Lara knocks out Alvarez in the second round

Lara claims WBA Super Welterweight Championship at the Armory

Mansoor Ahmad
Staff Photographer

In a match-up of seasoned boxers, Erislandy “The American Dream” Lara displayed dominance as he knocked out Mexico’s Ramon “El Inocente” Alvarez. 

Lara landed 64% of his power punches to win the vacant WBA World Super Welterweight Championship Saturday, Aug. 31 at the Armory in Minneapolis.

A two-time WBA Super Welterweight champion, Lara seemed confident from the start as he fended off a number of body shots from Alvarez earlier in the second round, maintaining his composure. 

What followed was a series of powerful punches by Lara that almost led Alvarez out of the ring. It was clear that Alvarez was hurt at this point, and Lara capitalized on it. With 1:07 remaining in the second round, Lara unleashed a flurry of punches against Alvarez who was against the ropes. 

“Once I had him against the ropes, I knew I had it won & I didn’t want to give him another power punch to hurt him,” said Lara.

Securing his first win since 2017, Lara was visibly satisfied with the outcome of the night. 

“It means the world to be champion again,” said Lara. “I felt like in my past fights I didn’t lose, and that stings a bit, but to come back & win the title feels great. I’m back.”

In the co-main event, Coachella’s Sebastian “The Towering Inferno” Fundora boxed Jamontay “The Quiet Assassin” Clark to a split draw. Fundora, who was boxing at the Armory for the third time, said he believed he was “the one doing all the work.”

“I felt like I got more jabs & punches on him,” said Fundora. 

However, data from CompuBox, a computerized punches scoring system used for boxing matches around worldwide, showed otherwise. Clark connected on 168 punches as opposed to Fundora’s 130, throwing only three punches than Fundora in total.

The two boxers exchanged body shots throughout the 10 rounds, and Fundora seemed eager to get a rematch.

“I’d be happy with a rematch. I’ll run it back. We can do it tomorrow,” said Fundora. “I’ll hit him harder.”

The TV opener on FOX featured a clash of heavyweights in which Cuba’s Frank Sanchez displayed dominance over Puerto Rico’s Victor Bisbal with a fourth-round technical knockout (3:00).

Boxing in his 13th professional fight, Sanchez took advantage of being 55.25 lbs. lighter than Bisbal, and it showed in his speed throughout the bout. Sanchez successfully managed to throw just about twice as many punches than Bisbal, out-punching him 70-36.

“I was putting pressure on Bisbal just to get him tired, starting to break him down a little,” said Sanchez. “I knew he wasn’t going to go the distance with that kind of pressure.” And the pressure did pay off. By the end of the fourth round, Sanchez landed 42.1% of his power punches.

Boxing on the undercard earlier in the day was Minneapolis’ Celso Ramirez, facing off against Tyrone Luckey. The hometown crowd, noticeably upset at the officials’ decision, sounded off as the fight was announced to be a majority draw. The two had their own moments throughout the six rounds, but Ramirez’s consistent power punches gave him an edge, showcasing his versatility.

Also fighting on the undercard and making his pro debut was Osvary Morrell, facing off against Yendris Valdez. Morrell showcased his skills as he knocked down Valdez twice before securing the knockout. Morrell, born in Cuba, moved to Minneapolis and trains at the Circle of Discipline Gym, alongside a hometown hero in welterweight Jamal James.

James will be back in action in a title eliminator bout Saturday, Dec. 21 at the Armory.

Header photo by Mansoor Ahmad | MSU Reporter.