One of the world’s top boxers was on full display Friday night on the first Spike boxing telecast of 2017. Erislandy Lara dominated Yuri Foreman in the main event and stopped him via sensational one-punch knockout, one that might actually wind up on several year-end lists almost a year from now.
Lara made sure the next time Foreman tasted the canvas would be his last when he did so in the fourth. Foreman stood right in front of the electrifying boxer and missed a combo upstairs. Lara instantly uncorked a lightning-quick left uppercut to the jaw underneath Foreman’s right hook, sending him to his knees. Foreman (34-3, 10 KOs) tried to climb back to his feet but was counted out by referee Sam Burgos as soon he got up, ending the fight officially at the 1:47 of the fourth to retain his WBA super welterweight title. Lara called out Saul Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin afterward.
In the co-featured bout inside Hialeah Park Racing & Casino in Hialeah, Fla., former super middleweight champ Anthony Dirrell (30-1-1, 24 KOs) dominated Hungary’s Norbert Nemesapati for six rounds before finally stopping him. Nemesapati (24-5, 17 KOs) was never taken off his feet, but Dirrell hurt him several times throughout the contest. When Nemesapati was rocked again late in the sixth, Dirrell unloaded a flurry of punches until referee James Warring stopped it with only a second remaining in the round.
Finally, former bantamweight titlist Juan Carlos Payano (18-1, 9 KOs) stopped Isao Gonzalo Carranza (15-8-1, 8 KOs) at the 1:16 mark of the seventh. Payano picked his foe apart and turned up the heat until the referee had no choice but to intervene.