By Ian S Palmer
Featherweight contender Mauricio Lara of Mexico will meet Jose Sanmartin of Colombia in Mexico City this Saturday, October 22nd. The 10-round featherweight bout will be shown live on DAZN in most nations. Lara last fought in March when he stopped Emilio Sanchez in the third round while Sanmartin last saw action in July when he stopped Stiven Monterrosa in the second round.
Lara is just 24 years old and made his pro debut back in October, 2015 as a teenager and has boxed 115 rounds since. He’s listed as 5-feet-7-inches tall but unfortunately has an unlisted reach. What we do know though is that he carries around a record of 24-2-1 with 17 Ko’s which means he has good power in his fists with a current knockout ratio of 63 per cent.
Lara’s defeats came at the hands of Julio Carabino by four-round split decision in his pro debut and he was stopped in 50 seconds by Eliot Chavez in May, 2018. His lone draw was a technical decision after two rounds with Josh Warrington in September, 2021 when the fight was stopped due to a cut to Lara’s eye from an accidental headbutt.
Lara made a name for himself seven months earlier when he decked the previously unbeaten IBF Featherweight Champion Warrington in the fourth round and then stopped him in the ninth in an upset. Up until then, his level of opposition wasn’t the greatest but all opponents entered the ring with winning records.
As for Sanmartin, he’s 25 years old and has fought 199 rounds since making his pro debut in 2011. He enters the ring with a mark of 33-5-1 with 21 Ko’s. He’s 5-feet-6-inches tall with an unlisted reach so gives up an inch in height to Lara. He’s got decent power though with 21 stoppages in his 33 victories and carries around a current knockout ratio of 54 per cent. His lone draw was an eight-round affair with Devis Perez back in 2012. Sanmartin has been beaten five times as a pro but has been stopped just once.
His defeats came at the hands of Hugo Berrio by unanimous decision in his pro debut, by 12-round unanimous decision to Carlos Zambrano in 2015 at a shot at the WBA interim Featherweight Title, to Luis Melendez by nine-round split decision in 2016 for the vacant Fedebol Super Bantamweight Title, by sis-round disqualification to Tomas Rojas in 2016, and by 12th-round knockout to Emanuel Navarrete, who’s now the current WBO Featherweight Champion in 2018.
Since turning pro, Sanmartin has captured the WBA Fedebol Super Bantamweight Title and the vacant WBA Fedecentro Super Bantamweight Crown when he beat David Carmona via a 10-round unanimous decision in 2021. Sanmartin has proven to be a solid pro with decent power and a good chin but hasn’t been able to get over the hump as of yet when moving up in class.
Prediction…
Lara caused quite a shock when he stopped Warrington last year in England but has been a bit invisible since then. He’s gone 10 rounds just once in his career and fans are anxious to see him fight again to see exactly what he brings to the table in the featherweight division. Lara sometimes throws power shots and not much of anything else but so far it’s worked for him. I can see this being a close, back and forth fight with Lara eventually coming out on top.
