Australian boxing star Michael Zerafa has elected to step aside from his mandatory WBA world title fight against Erisandry Lara.
Instead, Lara will make a voluntary middleweight title defence against Danny Garcia with Zerafa to fight on the undercard, the WBA has confirmed.
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The fight is likely to happen in August.
Taking on the warm-up fight also leaves Zerafa at risk of losing his mandatory world title challenger status in what is a bold strategy by the 31-year-old
Zerafa has now walked away from two opportunities at a world title after his team withdrew from the purse bid for a fight against IBF middleweight champion Esquiva Falcao in March to pursue the WBA route against Lara.
The withdrawal from a bout against Falcao prompted the Brazilian to label Zerafa a “chicken” on social media.
Fox Sports Australia also understands Zerafa was offered the chance to take on Tim Tszyu for his interim WBO super welterweight title but turned that down too.
Fox Sports Australia contacted Zerafa for comment, but were directed by the Victorian to his manager, Elvis Grant.
Grant insisted the decision to allow Lara to make a voluntary defence against Garcia was aided by the Australian receiving a “substantial” financial incentive.
“First of all, that fight before Michael was made mandatory was already in process,” Grant told Fox Sports Australia.
“They were negotiating it and all of that stuff. When Michael got made the mandatory, they basically were asking would we be OK to let this fight go ahead and for Michael to fight on the undercard and whatnot and then get the next shot.
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“In the interest of letting the fight happen and the offer as substantial as it was, we went ahead and let the fight go ahead.
“I spoke with Al Haymon (Garcia’s manager) about it, I spoke with Luis DeCubas Jr (Lara’s manager) about it and they were more than reasonable in working everything out with us. So it worked out very good for Michael.”
Given the scarcity with which world title shots come around, fight fans could be forgiven if they were baffled by Zerafa’s bold calls.
But Grant pointed to an old saying as a valid explanation as well as a golden opportunity for Zerafa and his new trainer Jimmy Montoya to get to grips with one another.
“Money talks and bulls*** walks,” Grant said.
“The money was substantial enough plus the fact he’s now going to be trained by Jimmy Montoya, a legendary trainer who’s trained 20 world champions, this is going to be their first fight to have an opportunity to work together and gel together.
“In that respect, it’s good for that as well to give them a chance to really know each other and work together then get ready for the big fight which is looking like November.
“It was not a tough decision to make with the financial compensation and everything else.”
Australian boxing legend Jeff Fenech, however, believes nothing comes close to the gratification of winning a world title.
“For me, winning the title would be more important than any money,” Fenech said.
“I never fought for money. I fought for my legacy and fought for being great.
“Money can’t buy legacy. Money can’t buy reality. Money can’t buy you being world champion.
“I’d give everything away to have the opportunity to fight for a world title. It’s a big thing.”
Fenech added: “Who knows? You might fall over and break a leg tomorrow. You might be in a car accident. You might not be able to fight.
“They’re the kind of things you don’t let slip by.
“We’re all different. The Michael Zerafa I know wants to be a world champion.
“To give that opportunity away, it’s a big call.”
Based on his stance when it comes to world titles, Fenech doesn’t know if he’d have given the same advice as Grant for Zerafa.
But the Aussie great knows admits Zerafa might be vindicated in the long run with his bold calls.
“If he’s stepping aside, he’s going to be able to watch two guys fight and know which one he’s going to fight and he’s happy to do that and get money, you sit down and you think about those things,” Fenech said.
“But me, as a fighter, s***, give me the opportunity to fight for the world title and I’m going to take it.
“12 months down the track, if Michael becomes world champion, we might be sitting here and saying, ‘S***, Michael’s done something really smart.’
“There’s more to life for some people than titles. I’m not one of those guys. Like I said, I wanted to fight and win. Money was never in the equation.
“I loved fighting, I loved beating the s*** out of people. I loved winning, I loved everything that came with winning. I loved the credit and making my trainer happy.
“We’re all different. I’m not going to bag Michael because I know him well and he loves the fight game. He’s getting some advice from somebody at the moment where he’s sat there and thought it’s good advice”
At this stage, Zerafa does not know who his opposite number will be on the Lara v Garcia undercard, but Grant promised it will be a “decent opponent” and certainly not the style of his last rival Danilo Creati.
“That (Creati) is exactly the type of opponent we won’t be fighting,” Grant said.
“As long as Michael has someone in front of him that’s competitive and is there to win, then Michael Zerafa will shine as he did against (Issac) Hardman, (Jeff) Horn and (Anthony) Mundine.”
Regardless, Zerafa and Grant remain supremely confident ‘Pretty Boy’ will get the job done and stay on his path to becoming a world champion.
It could also lead to the fight every Australian sporting fan is desperate to see.
“People are always going to talk, it is what it is,” Grant said.
“That’s why when Michael wins this world title, that’s why the fight with Tszyu, if he can handle his business, will be a mega fight in Australia.
“You have the De La Hoya v Mayweather thing going, you got the good guy and the bad guy.
“Someone’s got to be the bad guy to sell this fight, and that’s my guy.”
