Despite being 41 years old, the WBA middleweight champion has no plans of hanging up his gloves.
The fighter started his career in 2008 and picked up his first world title in 2015.
The champion now has a record of 31-3, having added a stoppage win to his resume in September of 2024.
Although ‘The American Dream’ is the oldest champion boxing has today, there are still fights down the line for him.
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Erislandy Lara has no plans of retirement, says coach
41-year-old Erislandy Lara is the current WBA middleweight champion and recorded a ninth-round stoppage over Danny Garcia in his last outing. However, his 2024 performance was likely not the last time fans can witness a Lara fight.
Speaking to Boxing Scene, the trainer of Lara, Bob Santos, shut down any considerations of retirement regarding his fighter.
When asked about the Cuban champion hanging up the gloves, Santos responded, “Why should he retire?”
“He’s the middleweight champ of the world. He’s won how many fights in a row? He beat Danny Garcia. He knocked out the Australian [Michael Zerafa] in one or two rounds. Name anybody that has dominated Erislandy Lara. So why should he retire?”
“And in his last couple of performances, he’s performed incredibly and he’s the middleweight champ in the world. Why should he retire? He knocked the guy out and Danny Garcia had never been stopped in his career. He got stopped that night.”
Lara is yet to have his next opponent confirmed following his win in September of 2024.
Erislandy Lara unlikely to face Chris Eubank Jr. in next bout
Although there had been discussion that Lara may defend his WBA Middleweight title against Chris Eubank Jr. in 2025, that is becoming seemingly more unlikely.
This is due to one of the bouts on Turki Alalshikh’s fight wish list, Eubank Jr. vs Conor Benn, getting closer to being finalized.
Eubank Jr., the current IBO World Middleweight champion, has been involved in speculation regarding Benn for quite some time now. However, it seems as if the bout may be officially announced sooner rather than later.
Describing making the fight as “painful” and “frustrating”, boxing promoter Ben Shalom told Sky Sports that he is hopeful that the final negotiations will be wrapped up in the coming days.
Benn has yet to be given a chance at a world title opportunity, meaning a showdown with Eubank Jr. would be highly anticipated for the 28-year-old challenger.
‘The Destroyer’, Benn, boasts a professional record of 23-0, earning 14 knockouts throughout his career.
This would mean that for Lara, there is no clear next challenge for him. It is also currently not understood when the 41-year-old Cuban will return to the ring.