Erislandy Lara wins easy decision over Delvin Rodriguez, seeks big fight

CHICAGO - Erislandy Lara doesn't provide great suspense or surprise. He just wins fights. And that may be his biggest problem.

The WBA super welterweight champion looked sharp Friday, establishing his superiority early and often against outclassed challenger Delvin Rodriguez in winning a unanimous 12-round decision to retain his crown in a Premier Boxing Champions fight at the UIC Pavilion. All three judges scored the fight 120-107.

But if it's a big fight Lara wants - and afterwards he said he has his eyes on Floyd Mayweather, Miguel Cotto and Gennady Golovkin - he may continue to be the odd man out. He looked very good. But the boo-birds that chirped throughout the often dreary 12-rounder indicated that Lara's safety-first style may ultimately prove his most formidable opposition.

Lara, 21-2-2 (12 KOs), is the ultimate high-risk, low-reward proposition.

"I was able to land my left," he said. "Delvin was really just trying to survive in there, so I knew I what I was doing was working. I was trying to bait him to come in, but it wasn't working. So I had to get aggressive in there.

"We want the best. We want Floyd Mayweather. We want Miguel Cotto. We want Gennady Golovkin at 160 pounds."

Lara, 32, who defected from Cuba to the United States in 2008, showed speed, reflexes and even some power, dropping Rodriguez in the 6th round with a beautiful right-left combination. The former amateur standout continued to punish Rodriguez down the stretch.

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But the crowd was frustrated by Lara's inability to put away an opponent who was clearly inferior. He had a shot in the 6th, in the 11th and in the 12th, turning Rodriguez's legs to spaghetti in each. But each time, he stuck to the game plan and boxed.

For a fighter who is hoping for a pay-per-view showdown against the biggest names in the sport, the lack of a knockout could spell disappointment.

Meanwhile, it could be the end of the road for the gutsy Rodriguez, 28-8-4 (16 KO's). The native of the Dominican Republic who lives in Danbury, Conn., said before the fight that this was likely his last chance at a world title.

And that's exactly what it appeared to be on Friday, as the veteran struggled to test Lara in any capacity. The 35-year-old, who has provided fight fans plenty of excitement over the years, is clearly a candidate for retirement.

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"It was very uncomfortable in there for me tonight," Rodriguez said. "He was sharp and giving me lots of weird angles to work with.

"He was always looking to land his left. He caught me once to the body though and that took three or four rounds to shake off."

Lara came out sharp, establishing his right jab early and making Rodriguez look slow and ponderous. Early on, the "American Dream" appeared to be sitting down on his punches more than in previous fights, as he backed Rodriguez away immediately.

Through three rounds, Lara's slick movement and sharp jab kept Rodriguez at bay, preventing him from landing almost anything of consequence. It was clearly two different levels of fighter.

But the southpaw style that maddened some fans in the Canelo Alvarez fight last July had a similar effect Friday. The crowd started booing in the third round and showed its displeasure throghout.

In the 6th, a perfect left-right dropped Rodriguez in a heap. It was the kind of perfect combination that made fans realize that Lara can punch when he wants to. Rodriguez took his time getting up from the shot, obviously dazed and ore than a little frustrated.

Lara went back to his safety first style in the eighth.

Rodriguez could not get away form the left hand, and served as target practice for Lara the rest of the way. He didn't have the ability to do anything but soak up punches, though he showed his typical heart.