By Anthony George
Erislandy Lara retained his WBA 154-pound title last night by knocking out Yuri Foreman in the fourth round at the Amphitheater at Hialeah Park in South Florida.
Lara was in tactical pursuit of Foreman from the opening bell. Foreman offered little resistance, and Lara established he was the boss inside the squared circle. Lara was credited with a knockdown in round three, however, it appeared to be a clear slip.
The charitable two-point round would have little impact on the outcome, as Lara delivered a crippling left uppercut that dropped Foreman for good in round four.
As Foreman fell from the blow, he appeared to land on his right leg in an awkward fashion. Foreman tried to get up, but had the look of a guy in quicksand.
The victory brings Lara’s record to 24-2-2 (14), Foreman falls to 34-3 (10).
Lara, in front of a heavy Cuban crowd, dedicated the victory to his father; which was also his birthday.
The slick Lara expressed frustration in his inability to get important fights at both 154 and 160 pounds.
“I just want to fight the best in the world,” he said through a translator. “I’m tired of mentioning names, they know who they are: (Demetrius) Andrade, (Gennady) Golovkin, Canelo (Alvarez), the best. We want to fight the best.”
Canelo Alvarez, who earned a disputed decision over Lara in 2014, is slated to fight Julio Ceasar Chavez Jr, and Gennady Golovkin is taking on Daniel Jacobs for 160-pound supremacy in March.