On April 20 (April 21 Japan time), at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, David Jimenez (Costa Rica, 16 wins [11 KOs], 1 loss) captured the WBA Interim World Super Flyweight Title by defeating then-No. 1 ranked contender John Ramirez (USA, 13 wins [9 KOs], 1 loss) via 12-round decision.
Jimenez is now set to make his first title defense against currently unranked challenger Keevin Lara (Nicaragua, 32 wins [12 KOs], 6 losses, 1 draw) on December 7 (December 8 Japan time) at the Polideportivo de Cartago in his hometown of Cartago, Costa Rica.
Jimenez, 32, is preparing for his first title defense at a training camp in Las Vegas and has expressed strong interest in a future unification bout with WBA and IBF Super Flyweight Champion Fernando “Puma” Martinez (Argentina, 18-0, 9 KOs). “I’m ready. I hope he has the courage to give me the chance,” Jimenez said, eagerly awaiting the opportunity.
Lara, 30, previously challenged for the WBA World Flyweight Title on July 20, 2016, at Edion Arena Osaka, facing then-champion Kazuto Ioka (Shisei Boxing Gym, 30 wins [16 KOs], 4 losses, 1 draw). Lara started the fight aggressively but was overwhelmed in the middle rounds, suffering a knockdown in the 10th and ultimately being knocked out at 1:11 of the 11th round.
Since his loss to Ioka, Lara has primarily fought in Nicaragua, but since 2021, he has recorded one win and two losses in Panama, and one loss in the Dominican Republic. His most recent bout was on December 29 last year (December 30 Japan time) in Nicaragua, where he scored a KO victory over Kestin Baltodano (Nicaragua, 10 wins [5 KOs], 5 losses) at 2 minutes and 34 seconds of the second round. However, aside from being selected as the challenger for the interim title, there is no clear reason for his inclusion in the rankings.
Although Lara, the selected challenger for the interim title, is coming off a win in his last fight, it seems I’m not the only one who feels like this bout against David Jimenez is more of an interim title eliminator than a true title defense.
This article has been translated and published with permission from BOXING MASTER.
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