From defector to contender

Born in Guantanamo, Cuba, Lara began contributing to the rich boxing legacy of his homeland when he was a teenager, becoming a three-time national amateur champion at 147 pounds from 2005-07, fighting 320 times and winning all but 10 of his bouts.

Lara would turn pro in 2008 after defecting from Cuba, relocating to Miami where he began to establish himself as one of boxing’s craftiest fighters.

“I describe myself as a technical specialist,” Lara said in a 2009 interview with Boxing247.com. “I never, ever go looking for a KO. If one comes, it just comes. I use my brain in a fight. I am patient in the ring and I use my skills.”

A tough road toward the top

After winning his first 15 bouts, Lara fought future 154-pound world champion Carlos Molina to a draw in March 2011, and battled former 147-pound champ Paul Williams next.

Despite seemingly controlling the action throughout the fight and tagging his opponent with his left hand at will, Lara nevertheless dropped a hotly debated majority decision to Williams in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

Afterward, the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board indefinitely suspended all three judges due to concerns about the way they scored the fight.

Bouncing back strong

Lara rebounded from the Williams loss in punishing fashion by hammering Ronald Hearns in a first-round TKO win in Biloxi, Mississippi, in April 2012.

After then defeating Freddy Hernandez, Lara fought Vanes Martirosyan to a draw in a bloody back-and-forth battle in Las Vegas in November 2012.

The fight was stopped in the ninth round after an accidental head butt opened a gash under Martirosyan’s left eye.

Undeterred, Lara next took on Alfredo Angulo in Carson, California, in June 2013, in a 154-pound title fight.

Lara used Angulo’s come-forward style against him via precision counterpunching, which led to a 10th-round TKO win for Lara after a hematoma blossomed around Angulo’s left eye.

From big promise to even bigger stages

In an intense contrast of styles, Lara moved on from Angulo to face dynamic boxer Austin Trout, beating him in a 12-round unanimous decision in Brooklyn, New York, in December 2013.

The victory over Trout set the stage for the biggest fight of Lara’s career: a July 2014 pay-per-view nontitle clash in Las Vegas with Mexican superstar Saul “Canelo” Alvarez.

Though doubling Alvarez in terms of total punches landed while also landing those punches at a higher accuracy rate, Alvarez earned a split-decision victory in a close, competitive fight.

Lara had an easier time of it in his next fight, defending his world title with a unanimous decision over Ishe Smith in San Antonio in December 2014.

Pitching a shutout in Chicago

Two nights after throwing out the first pitch before the Astros-White Sox baseball game at Chicago's U.S. Cellular Field, Lara delivered more strikes in the Windy City when he faced Delvin Rodriguez at the UIC Pavilion on June 12, 2015, in a headlining bout on Spike TV.

Lara dominated from the opening bell, landing straight left hands with pinpoint precision and peppering Rodriguez with his jab.

The Cuban southpaw maintained his rhythm for 12 rounds, systematically picking apart Rodriguez with his speed and power.

Rodriguez had no answers against Lara, who scored a knockdown with a left-right combination late in the sixth round.

The dominance was reflected in the scorecards of the judges, all of whom awarded every round to Lara as he retained his 154-pound world title.

Lara followed up that win with another on November 25, 2015, scoring a third-round technical knockout over Jan Zaveck at Hialeah Park Racing & Casino in Florida. 

Lara continued his winning ways on May 21, 2016, winning a 12-round unanimous decision over Vanes Martirosyan at The Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas, Nevada. 

A LONG-TIME CHAMPION

Lara was simply rolling over every contender that came his way at 154-pounds. On January 13, 2017, he successfully defended his WBA World Super Welterweight title a fifth time, thoroughly outboxing Yuri Foreman for three rounds before registering a fourth-round knockout courtesy of a devastating left uppercut at Hialeah Park Racing & Casino in Hialeah, Florida. 

Lara gained a dubious third-round knockdown when referee Samuel Burgos ruled that Foreman hit the canvas from a double-straight left to the chin, even though TV replays showed the fall was the result of the fighters’ legs getting entangled.

There would be no questioning the blow that ended the fight, however.

As the 36-year-old Foreman walked in and missed with a punch, Lara ripped a pinpoint counter left uppercut that first hit Foreman square on the chest before connecting flush on his chin.

Foreman immediately dropped to all fours, and although he tried several times to get to his feet, his legs wouldn’t cooperate. By the time Foreman finally got upright, it was too late, as Burgos reached the count of 10, with the official end coming at the 1:47 mark.

On October 14, 2017, Lara dominated Terrell Gausha, dropping him in the fourth en route to a 12-round unanimous decision and retain his title before 7,643 at Barclays Center. Lara landed 121 of 528 total punches thrown to Gausha’s 77 of 329.

BACK TO BACK WARS

On April 7, 2018, Lara took on undefeated IBF World Super Welterweight Champion "Swift" Jarrett Hurd in an anticipated 154-pound world title unification bout at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. It was one of the greatest fights in recent memory, winning the Boxing Writers Association of America's "2018 Fight of the Year" Award.

The difference in the razor-thin battle was a short left hook that floored Lara in the final minute of the fight. Had the 27-year-old Hurd not scored the knockdown, the fight would have been ruled a majority draw. Instead, he captured 12-round split-decision victory. 

Hurd applied relentless pressure from the opening round, pressing forward against the crafty southpaw. He pounded the body, yet often neglected defense and ate punishing counter shots for 11 rounds.

But the difference for Lara (25-3-2, 14 KOs), who was making the seventh defense of his title, was the brutal 12th round. With blood seeping from a swollen right eye, Hurd connected on a short left hook that floored Lara for the first time in nearly five years.

"Besides the last round, I thought I was winning this fight easily," Lara said. "That's not to decide the fight.  I was winning the fight.  One punch in a fight doesn't determine the fight. 

"It was a great fight for the fans. I stood there, fought and it was fun. I thought I clearly won the fight."

Lara returned on March 2, 2019, facing WBA titlist Brian Carlos Castaño at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. In the end, Castaño retained his belt via a highly competitive split-draw. The judges scored the fight 115-113 (Castaño), 115-113 (Lara) and 114-114.

Castaño, who was fighting in his first U.S. main event, held a large advantage in power connects (181-103) while Lara (25-3-3, 14 KOs) found success landing his left hand down the middle on his way to a 34 percent to 27 percent advantage in power accuracy.

STILL ELITE

On August 31, 2019, Lara reminded fight fans that he remained among the division's best, knocking out Ramon Alvarez in two rounds at Minneapolis Armory in Minneapolis, Minnesota. With the win, Lara captured the WBA World Super Welterweight title. 

"Having this belt back on my shoulder feels great," said Lara. "It means the world to be champion again. I felt like in my past fights I didn't lose, and that stings a bit, but to come back and win the title feels great. I'm back."

Lara applied pressure early and in the second round he landed a flurry of punches that sent Alvarez halfway through the ropes, causing the referee to rule it a knockdown. Once Lara had Alvarez hurt, he didn't hesitate to finish the bout.

Rolling On

Lara returned to the ring on August 29, 2020, versus hard-charging Greg Vendetti in front of a crowdless Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, live on FOX PBC Fight Night. 

Using movement, counter punching and overall superior boxing skills, he outworked Vendetti, landing the cleaner harder shots on his way to defending his WBA "Regular" World Super Welterweight title via 12-round unanimous decision win. 

New Division, Same Outcome

On May 1, 2021, Lara took on Thomas Lamanna for the WBA World Middleweight title in a FOX PBC Fight Night headliner from Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California. Lara wasted little time in this one, flattening Lamanna with a powerful left in the first to become a two-division world champion. 

"He said at the press conference that he was going to knock me out, but he ran right into that punch,” said Lara. “Maybe he was overthinking it all along.

"I feel great physically. I'm going to keep doing this until my body tells me I can't do it anymore. I don't feel like I've taken a lot of punishment in my career and I know I have at least another three years of my prime left."

On May 28, 2022, Lara dominated Gary “Spike” O’Sullivan to retain his WBA Middleweight Title via an eighth-round TKO in front of a capacity crowd at Brooklyn's Barclays Center, live on SHOWTIME pay-per-view. 

Lara waited patiently for his opening against the aggressive O’Sullivan, and broke through for the first time late in round four. He sent O’Sullivan down in the closing moments of the round with a blistering counter left hand that hurt him before dropping him with a straight right hand.

O’Sullivan was again saved by the bell in round five, as Lara hurt him as the round waned with a right hook-straight left combination. Showing the precision that has made him renowned as one of the sport’s most skilled fighters for years, Lara struck again at the end of round seven, wobbling O’Sullivan severely moments before the bell rang.

After receiving attention from the ringside physician before round eight, O’Sullivan ran into another straight left hand from Lara early in the round, prompting referee Benjy Esteves to waive off the bout 23 seconds into the frame.

“I saw the opening, he was leaving himself open and that’s when the left came in and knocked him down,” said Lara. “I saw in the eighth round he didn’t have any more power and that’s when I stepped up and showed my power.”

From Boxer to KO Artist

On March 30, 2024, Lara defended his WBA Middleweight World Title against top contender Michael Zerafa as part of the inaugural PBC Pay-Per-View on Prime Video at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. There were some pundits who thought Lara was now too oldand ready for the taking. That couldn't be farther from the truth. The crafty Cuban exploded in the second round with a beautiful one-two. The left hand cross detonated on Zerafa's chin, sending him crashing to the canvas. Zerafa barely beat the count but when he stumbled backward upon rising, the fight was wisely waved off. 

“I worked so hard in training because I know that all of these fighters are coming for my title,” said Lara. “By staying ready, you don’t have to get ready. I have always said that I only need one or two rounds to size my opponent up, and I knew I had him from the very first round. That left hand shot was just a matter of time.”