Why did Erislandy Lara defect from Cuba? Boxer's nationality, ethnic background, and more

Erislandy Lara is among the most well-known boxers born in Cuba and is the reigning WBA middleweight champion. The 41-year-old is set to face Danny Garcia in a highly anticipated title fight this weekend in the co-main event of the Canelo Alvarez vs. Edgar Berlanga pay-per-view fight card in Las Vegas.

Considered among the most technical boxers today, Lara used to be the captain of Cuba's national amateur team and won gold as a welterweight at the 2005 national championships. However, Lara's connection to Cuba wasn't a happy one, and he defected from the country before becoming an American citizen in 2017.

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Why did Erislandy Lara defect from Cuba?

Erislandy Lara was born in Guantanamo, Cuba, on April 11, 1983. After making his amateur boxing debut in 2000, he made his mark in the Cuban boxing scene and competed in the Pan American Games in Brazil in 2007.

During this time, Lara and fellow Cuban boxer Guillermo Rigondeaux attempted defection from Cuba. However, Lara was caught and deported back to Cuba, where he was banned from boxing indefinitely.

Per ESPN, Lara hopped on a boat that took him on a dangerous journey across the shark-infested Yucatan Channel to Mexico in his second defection attempt a few months later.

From there, he went to Germany and made his professional boxing debut in July 2008. After two professional fights, Lara made his way to America in Jan. 2009 and has fought there ever since. The U.S. even inspired Lara's moniker, 'The American Dream,' and he takes pride in making the most of the opportunities the country gave him.

In 2017, Lara and his family became American citizens after a 10-year battle, which he considers the "biggest fight" of his life. During an interview with Business Insider, he said:

"Fighting to come over to get my US citizenship, going through that whole process, is pretty much the biggest fight I've been in. I'm just happy to have come out on top." [H/t: Business Insider]

As a professional boxer, Lara has an impressive 30-3 record and has faced high-profile opponents like Canelo Alvarez and Jarrett Hurd.