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Mauricio Lara fires a jab at Jose Sanmartin. Picture by Ed Mulholland/Matchroom.
Former WBA featherweight titleholder Mauricio Lara will return to the ring on Feb. 16 when he faces Daniel Lugo.
ESPN’s Salvador Rodriguez was the first to report the news Saturday evening. The 10-round bout will precede the main event bout between newly-crowned IBF world junior flyweight titleholder Adrian Curiel and Sivenathi Nontshinga.
Rodriguez also reported both fights, which will take place on a Matchroom Boxing card, will originate from the Auditorio Guelaguetza in Oaxaca, Mexico.
Both fights will stream live on DAZN.
Lara (26-3-1, 19 knockouts), who resides in Mexico City, is currently rated No. 7 by The Ring at 126 pounds. In his last bout on May 27, Lara lost to Leigh Wood by unanimous decision. He was stripped of the WBA world featherweight title after the previous day’s weigh-in due in part he weighed in almost four pounds above the 126-pound limit.
The 25-year-old won the WBA world title belt three months prior to the May 27 clash, scoring a seventh round knockout win. At the time of the stoppage, Lara was down on all three judges’ scorecards, 58-56, 58-56, and 59-55.
Lara entered the upper echelon of the featherweight division in February 2021, stopping previously-unbeaten Josh Warrington in the ninth round. A rematch would take place less than seven months later, which resulted in a technical draw after a ringside physician recommended the fight be stopped in the second round due to a cut above Lara’ left eye from an accidental clash of heads.
After the draw against Warrington, Lara notched knockout victories over Emilio Sanchez and Jose Sanmartin.
Lugo (27-2, 18 KOs) last fought on October 6 in his hometown of Hermosillo, Mexico, defeating Miguel Angel Torres Nunez by unanimous decision. He has won his last three fights since being stopped by Edwin Palomares in November 2021.
The 29-year-old does have two recent wins over Miguel Moreno Gonzalez and Gerardo Martinez Perez, both of whom entered the Lugo fight unbeaten.
Curiel pulled off one of the upsets of 2023 on November 4, scoring a dramatic first round knockout of Nothshinga.
Francisco A. Salazar has written for The Ring since October 2013 and has covered boxing in Southern California and abroad since 2000. Francisco also covers boxing for the Ventura County (California) Star newspaper. He can be reached at [email protected]
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