Erislandy Lara vs. Carlos Molina
Erislandy Lara 153 lbs drew with Carlos Molina 152 lbs by MD in round 10 of 10
- Date: 2011-03-25
- Location: Cosmopolitan Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
- Referee: Tony Weeks
- Judge: Richard Houck 93-97
- Judge: Robert Hoyle 95-95
- Judge: CJ Ross 95-95
- Promoter: Leon Margules (Warriors Boxing)
- Doctors: Albert Capanna / Jay Coates / Anthony Ruggeroli
- Matchmakers: John Bryant / Melvin Rivas
- Ring Announcer: Thomas Treiber
- Aired On: ESPN Friday Night Fights (Main Event)
Notes
- Erislandy Lara 15-0 (10 KOs) vs. Carlos Molina 17-4-1 (5 KOs)
- For Molina, it was his first bout since June 5th, 2009; a nearly two-year layoff.
- Molina entered as a 9/1 betting underdog.[1]
- ESPN's Teddy Atlas scored the bout a 95-95 draw.
Bout Summary
Molina found success in the opening round landing left hooks to the body against a calculating Lara. Lara looked to get in quickly and land the straight left hand, but failed to land much to effect. Round 2 saw Lara begin to open up his offense and land a little more consistently against an aggressive Molina who continued to land well to the body. In Round 3, Molina outworked Lara on the inside and took the round on ESPN Analyst Teddy Atlas's scorecard; who had it 3-0 in favor of Molina. In the 4th, Lara began working behind a jab and landed with uppercuts to the body. At the urging of his trainer, Lara stepped up his aggression in the first half of the 5th, but continued to find resistance from a skilled Molina. Although appearing a step slower early in the 6th, Molina came on again in the second half of the round against Lara, who at times remained covered up as Molina threw combinations. Much of the same continued in the 7th as Molina outworked Lara, who hoped to land a single big punch. In Round 9, Lara was a step faster and landed a good left hand as Molina was backed into the corner. Early in the round, a small cut developed under the left eye of Molina. In the 10th, action was sporadic as after each punch the two clinched. As the round concluded, Lara was clinching as Molina worked to try and steal the round. Throughout the fight, Lara looked to land a single left hand as Molina came forward and was only able to do so a few times. He rarely threw any combinations above two punches.
Comments
- "When you're looking for a knockout, the other guy gets plenty of chances to score." - ESPN's Teddy Atlas on Lara's strategy.
- "You're seeing a chance to witness what would be a pretty big upset." - ESPN's Teddy Atlas following Round 7.
- "This is as much about what Lara isn't tonight, as it is what Molina is." - ESPN's Joe Tessitore.