WBA ‘regular’ junior middleweight titleholder Erislandy ‘The American Dream’ Lara 26-3-3 (16) is targeting the winner of the unification bout between WBC champion Jermell Charlo 33-1 (17) and IBF and WBA champion Jeison Rosario 20-1-1 (14).
Charlo and Rosario are set to clash at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, Connecticut on September 26 while Lara will face Greg ‘The Villain’ Vendetti 22-3-1 (12) at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles this Saturday night.
“A victory puts me in line to fight the Charlo vs Rosario winner, if that’s the direction my team wants to go,” Lara said.
“The goal for me is to unify the titles and become the undisputed champion of the 154-pound division. My body feels good and I feel I’m still the best fighter at super welterweight. Saturday night is another chance for me to show why.”
Once the longest-reigning titleholder in the stacked 154-pound division, Lara returns to the ring after capturing the WBA title last August on FOX with a TKO victory over Ramon Alvarez.
WBA number 11 Vendetti, 30, bounced back with two unanimous decision wins last year following his second-round knockout loss to Michel Soro in December 2018.
The fight will be a big step up in class for Vendetti, but Lara insisted he would not be underestimating his opponent.
“Just like everyone that I step in the ring with, they all come to dethrone me and Vendetti will be no different,” the 37-year-old said.
“He’s coming into this fight with nothing to lose and that can be a dangerous situation, because he’s going to be in the best shape of his life. I’m not looking past him and if I get him hurt at any time in the fight, I’m going for the finish. I will end this fight early if I see blood.”
Lara, who will be fighting for the first time in a full year, said he is excited to return to the ring and headline a card that will be broadcast live on FOX PBC Fight Night and on FOX Deportes.
“It’s been way too long for me to be out of the ring. Now that it’s finally coming to that point where I’ll be fighting, I’m extremely excited,” he said.
“FOX is the most viewed television network in boxing and I’m honoured to be fighting on their network once again.
“The fan support that I get after fighting on FOX is incredible. Everyone should be tuning in because I’m going to put on a great show for everyone watching.”
Lara added the quality sparring he has been getting in Las Vegas has put him in good stead to defeat Vendetti on Saturday night.
“Coach [Ismael] Salas and I have been working harmoniously together in Las Vegas, where I’ve been getting great sparring with top level guys,” he said.
“There are a lot of good fighters in Las Vegas that bring a lot of experience to my sparring sessions. My timing is right on point and I’m going to be very sharp in this fight.”
