The World Boxing Association (WBA), one of the four major governing bodies which sanction major professional boxing bouts, has put ordered a title bout between ‘Super’ Middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin, and ‘Regular’ champion Erislandy Lara. The two have been given 15 days to negotiate or agree on a fight, whereafter if a deal is incapable of being reached, the WBA will let the fight go to purse bids with Golovkin gaining the opportunity to earn 75% in the split, with Lara taking the rest of the percentages. The negotiation period has been set from February 8 to February 23.
Since the formation of these ‘Super’ and ‘Regular’ titles, the WBA has blurred the lines between the mandatory duties that world champions usually are obligated to. The ‘Regular’ champion was supposed to be the mandatory of sorts, but in recent times we have seen a trend where mandatory defenses are stalled for years. In Golovkin’s (42-2-1, 37 KO’s) case, the order is set within the expected mandatory duties set in the WBA’s rules which dictate a champion should face their obligatory opponent – a ‘Regular’ champion in the case of a ‘Super’ champion – within 120 days.
The order set by the WBA is also a part of the ‘World Title Reduction Plan’ of the governing body, a plan which basically means they seek to unify every ‘Regular’ and ‘Super’ title as soon as possible. This has spurred them to make the decision to set up the ‘unification’ bout of the ‘Super’ and ‘Regular’ champions. Golovkin’s decision to vacate his IBF title would also be a reason for the WBA to make their speedy announcement, as he would no longer have additional duties as a unified champion.
Erislandy Lara (29-3-3, 17 KO’s) currently holds the ‘Regular’ version of the WBA’s Middleweight world title, while Golovkin is still known as the WBA’s ‘Super’ world Middleweight champion since first conquering the title in April of 2022. Lara has been in the same position for nearly four years since first conquering the title against Canelo Alvarez’ (58-2-2, 39 KO’s) older brother, Ramon Alvarez.
He is best known for his memorable fights with fighters such as aforementioned Canelo Alvarez, Brian Castano (17-1-1, 12 KO’s) and Austin Trout (36-5-1, 18 KO’s). Though Lara is now 39 and considered at an age where he would no longer be considered a contender, the Cuban is now set to face a similarly-aged opponent in Golovkin and mark his career with new accolades since unifying years before at 154 lbs.
Golovkin, in the meantime, comes of a loss against Saul Alvarez, and as he recently vacated his IBF title in the wake of a deadline to perform his mandatory duties to face the #1 IBF challenger in Esquiva Falcao (30-0, 20 KO’s), doubts linger as to whether he will do the same with Lara. With Golovkin being 40 years of age, and having had a multitude of battles throughout a career that’s spanned for nearly two decades, facing Lara – an opponent he was already expected to face in the past – might just be his last fight within boxing, and a dominant win would be the perfect conclusion to a career that already qualifies him as a first-ballot Hall of Famer.
