In the unforgiving arena of professional boxing, where legends are made and broken in the blink of an eye, a seasoned veteran defied the odds to silence a rising challenger—and sparked fresh debates about the very soul of the sport. Imagine stepping into the ring at 42, untouched by rust, and dominating an opponent who was thrust into the spotlight on short notice. That's the thrilling reality of Erislandy Lara's latest triumph, where he not only retained his WBA title but did so in a way that left fans buzzing. But here's where it gets controversial—while Lara's victory was clear-cut, it raised eyebrows about the gatekeepers of boxing titles. Could the sport's sanctioning bodies be holding it back, or are they just another piece of the puzzle? Stick around as we dive deep into this matchup and explore the bigger questions it unearths.
Erislandy Lara, boxing's longest-reigning champion among current titlists, overcame the challenge posed by the sport's most recent first-time title contender, Johan Gonzalez. Lara played with his hastily arranged rival, delivering two knockdowns on his way to a one-sided unanimous decision win. The judges' cards read 118-108, 119-107, and 120-106 in Lara's favor, securing his WBA 160-pound title during Saturday night's event at the Frost Bank Center, the home of the NBA's San Antonio Spurs.
Lara, with a record of 32 wins, 3 losses, and 3 draws—including 19 knockouts—entered the ring at 42, fresh off a September 2024 victory by stoppage against Danny Garcia, a former champion across two weight classes. There was no hint of ring rust; he burst out strong against a clearly overmatched Gonzalez. The first knockdown occurred mid-way through the opening round when a powerful left hand landed squarely, prompting Lara to crouch and mockingly gesture toward Gonzalez before the referee, Mark Nelson, directed him to a neutral corner.
Gonzalez, boasting 36 wins, 5 losses, and 34 knockouts, began to find his rhythm in the second round, grinning between rounds with good reason—this bout hadn't even been in his plans until Tuesday. The Venezuelan fighter from Vegas stepped in for Janibek Alimkhanuly, the undefeated IBF and WBO 160-pound champion (17-0 with 12 KOs), who tested positive for elevated levels of meldonium, a prohibited substance. As a newcomer to title challenges, Gonzalez focused intently, landing right hands effectively. Lara absorbed the blows admirably and stayed composed, relying on his own left hand—though he sometimes forgot to unleash it.
The action dragged noticeably in the third round, a major disappointment for the fight-loving crowd in San Antonio, who loudly voiced their disapproval with boos. Lara maintained distance for most of the stanza but delivered a straight left near the end that momentarily staggered Gonzalez.
Gonzalez aimed at the body early in the fourth, pushing Lara against the ropes briefly before the champion skillfully evaded danger. Gonzalez pressed forward, but his aggression lacked punch. Lara boxed from a defensive stance, landing left hands with precision.
In the fifth, Lara ramped up the intensity, hurting Gonzalez with back-to-back straight lefts that forced him ropeside. This stood out in an otherwise sluggish round dominated by Lara's jab.
Gonzalez charged at Lara to open the sixth, yet failed to capitalize. Lara remained patient, mixing right jabs with sporadic straight lefts. Gonzalez's stamina waned—he was breathing heavily, a testament to the difference between preparing as a backup and training for a championship clash. Lara's measured approach conserved his energy, allowing him to accumulate points steadily.
This pattern persisted into the tedious latter part of the fight.
Lara felt at ease with his cautious strategy. Gonzalez out-threw punches in almost every round but was out-landed in all of them.
A humorous incident unfolded in the ninth when the fighters accidentally butted heads, each missing wild swings before colliding. Gonzalez compounded the mishap with an illegal low blow, turning an accidental clash into a sequence of literal and figurative pain.
In the tenth, Lara had Gonzalez wobbled enough that a flurry could have ended it, but he chose single strikes. His corner, including the respected trainer Ismael Salas, urged him to seize opportunities rather than just exchange punches.
While it didn't fully ignite, Lara showed signs of awakening in the twelfth and final round. Provoked by Gonzalez's flailing arms, stomping feet, and taunts demanding engagement, Lara finished with authority. A series of left hands straight down the middle buckled Gonzalez's knees, culminating in a second knockdown that floored him in the closing moments. Gonzalez rose just in time for the bell, only to hear the lopsided scores favoring Lara.
This outcome starkly contrasted Gonzalez's prior showing, where nine months earlier he'd shocked former unified 154-pound champion Jarret Hurd in an upset—ironically, the last man to defeat Lara in their iconic April 2018 WBA/IBF unification bout.
Lara has remained undefeated in eight fights since then. Saturday's win was his third defense of the full WBA 160-pound title, elevated in 2023.
This Lara-Gonzalez bout was part of a four-fight pay-per-view card, topped by secondary WBC 140-pound titlist Isaac Cruz defending against Lamont Roach Jr.
And this is the part most people miss—the fight itself was just the appetizer for a larger debate brewing in boxing.
After Terence Crawford's Feud, Are Sanctioning Bodies Bad For Boxing?
In this episode, our team dissects one of the sport's hottest controversies following Terence Crawford's Instagram rant against the WBC. Do sanctioning organizations simply belong to the game's fabric, or have they spiraled out of control, undermining boxing? We also scrutinize the Ring title, questioning its legitimacy when champions aren't obligated to defend it.
Thursday | Dec 4, 2025
(https://www.boxingscene.com/talk-shows/after-terence-crawford-feud-are-sanctioning-bodies-bad-for-boxing?spg=pr&spl=b)
But what do you think? Are sanctioning bodies the villains stifling boxing's potential, or are they essential guardians of order? And in an era of short-notice replacements and doping controversies, should fighters like Lara face tougher scrutiny? Share your takes in the comments—do you side with the veterans like Crawford, or do you see the system as fundamentally flawed? Let's debate!
Jake Donovan is a distinguished journalist, having served as a senior writer for BoxingScene from 2007 to 2024, and as news editor for the last nine years of his initial stint. He also led writing efforts at The Ring magazine before choosing to return home. Connect with Jake on X (https://x.com/JakeNDaBox) and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/jakendabox_).
