Erislandy Lara vs Delvin Rodriguez Preview June 12th
The Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) series is right back on TV again this Friday, June 12th as WBA Champion Erislandy Lara of Guantanamo, Cuba takes on Delvin Rodriguez of the Dominican Republic in a 12-round super welterweight showdown at the UIC Pavilion in Chicago. The fight can be seen live in Canada and the U.S. on Spike TV. Lara was one of Cuba’s top amateur boxers, who reportedly had a record of 320-10, and has now carved out a fine pro career with his slick, defensive southpaw style. Rodriguez may be a bit of a journeyman, but he has a fan-pleasing style of give and take.
The 32-year-old Lara will climb through the ring ropes with a record of 20-2-2 with 12 Kos while the 35-year-old Rodriguez is 28-7-4 and has 16 Kos to his name. Lara isn’t the most exciting boxer to ever grace a ring, but he’s effective in an awkward way and most big-name opponents prefer to stay away from him. His two losses were both controversial decisions against Paul Williams and Saul ‘Canelo’ while his draws were against Vanes Martirosyan and Carlos Molina. He took the WBA title in December when he beat Ishe Smith by unanimous decision and also has wins over Austin Trout, Darnell Boone, Ronald Hearns and Alfredo Angulo.
Lara stands 5-feet-9 inches tall with a 75-inch reach while Rodriguez is 6-feet-tall with a 73-inch reach. Lara has fought 144 rounds since turning pro in 2008 with Rodriguez having 234 under his belt since 1999. The champion’s current knockout ratio stands at 50 per cent while Rodriguez’s is 41. Rodriguez’s biggest losses have been to Austin Trout and Miguel Cotto and has been stopped twice in his seven losses, by Cotto in the third round in 2013 and by Jesse Feliciano in the eighth round back in 2007.
Rodriguez will certainly give it his all in this clash, but Lara has a lot of technical skill and typically prefers to counterpunch instead of initiate the proceedings. He would rather have his opponents be the aggressor and when they get in range he’s glad to greet them with hard left hands. Lara is accurate with his punches and while he may not have a lot of power on them, it’s hard to win rounds against him due to his superior boxing skills, footwork, ring generalship, and chin.
Rodriguez will attempt to establish his jab and throw right hands and uppercuts when he sees the opportunity. He’s not really a knockout artist either, but likes to land quick combinations to both the body and head. He doesn’t mind going toe-to-toe, but will find that Lara likely won’t be drawn in to that type of fight.
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Prediction
Even though he’s three inches shorter, Lara appears to have too much in the way of pure boxing skills to be beaten in this contest. Rodriguez won’t be able to outbox him, but could outwork him by simply throwing punches in bunches. Lara has the power to stop Rodriguez, but will be glad to box him to a decision if he isn’t able to hurt the challenger. Lara will keep his title by a comfortable decision or late stoppage.
Odds
Sportsbook 5dimes.eu has the latest odds on all of the big fights. The odds of a Lara victory are listed at -5000 while a Rodriguez win is listed at +2500. Visit 5Dimes.eu to see up to date odds and to bet on this fight. You should also check out our recent boxing betting predictions to see how we’ve done.
Delvin Rodriguez betting • Erislandy Lara betting