Erislandy Lara
On August 12, 2017 it was announced that Gausha would challenge WBA (Super) and IBO champion Erislandy Lara. The fight was part of a light middleweight triple header on October 14, 2017 at the Barclays Center in New York City. Other fights on the card included Jermell Charlo's mandatory title defence against top prospect Erickson Lubin and Jarrett Hurd defending his IBF title against former champion Austin Trout. Lara knocked down Gausha en route to a 12-round unanimous decision to retain his world titles. Lara used his accurate jab and left hand, putting on a clinic winning with the scorecards 116–111 and 117–110 twice in his favour. Due to lack of action, boos were heard from the crowd.