Williams vs Ishida: Erislandy Lara Likely to Face Ronald Hearns

BoxingScene.com is reporting that in addition to a fairly weak Paul Williams vs Nobuhiro Ishida main event on January 21, Erislandy Lara is likely to face Ronald Hearns in the co-feature, making for frankly an awful double-header on Showtime.

Lara (15-1-1, 10 KO) hasn't fought since he was robbed on July 9 in Atlantic City against Williams (40-2, 27 KO), which was televised by HBO. Instead of seeking a straight rematch, which is the fight that I suppose makes the most sense since nobody wants to fight Lara and Williams' value is pretty low right now, Showtime is choosing to, I guess, hype a potential rematch by showcasing both fighters in what should realistically be very easy fights that bear the signature of lazy premium network matchmaking.

Like I said earlier this morning, Stephen Espinoza is making good early moves at Showtime as the new boss, and I like the aggressiveness he's showing. But this show is a mistake. Williams vs Lara II doesn't need a build, and money does not need to be spent on fights like these.

Hearns (26-2, 20 KO) is the son of a legend, of course, that being Thomas "Hitman" Hearns, but that comparison makes Julio Cesar Chavez Sr and Jr look like they're even. The 32-year-old Hearns is still a relative novice, and was dominated in his last fight against Felix Sturm in February. He had a date with Chavez for September, which wound up scrapped.