A WBO "interim" world title defeat against Patrick Teixeira in November 2019, the only loss of his career, has made him more appreciative of what he has now. But it doesn’t mean he’s satisfied.

Bakhram Murtazaliev is ready to make up for lost time in a massive way. Murtazaliev made major waves in 2024 by knocking out Jack Culcay for the vacant IBF junior middleweight championship in April and defended the title in grand fashion by destroying Tim Tszyu in just three rounds in October despite coming into the clash as a massive betting underdog and with a broken right hand.

PHILADELPHIA, PA — Danny Garcia laughs at the notion that he’s getting chubby with this move up to 160 pounds. In fact, the two-division former titlist, who is 36 now, is far from fat. This is probably the most chiseled he has been in his long, distinguished pro career. He knows the meter is running down on what is a hall of fame career. Currently dangling in front of him is the cherry on top: WBA middleweight titlist Erislandy Lara (30-3-3, 18 knockouts) this Saturday night on the Canelo Alvarez- Edgar Berlanga undercard from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Lara, The Ring’s No. 4-rated middleweight, agreed to take on Garcia (37-3, 21 KOs) at a 157-pound catchweight, which may be more difficult for Lara to come down to than it will Garcia to come up. “Call me a steak-and-potatoes man,” Garcia said, laughing after a recent workout. “I feel great. I have to gain a little weight to reach 157. I’m able to keep my weight up. There was a time when staying at 140 (where he reigned as Ring/WBA/WBA junior welter world champion), and at the end there at 147 (where he reigned as WBC welterweight titlist) was getting hard to make the weight. It was taking a lot out of me. This is the best I’ve felt in a while. I know when I fought at 154 (in a 12-round majority decision over Jose Benavidez Jr.), I felt amazing. I felt it was my natural weight. “I get big, more muscular when I train. I can retain the weight now with the move up. I have sparred bigger guys, I feel my snap, and I feel my feet are good. I’m moving well. I feel way stronger mentally and physically. I can walk around at 163 and can throw all my focus into building a game plan. I am not training to lose weight, like I have in the past.” “Swift” said he respects the Cuban expatriate, Lara. The southpaw, once considered a cutie who was reluctant to engage, has changed his whole stance. He has stopped his last three opponents, and he has been exciting doing it. Though he is 41, he has shown no signs of slowing down. Garcia said he has studied Lara. He knows what he is in for. To prepare, his sparring partners were around 170, 175 pounds. “I think this has a chance to be fight of the year,” Garcia said. “I’m ready for anything. If he wants to stay there and bang, we can bang it out. If I have to chase him around, then I have to chase him around. Or maybe, he will have to chase me around (laughs), but I doubt it. I feel strong here (at 157). I have carried my power with me. He may make the mistake of thinking that he is the stronger guy. If he thinks that, he will be very surprised at how strong I am. Just like everyone else. He can try whatever he wants to try.” Garcia now owns a promotional company and several businesses in the Philadelphia area. He knows he is nearing the end and he wants to go out on his own terms. At its zenith, Garcia’s career has featured victories over Hall of Famer Erik Morales (twice), his memorable, star-turning knockout over Amir Khan, and victories over Lucas Matthysse, Zab Judah and Nate Campbell. Though since 2018, he is 4-2, with losses to Shawn Porter and Errol Spence Jr. “The only thing I am thinking about at this stage of my career is my legacy,” Garcia said. “I have a lot going on, with my promotional company, my businesses. I have real estate. I don’t think I have anything else to prove. I want to start giving back to other fighters. Beating Lara would definitely be the cherry on top.” Joseph Santoliquito is an award-winning sportswriter who has been working for Ring Magazine/RingTV.com since October 1997 and is the president of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Follow @JSantoliquito [twitter.com] [https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__twitter.com_JSantoliquito-3Fref-5Fsrc-3Dtwsrc-255Etfw-2520-255btwitter.com-255d&d=DwMFaQ&c=MrQrGL4Bt1iC3sN_evS3dQ&r=El84KIxeOEt5samjPHb64E4m4T7o1BHmCWCF4jEZkPtllZp_a0kyfw8zTv1KLqh5&m=pSHCM_Goth4FvYpTJ2ZUsjkemKLSw8ewliWoskSTWFBlzlchrOKtmEb0cJ0XypPH&s=rx47YE2GJ_j7OQkh_gKmpVkfWjCeRIFyaBWLqsbtA3s&e=] [ad_dropper zone_id="22397"]

Erislandy Lara called the junior middleweight division home for much of his career, and he was the cornerstone of the division for over a decade. However, in the twighlight of his ring years he decided to move up to middleweight in search of more glory, and has claimed the WBA title. He will put it on the line against former two-division titlist Danny Garcia in a catchweight contest on the undercard of Canelo-Edgar Berlanda at the T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, on Saturday. Lara, rated at No. 4 by The Ring at middleweight, welcomes the opportunity to lock horns with Garcia having circled each other for awhile now. "I'm excited for this fight with Danny Garcia," Lara (30-3-3, 18 knockouts) told The Ring. "He's a big name in the sport, and our paths have finally crossed. This is a fight that the fans have been asking for, and I'm ready to put on a show. It's going to be a battle." The 41-year-old Cuban is well aware of what Garcia brings to the fight. "Danny Garcia is a former two-division world champion and he's one of the best fighters of this era," said Lara. "He's proven himself at the highest levels, and I respect what he brings to the ring. He has power and good timing, but I believe my ring IQ, movement, and precision will be the difference in this fight." Interestingly, while the middleweight limit is 160-pounds, the fight will take place at a lower weight. "The fight will take place at a catchweight of 157-pounds," he explained. "I'm comfortable with that, and I'm sure it will benefit both of us. It's a weight where I feel strong and ready to perform at my best." While Garcia will snap a 26-month hiatus, Lara will be returning just six months after demolishing Michael Zerafa (KO 2), which ended his own extended period from the ring. Lara feels that his recent fight could play a part in this fight. "Absolutely, I think being active and getting that fight in against Zerafa was important," he pointed out. "I felt sharp and strong in that fight, and I'm coming into this one with momentum. "Danny is a great fighter, but being inactive can affect you. I'm looking to take advantage of that." Although Lara is later stages of his career he still feels he has more to achieve. "My goal at this stage is to continue building my legacy and take on the biggest fights available," he said. "I still have a lot left to accomplish, and I want to prove that I'm still one of the best fighters in the world. "I'm focused on winning this fight and then looking for more opportunities to add to my career achievements." His manager, Bob Santos, feels his client is well placed to add a good name to his already impressive ledger. "It comes down to weight, which is 157 pounds," said Santos. "Lara makes weight pretty comfortably. He's going to beat Danny Garcia and in solid fashion." While this fight feels like it could have taken place several years ago, it will be interesting to see what both have left at this stage of their careers. I feel the activity and weight will better serve Lara and that he'll win on the scorecards. Garcia had major success at 140 pounds, where he annexed the Ring championship and WBC and WBA titles, and posted wins over Erik Morales (UD 12/ KO 4), Amir Khan (TKO 4), Zab Judah (UD 12) and Lucas Matthysse (UD 12). The Philadelphia-born fighter then moved up to welterweight and claimed the vacant WBC title at the expense of Robert Guerrero (UD 12). However, he lost to Keith Thurman (SD 12) in a unification bid and was unable to regain the same title, dropping the close decision to Shawn Porter and also lost to then IBF/WBC beltholder Errol Spence (UD 12). Canelo Alvarez-Edgar Berlanga, plus undercard bouts, will be broadcast on DAZN Pay-Per-View at 8:00 p.m. ET/ 5:00 p.m. PT.   Questions and/or comments can be sent to Anson at elraincoat@live.co.uk [elraincoat@live.co.uk]. Follow @AnsonWainwright [https://twitter.com/ansonwainwr1ght?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw]

LAS VEGAS — It had been almost two years since Erislandy Lara last fought. It was hard to tell the way he dispatched Michael Zerafa on the Premier Boxing Champions’ inaugural Amazon Prime event on Saturday from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Lara (30-3-3, 18 knockouts) is 40, the oldest world titlist, which he defended for the second time when he retained the WBA middleweight by stopping Zerafa (31-5, 19 KOs) at 2:59 of the second. In the last 10 seconds of the second round, Lara landed a right hook followed by a sniper-like straight left to Zerafa’s chin that sent Zerafa crashing to the canvas. The Australian rose on unsteady legs, prompting referee Allen Huggins to end the fight at 2:59 of the second round. https://twitter.com/premierboxing/status/1774249230606963195 “Rust? What rust? I’ve worked my f----- ass off in training because I know that all of these fighters are coming for my title,” Lara said. “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. “I want to dedicate this fight to the fans that have supported me all this time, both from Cuba and all over the world as well.” Joseph Santoliquito is an award-winning sportswriter who has been working for Ring Magazine/RingTV.com since October 1997 and is the president of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Follow @JSantoliquito [https://twitter.com/JSantoliquito?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%20%5btwitter.com%5d] [ad_dropper zone_id="22397"]

Erislandy Lara will return to boxing after a 22-month hiatus when he puts his WBA junior middleweight title against Michael Zerafa on the inaugural PBC Amazon Prime Pay-Per-View at the T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, on Saturday. "I think it's going to be a great fight for the fans," Lara (29-3-3, 17 knockouts) told The Ring. "My style now is to stay in the pocket and do my work on the inside. Most people don't realize that I'm a complete fighter. I can do many things in the ring, and fighting on the inside is one of them." The 40-year-old Cuban southpaw is respectful of what he will face when he steps into the ring against the Australian challenger. "He's a good fighter, a hungry fighter who has been waiting for his opportunity to fight for a world title for a long time," said Lara. "He's got one chance to make the most of this opportunity, so that is what I have to be careful about, not to take him lightly. "As far as his skills, he doesn't do anything I haven't seen already, but he is solid in every aspect of his game." Lara, rated at No. 3 by The Ring at middleweight, held a junior middleweight title and fought at 154-pounds for most of his career before venturing up to middleweight where he annexed the WBA championship. Although he has taken part in several large events, including facing boxing's biggest star Canelo Alvarez, he welcomes the opportunity to showcase his skills on a new platform. "This is a great card and I'm honored to be part of it," he said. "PBC is here to stay, and Amazon Prime will be very happy with all the big fights coming to their platform. I personally want to steal the show with an incredible knockout." While preferring to not go into details of his absence from action he intends to get busy from here on. [caption id="attachment_524045" align="aligncenter" width="900"][https://www.ringtv.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/lara-gaushaAP_17288185720981.jpg] Erislandy Lara, left, throws a punch at Terrell Gausha during their fight on Saturday, Oct. 14, 2017, in New York. (AP Photo/Steve Luciano)[/caption] "I just try to stay in shape and be ready when my name is called," he said. "I'm hoping to get in the ring at least twice this year." Though in the veteran stage of his career he isn't done yet and feels he has many more fights and things to achieve. "I feel I have a lot of fights left in me and I feel I can fight for another ten years," he said. "I want to close out the final chapter by defending my world title multiple times and solidifying myself as a Hall of Famer." While Lara has been off for nearly two-years, Zerafa has also been inactive for 16 months. Whoever deals with ring rust here will have the upper hand. If Lara is still able to perform at the level he did previously he should have too much for Zerafa and either score a late stoppage or win a wide points decision. Zerafa (31-4, 19 KOs) turned professional in 2011 and won his first 15 fights all in Australia before suffering his first defeat at the hands of Arif Magomedov (UD 12) in Russia. After a couple of comeback wins he was stopped by Peter Quillin (TKO 5). The 31-year-old won 8 fights before stepping up again when he was outboxed by Kell Brook (UD 12) in England. Zerafa went 1-1 versus Jeff Horn, initially surprising his countryman (TKO 9) but dropping a majority decision loss in the rematch. Since then, he has won four fights including stopping fellow Aussies Anthony Mundine (TKO 1) and Isaac Hardman (TKO 2). Tszyu-Fundora, plus undercard bouts, will be broadcast on Amazon Prime at 8:00 p.m. ET/ 5:00 p.m. PT Questions and/or comments can be sent to Anson at elraincoat@live.co.uk [elraincoat@live.co.uk]. Follow @AnsonWainwright [https://twitter.com/AnsonWainwright?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw]