Middleweight titleholder Erislandy Lara won a drab defense over Danny Garcia in a ninth-round technical decision that lacked both a decisive ending and a hint of action leading up to the not-so-big finish on Saturday's co-main event to the Saul "Canelo" Alvarez-Edgar Berlanga fight at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
In his first fight at middleweight, Garcia landed a total of only 33 punches. Meanwhile, Lara landed 63 punches while fighting at a deliberate pace. Lara landed more jabs than power punches, but his last power punch knocked Garcia down at the end of the ninth round. Garcia beat the count, but his corner stopped the fight between rounds. It was Lara’s fourth stoppage win in a row.