By Jake Donovan
 
A crossroads bout takes center stage tonight on Showtime, as Erislandy Lara faces former 154 lb. titlist Ishe Smith at Illusions Theatre in San Antonio, Texas.

Lara (19-2-2, 12KOs) returns to the ring for the first time since a close, disputed points loss to Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez in July. Because the bout took place one pound above the super welterweight limit, the Cuban southpaw remains a divisional titlist (sort of) as he makes the second defense of said crown. 

Smith (26-6, 12KOs) rebounded from a disappointing title reign-ending loss to Carlos Molina last September with a 2nd round stoppage of Ryan Davis in May. The slot was originally intended for this very matchup, but Lara withdrew in favor of the far more lucrative showdown with Alvarez.

The winner will be viewed by the World Boxing Association (WBA) as the leading contender for Floyd Mayweather Jr, but that’s only in the event that the sanctioning body actually enforces its own rules. The truth is that both fighters are in desperate need of a crowd-pleasing performance more so than just a win. 

So who will come out on top? Read on to see how the staff at Boxingscene.com believes the action (and hopefully not lack thereof) will play out. 
 
BOXINGSCENE.COM STAFF PREDICTIONS: ERISLANDY LARA vs. ISHE SMITH
 
Jake Donovan (Lara UD): “Credit to both for their continued willingness to take the fights very few others are in a hurry to accept. From an entertainment perspective, this is a nightmare matchup on paper, which explains why both remain largely avoided. Here’s to hoping someone takes the lead. My guess is it will be Lara more often than not, who hunts and pecks his way to a comfortable decision.” 

David P. Greisman (Lara UD): “Lara is of a far different class than Smith, who at least briefly held the title that long had eluded him. Lara sometimes will fight disappointingly against opponents whose names aren't of high star value (see the Molina and Hernandez fights), and he'll sometimes try to make a point when doing so is to his detriment (see the Canelo fight), but he knows what a loss to Smith means for his career.”
    
Steve Kim (Lara late TKO): “Lara is world class; Smith isn’t. Lara by late stoppage.”

John MacDonald (Lara UD): “Lara is levels above Smith. He'll outbox Smith to win a wide unanimous decision in a fight that may be the cure for insomnia.”

Cliff Rold (Lara by decision): “This will be dreadful.  And one-sided.”

Francisco Salazar (Lara to win): “I'm sure Lara is still smarting from the loss to Canelo Alvarez. I like Ishe Smith as a person, but he has regressed as a fighter. This fight might be ugly to watch, which may prompt Lara to want to end matters quickly.”
 
Reynaldo Sanchez (Lara TKO8): “After his poor showdown versus Canelo, Lara needs to be more impressive.  Smith hasn’t the power to win by KO and his low level on defensive skill will open the door to be hurt by Lara.” 

Alexey Sukachev (Lara UD): “Seeing Lara fights against Trout and Angulo, I just cannot imagine he will be able to knock out such a slickster as Smith. It will be a stylistic encounter, where lara proves to be faster and more skillful to win with scores like 118-110 or 117-111.”

Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of BoxingScene.com, as well as a member of Transnational Boxing Ratings Board and the Boxing Writers Association of America. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox