Cuban Erislandy Lara Wins Middleweight Belt with First-Round Knockout

May 5, 2021

Erislandy Lara did not have to sweat or strain much to reach the middleweight title of the World Boxing Association (WBA) when he defeated veteran Thomas LaManna by knockout last Saturday at Dignity Health Sports Park. Erislandy knocked down his opponent in the first round.

The Cuban achieved a third world title, in a second division, after landing a precise left-hand punch to the face of 'Cornflake' that left him cold. Seeing how Thomas fell, the referee of the bout immediately stopped the fight at 1:20 of the first round. Lara, 38 years old, struck down LaManna with a left hook with only one minute and 20 seconds elapsed in this open-air bout in Carson (California), on the outskirts of Los Angeles. Without counting, the referee quickly called the medical team to attend to the boxer from New Jersey.

Thomas LaManna, 29 years old, dodged his rival's right hand several times but left his guard down for the punch that sent him directly to the canvas of Dignity Health Sports Park.

Lara, a native of Guantánamo province, improved his record to 28 wins (16 KOs), three losses and three draws.

"(LaManna) had said during the pre-fight press conference that he was going to knock me out, but he ran straight into my punch, directly. Maybe he was overanalyzing everything from the beginning," Lara told LA Times en Español after his victory at the Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson.