Erislandy Lara
ANGULO PROVED BOTH GUILE & METTLE
San Francisco, CA– When the first bell clanged for the jr. middleweight (154 lb.) bout between Elislandy Lara and Alfredo “El Perro” Angulo this past Saturday, I must admit to being a tad uninterested. Like many other pundits I was confidently predicting that the Cuban would box circles around the Mexican for 12 rounds and win a wide decision.
LARA & MEDIA BOTH “SHOCKED & AMAZED”
For the first few rounds my prediction was spot on. Lara was twisting and turning his opponent with ease while throwing his right jab followed by left crosses he couldn’t miss with. But just as I started to give myself a self-congratulatory pat on the back, Angulo started to close the distance and connect with punches.
GOT “REAL GOOD” FOR ANGULO
Then he started to land some more. Then BAM, the Cuban is knocked on his behind by a left-hook from Angulo. He immediately rose but on wobbly legs. There was plenty of time left in the round and the look in Angulo’s eyes said it all; he was gunning for the kill.
CUBAN GETS CAUGHT UP IN WAR
To his credit, Lara fought back with resilience and a fight broke out in the middle of the ring at the Home Depot Center in Carson, Ca. The rest of the match was a back and forth tussle in what became a classic “boxer” vs. “puncher” match-up. Lara was in control when he was able to keep the fight in the middle of the ring but occasionally Angulo would back him to the ropes and go to work.
QUANTITY OF PUNCHES VS QUALITY SHOTS
It was the Cuban’s busier punches versus the Mexican’s harder punches. Lara, a former amateur world champion, seemed to have the slight edge over his rival. But in the 9th round Lara was dropped out of the blue by another hard Angulo left-hook. While the Cuban did finish the round, it didn’t seem certain that he would finish the fight.
ANGULO WENT FOR IT & LARA STOOD HIS GROUND!
Angulo continued pressing the action in the 10th but Lara didn’t back down. Towards the end of the round Lara landed a barrage of lefts on his foe whose eye immediately began swelling to Hasim Rahman-esque proportions (ok that’s a slight exaggeration). Angulo stopped fighting then turned around in a show of surrender. Just like that the fight was over.
NOBODY KNOWS WHAT THE BOXER FEELS!
Soon after, Angulo’s trainer Virgil Hunter jumped into the ring to protest the ruling, saying his fighter was thumbed (which left a bad taste in my mouth to be honest) but it was to no avail. Referee Raul Caiz Sr. made the correct decision to stop the fight when Angulo displayed the sign of surrender.
THE HISTORY BOOKS WILL SAY THAT…
“After an unforgettable battle of attrition on , Erislandy Lara was declared the winner.”
“NOBODY DESERVED TO LOSE” TYPE OF ENCOUNTER
But were there really any losers in this fight? Both men gave their all and exceeded certain expectations of them. Most of the boxing world figured Angulo was spent, shot, and over the hill after being stopped by James Kirkland, spending months in an Immigration Detention Center, and looking flat in his last fight. He was supposed to serve as canon fodder for Lara. Instead he pushed his foe to the limit and was seemingly on his way to a victory.
CUBAN PASSES “CLASS OF HARD KNOCKS”
Lara had never been pushed to the brink like this before and with this fight he answered all questions about his heart and desire. Furthermore, he separated himself from some of his countryman (Guillermo Rigondaeux and Yurkois Gamboa) who have often been criticized for being boring. He is the first of that trio to be in a potential Fight of the Year candidate and he may have captured the hearts of the American audience with this performance in a way neither of his fellow refugees have yet to do.
Both fighters raised their stock with this performance. Both are viable contenders for any of the other 154lbers out there including Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, Floyd Mayweather, or Austin Trout.
MEXICAN FANS DIDN’T HURL URINE THIS TIME
Immediately after the fight ended, some of the more than 8,000 mostly pro-Angulo fans in attendance began booing and throwing bottles into the ring in disgust of their fighter’s decision to not go forward with the fight. In a sport where the participants already lay their lives on the line and are expected to continue fighting in the face of death, Angulo had committed the ultimate crime of surrender. He was castigated as a coward by a crowd made up mostly of cheerleaders who had never set foot in a ring.
ONLY ANGULO TRULY AWARE OF HIS PERIL
It’s a shame how natural it is for us to push people to do something we would never do ourselves. Angulo knew the condition his eye was in which is why he elected not to continue the action. We should be celebrating, not criticizing, him for it. He is now in a better condition to fight another day. And for that, we are ALL winners. The only losers were the motley crew members in attendance. and those who didn’t see this spectacular fight.
Jason B. Nava