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It’s astounding to see a fighter earn fifty wins, and Oscar Larios is five wins over the fifty-win milestone. The WBC super bantamweight champion since 2001 is right back at it, displaying a champion’s heart by entering a rematch title fight with a tougher than average fighter in Wayne McCullough. Bundle up the promotional problems, make the business of boxing fair and you have the Zapopan, Mexico native ready to acquire more wins and add more power to his boxing legacy. The lighter divisions have always been in the background of the heavyweight divisions. You are not going to see too many bantamweight fights on your pay-per-view, cable or even local television. This lack of advertising is a major push towards not seeing a well-rounded fighter such as Larios. In an attempt to change that, perhaps Golden Boy Promotions and Oscar de la Hoya’s influence, can help the smaller weight divisions finally receive their due.
With an average of three to four fights a year since 1994, with thirty-five knockouts and having only lost three fights with one draw, the consistency of Larios is present and unyielding. The responsibility of defending and convincingly keeping his title has not been an easy road. It is hard to be a champion with no media parades and gigantic paydays. Larios fights from the heart, he fights with the passion and dependability of keeping his respect. He could have gently pushed a rematch with McCullough to the side, being that he defeated him on the scorecards and some champions use that reason to adduce bigger paydays or do not want the challenge of a rematch, because they believe they barely made off with the first win. A second fight can contribute to a second chance and a loss.
McCullough has the preference of having experienced Larios’ style and with that thought, he could counter and make Larios’ night a lot harder. Yet, the pressure of fighting a fighter who may have a few tricks inside of his style, fighting on a major card on July 16 with Bernard Hopkins vs. Jermain Taylor, are all part of the championship duty that Larios is faithfully and willingly able to address. Larios has the confidence that he can bang it out if McCullough wants to settle the rematch in a short night fashion or he could take McCullough into the boxing clinic and show him why the stamina of a champion should never be underestimated.
In a division that shelters WBA champion Mahyar Monshipour, IBF champion Israel Vazquez and the hard-hitting Joan Guzman, owner of the lightly regarded WBO title, the steps of making his legacy more profound and classical are all waiting for Larios. In the best interests of boxing, I truly hope this division receives a major boost and with that being said, we can see the promotional political side take heed, planting the seeds for unification title bouts and from there, Larios will accept a new added pressure. At the young age of twenty-eight, I wish him the best and hopefully, with sweeping wins in the ring, I will be able to congratulate him when he reaches eighty wins, ninety wins and the golden record of one hundred wins. I am convinced he has what it takes.
Shaun Rico LaWhorn can be reached at filmmaking_mentality@msn.com
