Erislandy Lara and his team have successfully secured the fight they were after, as the WBA has approved a voluntary title defense against former two-division champion Danny Garcia. Previously, Lara was ordered to face Australia’s Michael Zerafa in a mandatory title defense. However, Zerafa will now get a shot at the winner of the Lara-Garcia fight, scheduled for August 5.
WBA Championship Committee Chairman Carlos Chavez revealed that TGB Promotions requested the voluntary defense and, after extensive negotiations and consultations with Team Zerafa, both parties reached an agreement. The WBA rules permit the modification of mandatory defense periods for good cause, either in response to a Special Permit request or on its own initiative. Chavez confirmed that the committee decided to grant Lara’s team the request, provided they comply with all championship rules.
The fight’s location remains undisclosed, but it is likely to take place at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. Lara’s most recent fight was at the same venue on May 28, where he defended his WBA “Regular” title with an eighth-round stoppage of Irish middleweight Gary “Spike” O’Sullivan. Lara (29-3-3, 17 KOs) won the title in May 2021 with a first-round knockout of South Jersey boxing legend Thomas “Cornflake” LaManna.
Garcia (37-3, 21 KOs) has not yet fought at middleweight, moving up to junior middleweight for his recent points win over Jose Benavidez Jr. on July 30 at Barclays. The bout was Garcia’s first since his December 2020 loss to unified welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr. in Arlington, Texas. As Lara and Garcia prepare for their showdown, Zerafa (31-4, 19 KOs) can proceed with his career and face a WBA-approved contender in an optional fight while awaiting his world title shot as the mandatory challenger.
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