The WBA and IBO light middleweight champ is looking to finish the job on Saturday.
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Erislandy Lara has had a better career than most.
He's fought in big venues. He's clashed with high-profile opponents.
And he'll wake up Saturday morning as a world champion.
Nevertheless, he's identified as much with disappointment as success -- because when it comes to getting victories against those high-profile opponents, he's fallen short.
Or, in the estimation of many, the judges have.
A loss to Paul Williams in 2011 was labeled that year's worst scorecard theft by USA Today, which wrote, "(After Lara) appeared to win every round against Paul Williams in July in Atlantic City, judges Donald Givens, Hilton Whitaker III and Al Bennett awarded Williams a majority decision.
"So bad was that decision that the referees were suspended indefinitely by The New Jersey State Athletic Control Board. No rematch was mandated."
The opinions weren't quite so one-sided when Lara met Canelo Alvarez in July 2014 in Las Vegas, but the split decision in Alvarez's favor - he won nine and seven rounds on two scorecards, while Lara took seven on a third - prompted Yahoo Sports to opine, "Alvarez struggled to cut off the ring, often flailed helplessly at Lara and, despite moving forward relentlessly throughout the bout, never had Lara so much as wobbled.
"But Alvarez won the bout."
Lara is a pristine 22-0-2 in his remaining 24 bouts, and though the IBO/WBA kingpin at 154 pounds might have legitimate reason to be cross at the injustices he's endured, he insists that he's not.
"In this game, I've been through it before, like in the Paul Williams fight. Another fight where I won the fight but didn't get the decision," he told CBS Sports.
"Look, I've moved on. I'm a headliner. I'm excited."
Indeed, the Cuban-born 33-year-old will flex his marquee-topping muscles on Saturday night, when he defends his belts against ex-U.S. Olympian Vanes Martirosyan in the main event of a three-bout card to be broadcast live by Showtime at 9 p.m. ET.
Two other 154-pound title bouts will round out the televised show, including Jermell Charlo and John Jackson dueling for the vacant WBC championship, while Jermall Charlo defends his IBF title against challenger -- and former Lara victim -- Austin Trout.
Lara and Martirosyan met four years ago in Las Vegas in a back-and-forth scrap in which Lara dominated early and Martirosyan rallied late before the bout ended in Round 9 because of a cut.
Each man was ahead on one scorecard and the third was even, resulting in a technical draw.
And not surprisingly, each promises to finish an incomplete job this time around.
"I was winning the fight easily. I was out-boxing him," Lara said. "I was winning the last few rounds before the cut and I was on my way to stop it and then before, you know, he decided not to fight. So I'm looking forward to this fight. I'm very excited to fight and it's time to put a period on the fight and end it. And show everybody why I'm the best 154-pounder in the world."
Martirosyan, 30, split two fights at the 2004 Games in Greece and turned pro the following spring.
He's won four of six since the first Lara match, including a 10-round loss to Jermell Charlo in March 2015 and a 10-round win over Ishe Smith - another former Lara victim - last September.
"I think that he knows I was coming on strong," Martirosyan said. "I just feel like I was winning on points in that fight. And the cut was bad and when they asked the judges to score the round they scored in his favor and they called it a draw. I just feel like I was up in that fight."
source: www.cbssports.com
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