that's in the past. I'm focused on the future. Everyone knows I'm still undefeated."
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Lara, an amateur standout who defected to the United States from Cuba in 2008, employs a style that can frustrate opponents and fans alike. "The American Dream" skillfully boxed against Alvarez, using his elite defensive acumen to often leave his opponent swinging at air. The strategy may have been a necessity, as Alvarez rehydrated to 171 pounds for a fight that was officially contracted for 155 pounds.
In the end, though, the judges preferred Alvarez's more aggressive approach in a fight that featured widely divergent scoring. Lara bounced back nicely with a title-winning effort against Ishe Smith in December. But he knows he needs an impressive win to get back into another major fight, and has his eyes on pretty much everybody should he get past Rodriguez.
"I want to fight the best," said Lara, who now lives in Houston and trained with the undefeated Charlo brothers - Jermell and Jermall - to prepare for this fight. "Whether it be (middleweights) Miguel Cotto, Gennady Golovkin or Andy Lee. And (welterweight) Keith Thurman was doing a lot of bragging. I told him to come and fight someone his own size, like me."
In Rodriguez, Lara will be fighting someone who knows this is his last shot at a world title. He is 1-1-1 in his last trio of fights.
A Dominican native who lives in Danbury, Conn., Rodriguez has enjoyed a solid pro career. But the 35-year-old has fallen short in his two biggest fights, a 2012 decision loss to Austin Trout in a fight for the WBA super middleweight title; and a third-round knockout defeat to Cotto in 2013.
Rodriguez responded by overhauling his team and bringing in Connecticut-based Dovolani Boxing.
"That's when I was going through a bad situation in my career," Rodriguez said of the Cotto fight. "It was a fight I wasn't really motivated for. I was there to make a little money. This is a totally different fight. I've been getting ready for almost two months now. It could be my last opportunity at a world title. It's a fight I'm putting everything into."
Rodriguez has appeared on television on numerous occasions, most notably in 2011 when he and Pawal Wolak fought to a draw in one of the best fights on ESPN's Friday Night Fights.
"That was the Fight of the Year in 2011," Rodriguez said. "It's a fight people still talk about. I get a lot of comments on Twitter and Facebook. It was one of my best fights and one of the highlights of my career."
The 6-foot Rodriguez says he is not going to stay in front of the 5-9 Lara and react to him; he's going to take the lead and make him uncomfortable.
"It's going to be a very exciting fight; it's not going to be a boring fight," he said.
Lara agrees.
"Rodriguez is a good, veteran fighter," he said. "He's had 39 fights and he's been on TV, so a lot of people know him. He's a guy that will come with everything he has, and he has nothing to lose."
Follow Matthew Aguilar on Twitter @MatthewAguilar5