Erislandy Lara Takes on Thomas LaManna For WBA Middleweight Championship May 1
Cuban star and WBA Super
Welterweight Champion Erislandy “The American Dream” Lara will seek a third
world title in a second weight class when he faces veteran contender Thomas
“Cornflake” LaManna for the WBA Middleweight Title in the main event of FOX
PBC Fight Night and on FOX Deportes Saturday, May 1 as part of a stacked
night of boxing from Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California.
The broadcast begins at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT and precedes the FOX Sports PBC
Pay-Per-View event headlined by former unified heavyweight world champion
Andy “The Destroyer” Ruiz Jr. battling all-action heavyweight Chris “The
Nightmare” Arreola, which tops a stellar boxing extravaganza all taking
place at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California.
The FOX PBC Fight Night co-main event will see top featherweight
contender Eduardo Ramírez take on hard-hitting Isaac Avelar in a 12-round
fight for the vacant interim WBA Featherweight Title.
The event is promoted by TGB Promotions. Tickets go on sale Friday, March
26 at 10 a.m. PT and can be purchased at AXS.com for the event that
includes an action-packed lineup of FOX PBC Fight Night and FOX Sports PBC
Pay-Per-View fights. Dignity Health Sports Park will be open to fans in a
limited capacity, with all guests remaining socially distanced and subject
to local and state health guidelines throughout the event.
“Erislandy Lara has had a long reign as an elite 154-pounder and now has
his sights set on a new challenge in the star-studded middleweight
division,” said Tom Brown, President of TGB Promotions. “He will bring his
renowned skills and style to this tough matchup against the young and rangy
Thomas LaManna. With fast-rising Mexican contender Eduardo Ramírez squaring
off against the young exciting Mexican brawler Isaac Avelar in the co-main
event, this primetime lineup is an ideal way to load up an already stacked
night of boxing at Dignity Health Sports Park, leading up to the return of
Andy Ruiz Jr. against Chris Arreola live on pay-per-view.”
Lara (27-3-3, 15 KOs) was the longest reigning 154-pound world champion
before he lost a tough split-decision to Jarrett Hurd in a title
unification match in 2018 that was the unanimous “Fight of the
Year”. Lara returned from that fight and battled current 154-pound world
titleholder Brian Castano to an exciting draw in another narrow fight that
could have gone Lara’s way. Lara has since scored back-to-back triumphs
with a knockout of Ramon Alvarez in 2019 to capture his current title, and
a decision over Greg Vendetti in August 2020. Lara has faced a slew of the
top 154-pounders in the sport, including Canelo Alvarez, ahead of his
middleweight debut.
“I’m excited to be making my 2021 debut on a huge platform live on FOX,”
said Lara, who was born in Guantanamo, Cuba and now trains in Las Vegas.
“Thomas LaManna is a tall middleweight with a lot of experience and I’m
taking this fight very seriously, like always. I arrived weeks ago for
training camp and Ismael Salas immediately got me working on the
fundamentals of boxing. At this stage in my career, I’m all-action,
fighting on the inside, and letting my hands fly. I’m going to make a
statement in this fight with a knockout.”
The Belleville, New Jersey-native LaManna (30-4-1, 12 KOs) was riding an
eight-fight unbeaten streak, which included seven wins plus a draw against
Gabriel Bracero, before losing to Jorge Cota in January 2020. He won
back-to-back middleweight fights in January and October entering this
showdown, knocking out Jorge Pimentel and Juan de Jesus Gonzalez. Prior to
his two most recent knockouts, LaManna dropped a narrow decision to Brian
Mendoza in August 2020.
“It’s been a long time coming and now I’m finally getting my chance to
accomplish my ultimate dream of becoming a champion,” said the 29-year-old
LaManna. “This is the land of opportunity and I’m getting mine on May 1.
I’ve put my heart, blood and soul into this game. I’m the definition of the
‘American dream’. People can write me off if they want, because at the end
of the day, there’s no doubt that I’m coming to win. This is my time.”
Fighting out of Sinaloa, Mexico, Ramírez (24-2-3, 11 KOs) has risen up the
featherweight rankings with back-to-back sensational knockout victories,
stopping Leduan Barthelemy in November 2019 before most recently blasting
out Miguel Flores in December 2020. The 28-year-old is currently riding a
streak of wins in four of his last five fights since losing to then
126-pound champion Lee Selby in 2017. He’s won 15 of his last 18 fights
overall, with his only other blemishes coming in a draw against Barthelemy
that was later avenged, and a decision loss to
Claudio Marrero.
“This fight is very important for my career because it puts me one step
closer to fighting for a world title again,” said Ramírez. “But I will not
be looking past Avelar, who is coming off a big win and will be coming to
fight like a proud Mexican, just like I do. I will be in top shape and
ready to achieve this step toward my dream of getting another chance at a
world title. No disrespect to my opponent, but I will win, no matter what
it takes.”
The 23-year-old Avelar (17-2, 10 KOs) most recently won a wide unanimous
decision over previously unbeaten Sakaria Lukas in December 2020, stopping
a two-fight skid that included a loss to super bantamweight world champion
Stephen Fulton. The Aguascalientes, Mexico native was unbeaten in his first
16 pro fights, including a 2019 triumph over Juan Antonio Lopez in his U.S.
debut.
“I’m coming into this fight strongly believing that I’m going to stop
Eduardo Ramírez,” said Avelar. “I’ve been hurting and stopping sparring
partners during camp, so I’m fully prepared for a war. This is going to be
a spectacular fight like Rafael Marquez vs. Israel Vazquez. I’ve been
improving my game quite a bit in the last year. I asked for this fight, and
I’m going to make Ramírez regret accepting it.”
