Former champ Lara ready to headline Brooklyn in March
Former WBA super welterweight champion and decorated Cuban amateur will look to regain traction on his career March 2nd at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
Lara will face Brian Castano in his first bout since losing his world title to Jarrett Hurd on Showtime last year. At age 35, Lara now has to gain momentum quickly as over the past few years he has become an unlikely star in the sport of boxing, but time is not his friend.
The former champ will face a man many of us know nothing about in Brian Castano in what appears to be a high-level stay busy fight, but Lara says pump the breaks on assuming Castano is simply a tune-up.
“Brian Castaño is coming into this fight with an undefeated record, but it’s nothing I haven’t seen before…this will be my third fight in a row versus an undefeated fighter. I’m taking this very seriously. Stylistically, I feel I’m the superior fighter, but he’s a very strong champion. I will be prepared to take
back a title in this great division, then look to the biggest fights that are out there.”
This bout which is for a form of the WBA super welterweight world title, not the same one he lost to Hurd, but another world title sanctioned under this sanctioning body.
To help with the camp, Lara has enlisted 18-year-old blue-chip prospect Joey Spencer and 24-year old Eimantas Stanionis, to help bring an excitement to the camp that keeps Lara sharp.
“Ronnie and I are working great together, and we have an excellent game plan in place.,” said Lara. “This is
one of the better camps I’ve had the last few years. Having young fighters like Spencer and Stanionis in camp with me is refreshing because I know they are hungry. When we spar, I feed off their energy, because I know they
are trying to take their game to the next level, which makes me better. This is a demanding sport and they are definitely pushing me.”
Lara who is angling for Jarrett Hurd rematch, a Tony Harrison WBC world title bout or other big name opponents, will look to try and make a statement on national television March 2nd.
On the undercard, Cuban heavyweight Luis Ortiz will resurface in only his second bout since losing to Deontay Wilder last year. Ortiz, one of the best heavyweights in the world, has found himself outside of the conversation of the major heavyweight fights besides his Wilder fight since he looks the part of a world champion, but doesn’t currently hold a world title.
