Erislandy Lara never envisioned fighting this late in life.

All Lara wanted when he was young was to come to the United States and make money for his family by boxing on the biggest stages imaginable. That happened 11 years ago, when Lara faced Canelo Alvarez in a pay-per-view fight the Mexican icon narrowly won by split decision.

Lara lost only once since then, by split decision to Jarrett Hurd in an action-packed 154-pound championship clash in April 2018.

The Cuban has won a world title in a second division since Hurd defeated him. At 42, Lara (31-3-3, 19 KOs) is set to defend his WBA middleweight championship against Johan Gonzalez on Saturday night at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio.

Venezuela’s Gonzalez (36-4, 34 KOs) replaced Lara’s original opponent, IBF/WBO champ Janibek Alimkhanuly (17-0, 12 KOs), because Tuesday he tested positive for a banned, performance-enhancing substance.

Lara naturally is disappointed that he won’t get the chance to become a unified 160-pound champ. "The American Dream" is nevertheless thankful that he’ll still fight after spending the past couple months defying aging norms during another rigorous training camp.

“Forty-two is the new 32,” Lara told The Ring. “I feel just the same as I ever have. My preparation, my physical conditioning, everything, I have felt absolutely great. And I hope that you guys can see that on December 6th.”

Lara is the oldest active champion in boxing. The technically sound southpaw has altered his style somewhat in that he is less reliant on his legs than he was when he was in his physical prime.

However he fights, Lara attributes his longevity in this violent vocation to his habits in and out of the ring.

“I couldn’t say I imagined [fighting this long],” he said, “but I’m someone who is very conscientious about what I do in the gym. I have always tried in my career to not get hit that much. So, it’s something that happened organically and I’m happy to be feeling this great right now.”

The former WBA 154-pound champion also acknowledged that his relatively low level of activity has helped preserve him physically.

Lara has fought just six times since his split draw with then-unbeaten Argentinean Brian Castano in March 2019. Former junior welterweight and welterweight champ Danny Garcia was the only opponent of those six who wasn’t a huge underdog.

Lara will fight for the first time Saturday night since he stopped Garcia after the ninth round in September 2024. His inactivity led to his removal from The Ring’s top 10 at middleweight, but he feels fresh entering a fight with a powerful opponent who has won 85 percent of his bouts by knockout.

“I think it helped me be where I am right now,” he said. “But the most important thing, in the end, is that I feel replenished, and I feel like I’m in great condition for the fight on December 6th.”

DraftKings listed Lara as a 5-1 favorite to beat Gonzalez, who defeated Hurd by split decision in his most recent match March 1. Their bout will be part of the Lamont Roach-Isaac Cruz pay-per-view undercard (8 p.m. ET; $74.99).