Canelo Alvarez vs Erislandy Lara official for July 12 on Showtime PPV

Canelo Alvarez will face Erislandy Lara for Lara's WBA "regular" junior middleweight title on July 12 on Showtime pay-per-view, the official announcement coming just days after the fight was considered to be all but a done deal.

Oscar De La Hoya tweeted earlier:

Canelo vs Lara July 12 are you ready? @GoldenBoyBoxing stacked undercard Who would you like to see on the undercard.

— Oscar De La Hoya (@OscarDeLaHoya) April 13, 2014

Mayweather Promotions CEO Leonard Ellerbe confirmed with Fight Hype that Lara had taken the bout with Canelo, which means Lara has canceled his May 2 defense against Mayweather fighter Ishe Smith. Ellerbe said he understood the decision -- because, you know, duh -- and that he's looking for a new opponent for Smith.

Alvarez (43-1-1, 31 KO) returned on March 8 of this year with his first A-side PPV, selling solidly in a total demolition of Alfredo Angulo, rather relentlessly beating up on him until Tony Weeks made the decision to stop the fight in round 10. That was Alvarez's first bout since his loss last September to Floyd Mayweather.

Lara (19-1-2, 12 KO) is a dangerous foe for just about anyone at 154 pounds, as the Cuban southpaw has the skills, slickness, and power to be a problem. Alvarez, though, has passed every test thus far in his career save for Mayweather, and done so with flying colors.

Who do you like in this one as of now? Will Canelo prove again that he's a top fighter, or will Lara be able to outfox the popular superstar?