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Top junior middleweight contender Erislandy Lara isn't exactly thrilled about the March 8 Showtime pay-per-view matchup between Mexican stars Canelo Alvarez and Alfredo Angulo, both of whom he feels are avoiding facing him (and he already holds a win over Angulo), but he's picking Angulo to score the upset, provided that the eye Lara himself busted up holds in the fight.
"If Angulo's eye holds up from the pounding of his last fight, I think he will knock Canelo out," Lara predicted.
Lara believes he was passed up by both men and he's ready to fight anyone at 154-pounds or 160.
"I will fight anybody they put in front of me, that's the difference between being the best and being protected. There is no need to protect the best. The team of myself, Al Haymon and Luis Decubas Jr. have the best promoter in Golden Boy. I know they will deliver me the big fights," Lara said.
Lara (19-1-2, 12 KO) fought twice in 2013, stopping Angulo in June in a difficult fight that saw the Cuban on the canvas two times, and then routing Austin Trout in December to end the year. The 30-year-old southpaw is hoping to land that big fight soon, but the options for the moment appear a bit limited.