LAS VEGAS, NV — Over two years out the ring did not hamper the performance of Carlos “King” Molina (17-4-2, 5 KOs), who fought highly regarded Cuban prospect Erislandy Lara (15-0-1, 10 KOs) tooth and nail to a majority draw.
Molina was not intimidated by Lara’s reputation. Nor did he show any ring rust despite his last fight being in 2009. In the early rounds he got off first with 3-4 punch combinations. Lara was able to block most of the blows, but remained in a defensive posture that allowed Molina to bank early rounds. When Lara did throw, he was clearly the stronger puncher with his left to the body and uppercut to the head.
Lara woke up completely in round five. The Cuban began initiating exchanges and caught Molina flush with straight lefts and uppercuts to the body. The assault made Molina more cautious and clinch-cognizant whenever they got close. The sixth was mostly uneventful outside of two up-close flurries from Molina, which should have been enough to steal the round. Showing his ring savvy, Molina repeated the exact same tactic on a listless Lara in round seven.
Lara finally got on track in the ninth. After dropping the eighth, Lara came back to rock Molina with a straight left to the jaw. Lara drew blood above Molina’s left eye, and looked primed for a possible knockdown as the round ended.
Both men were tired going into the tenth. Molina, possibly thinking he had a lead, was content to initiate clinches and throw short punches to the body. Molina looked determined to end the bout with one knockout punch that never came. Although Lara landed a few decent blows, Molina was the one who worked consistently throughout the round.
With tension and drama in the air, the judges’ three scorecards read 97-93 Molina, and 95-95 twice for the majority draw. The decision resulted in catcalls and boos from the crowd.
On the televised undercard, cruiserweight Yunier Dorticos (12-0, 12 KOs) scored a 2nd round TKO over a completely outclassed Jose Luis Herrera (16-11, 16 KOs). Dorticos dropped Herrera with a right hook, and later stopped him on his feet when an uppercut caused Herrera to stumble back into the ropes. Yudel Jhonson (10-0, 7 KOs) won a sixth round TKO over Richard Gutierrez (26-6-1, 16 KOs) in a junior middleweight contest. Although Jhonson dominated the fight, the stoppage was considered premature since Gutierrez was still throwing back despite being stunned by an overhand right.
Beats, Boxing and Mayhem 