"I think Lara's the best 54-pounder in the world. I think there's no question about it. Whether it's Vanes, whether it's Kirkland, whoever it is at 54, we're going to beat 'em. So we're going to go out there, make a statement, and I think after beating a Vanes, beating Paul Williams, beating Hernandez and Hearns, you know, all in a line, I think Lara's going to walk right into the big fights in the division...Come November 10th, I really think, you know, he [Vanes] messsed with the wrong kid [Lara]. He pushed the wrong kid's button. This is not a kid you want to rile up, and come November 10th, you guys are going to see," stated Luis Decubas Jr., manager of jr. middleweight contender Erislandy Lara, who recently made an appearance on FightHype Radio to talk about the upcoming November 10 showdown with the undefeated Vanes Martirosyan. Check out what else he had to say!
On Lara fighting Martirosyan on a Top Rank card...
Not really, you know? It was a purse bid, that's the reason it was able to get done. It's not like they sat down at the table to negotiate this fight. So that was the main reason it got done. They won the purse bid, you know. They thought we probably wouldn't fight on this card because of Golden Boy and we work with Al and them; we called their bluff and here we are. The fight's gonna take place in about a month.
On Lara having difficulty getting fights with the big names in the division...
I think Lara's the best 54-pounder in the world. I think there's no question about it. Whether it's Vanes, whether it's Kirkland, whoever it is at 54, we're going to beat 'em. So we're going to go out there, make a statement, and I think after beating a Vanes, beating Paul Williams, beating Hernandez and Hearns, you know, all in a line, I think Lara's going to walk right into the big fights in the division.
The problem with him is the reality is no one wants to fight him. We've been trying to get everybody in the ring; we can't get no one in the ring. That's the reason I brought Al [Haymon] on board and we fully expect to get the big fights after this. That's one of the main reasons I brought him in. I think he's got a good track record of getting that done...so after this fight, I fully expect to be in all the big fights.
On what to expect when Lara steps in the ring with Martirosyan on November 10...
To be honest with you, Lara's not a big talker at all. I gotta push him to talk, you know, and it pretty much sucks in this sport where you got guys that don't want to fight him, you know, and he's gotta kinda be that way, be a little bit more open than what he really is, because he's more of a laid back type of guy. He's not a talker. He does his talking in the ring. But I mean, you got guys like this that do all this talking; all they're doing is adding fuel to the fire and making this kid train harder. Come November 10th, I really think, you know, he [Vanes] messsed with the wrong kid [Lara]. He pushed the wrong kid's button. This is not a kid you want to rile up, and come November 10th, you guys are going to see that.
On Lara becoming a more aggressive fighter...
I think it took him a little bit of time to get acclimated to this pro system. Remember, when you've got 400 amateur fights and you're fighting every other day in Cuba, I mean, you're looking to score points, get in and out, and not be in a war every day because your body will never last through that. So I think it just took him a little bit of time. I think it also has a little bit to do with obviously the Paul Williams robbery, you know, where he just wants to go out there and try to make statements and leave no doubt in the judges' minds.
The good thing about the kid is he shows he carries power from the 1st through the 10th and if he can get you outta there in 1, he'll go get you outta there in 1. I think he's got a lot more pleasing style now and obviously it's all for the fans.
On Lara's future plans after the fight with Martirosyan...
He knows this is another big opportunity with Vanes. It's not the end of the road, and after we take care of Vanes, like I said, we're looking at hopefully Trout wins, we'd love to fight Trout, Bundrage, Kirkland, the rematch with Molina, I mean, there's so many fights out there that I think are big for him right now.
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO MORE FROM LUIS DECUBAS JR. ON THE LATEST EPISODE OF FIGHTHYPE RADIO
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