Persistence pays off for Lara

— -- Erislandy Lara is nothing if not persistent. It's one of the reasons that despite long odds -- massive odds, really -- he has risen to become one the best fighters in boxing, even if he's not exactly a household name.

But he could inch closer toward that end if he can score a victory against Mexican superstar and former unified junior middleweight titleholder Saul "Canelo" Alvarez when they meet in a scheduled 12-round fight on Saturday night (Showtime PPV, 9 ET) at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Lara's 154-pound title will not be at stake because Alvarez refused to fight for it, instead insisting on a 155-pound maximum weight for the nontitle bout.

But Lara has wanted this fight for quite some time. He was not about to let it get away from him over one pound or a belt, so he accepted Alvarez's terms and will earn a career-high $1 million for doing so.

After Alvarez knocked out Alfredo Angulo in March -- an opponent Lara had stopped in June 2013 only to watch him get the fight with Alvarez next -- Lara arrived at Alvarez's postfight news conference in the MGM Grand media center.