Lara vs Rodriguez

Highlights

• - Erislandy Lara showed his hand early, establishing a counter left-hand early, and going to it often. Even when Lara was working his powerful left behind the jab Rodriguez had no answer for it.

• - All those counter lefts finally paid off in the sixth round when Lara came over the top of Rodriguez’s right and hammered him squarely in the head, dropping Rodriguez with 12 seconds remaining in the round.

• - Rodriguez withstood the punishment to go the distance—even coming back from what was ruled a slip in the 11th but could have easily been called a knockdown—but it wasn’t nearly enough as all three cards came back with a wide win for Lara.

Delvin Rodriguez is going to be seeing left hands in his nightmares after his tussle with Erislandy Lara.

It was a fitting tribute to Chicago, as just like their voters of yore, Lara was early and often with a powerful left hand.

Rodriguez had no answers—he could barely find Lara as shot after shot sailed wide and over the nimble Cuban.

But Lara had no trouble finding Rodriguez as he stuck his left at will, scoring a knockdown with it at the end of the sixth.

Lara continued to hammer away for the next six rounds, battering a resilient Rodriguez to wrap up a shutout unanimous decision. 

Lara won a shutout unanimous decision over Rodriguez. (Lucas Noonan / Premier Boxing Champions)