NEW YORK (March 14, 2014) – Last Saturday’s SHOWTIME PPV® presentation of “TOE TO TOE: Canelo vs. Angulo” generated well over 350,000 buys, Showtime Networks Inc. and event promoter, Golden Boy Promotions, announced today.
The four-fight telecast, headlined by Mexican boxing superstar Canelo Alvarez’ impressive 10th-round TKO over fellow countryman, Alfredo Angulo, was a “knockout success,” according to Stephen Espinoza, Executive Vice President and General Manager, SHOWTIME Sports®.
Referee Tony Weeks took a lot of flak after rescuing Alfredo “Perro” Angulo from further damage at the hands of Saul “Canelo” Alvarez. Weeks halted things in the tenth, signifying that Alfredo had taken too much punishment. Some, including Angulo and his trainer were upset. They felt referee Weeks saw Angulo take one punch, a hard uppercut, and made a snap decision to stop the contest. Weeks explained his was not a hasty decision.
He had already consulted with the ringside physician, and listened in on the conversations in Angulo’s corner, in addition to what he was closely watching over nine punishing rounds. Good referees always weigh important questions before stopping a fight. If they come up with negatives for important questions such as: Is the fighter defending himself (fighting back)? Is the fighter taking (high#) hard, clean power punches?
By Ihsan Munir: This past Saturday, March 08, 2014, we witnessed a clash between Saul “Canelo” Alvarez and Alfredo “El Perro” Angulo. Both men were coming off losses, Canelo to Floyd “Money” Mayweather and Angulo to Erislandy Lara. This was a fight for redemption for both of them. Or was it?
What many fight fans seem to forget about the sweet science is that often times the “science” is not seen in the ring or in the gym but in the boardroom. And this particular encounter is no different. Understand that the match-makers at Golden Boy were tasked with one thing and one thing only:
Erik N. (El Paso, TX): I thought Canelo performed very well against Angulo and I feel he’s the best at 154lbs. How did you rate his performance and what are your thoughts for him going forward?
Vivek W. (ESB): From the subplots coming into this event to the ones during the event, as well as those which have spurned in the aftermath of it, there are so many different things to consider with Canelo when you analyze the big picture. Just kind of taking things full circle, I’ll start with the pre-fight angle…..namely the weight issue.
Not only was Saul “Canelo” Alvarez’s victory over Alfredo Angulo a one-sided affair visually, it also was reflected in the final punch stats from last Saturday night with Canelo out-landing Angulo over 2-1. Anglo threw more than 200 more punches than the red-haired Canelo, but his accuracy was a poor 14% due to his slow hand speed and because of the head movement that Canelo was using in the fight.
Here are the punch stats courtesy of Showtime:
Canelo – 298 of 513 total punches throw with a connect percentage of 58%.
(Photo credit: Esther Lin/Showtime) Trainer Virgil Hunter isn’t too happy with the way that referee Tony Weeks halted the fight last Saturday night in the 10th round in the Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (43-1-1, 31 KO’s) vs. Alfredo Angulo (22-4, 18 KO’s) fight at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Weeks didn’t give Angulo much of a chance in the round before stopping the fight, and that didn’t sit too well with Hunter, who believed that his fighter Angulo was coming on at the time of the stoppage in the 10th.
In an example of perfect match-making by Golden Boy Promotions, Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (43-1-1, 31 KO’s) easily destroyed the weak and slow Alfredo Angulo (22-3, 18 KO’s) by a 10th round TKO on Saturday night from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada. This was the perfect opponent for Canelo to beat up on, as Angulo had absolutely no power and no speed.
Whatever happened to his one decent power is unclear, but he definitely didn’t have it tonight. Canelo, looking like a light heavyweight rather than a junior middleweight, used his size and power to hit Angulo at will with power shots. After being warned in between the 9th and 10th rounds that the fight would be stopped, Angulo went out for the 10th and took a few huge shots from Canelo. At that point referee Tony Weeks stepped in and halted the fight at 0:47 of the 10th.
(Photo credit: Esther Lin/Showtime) Every warrior in life is met with a moment that questions his character and outweighs his optimism. What separates those who “are” from those who “were” is the sheer ability to rise when the only other option is to fall. Comes as no surprise that the hottest attraction in the sport this weekend plays host to the Las Vegas desert. And it should also come as no surprise that at the center of it all are two proud Mexican warriors that never say die! As we get closer to this “Fight of the Year” candidate, we hone in on “Keys to Victory”, “Four to Explore”, and an “Official Prediction”:
SAUL ALVAREZ – KEYS TO VICTORY
For Canelo, keys to victory all hinge on conditioning, a solid jab, and a sharpened ring intelligence to regulate each. Erislandy Lara is arguably the most physically gifted fighter at 154lbs not named Floyd Mayweather. What made Angulo effective against him was realizing that in order to be out-boxed, you have to attempt to box. Intelligently, he opted not to fall into that trap, instead choosing to smother and outwork him. Although Lara had his moments, the knockdowns cemented Angulo’s efforts and placed him ahead on the cards late.
The weight limit was increased to 155 lbs due to Saul “Canelo” Alvarez’s team asking for the weight increase. Canelo paid Angulo $100,000 for being a pound over, according to Fightnews. Canelo looked totally drained at 155. With that said, Alfredo Angulo also game in over the limit at 154.5. Canelo needs to think seriously about moving up to middleweight, because draining down to 154 to fight mostly welterweights isn’t going to work too much longer. With Canelo rehydrating to the low 170s, he’s definitely someone that should be fighting in the middleweight division. He should have made the move last year, but by hanging around at 154, Canelo got the fight against Floyd Mayweather last September.
It’s also allowed him to look better than he might actually be by having welterweights – Matthew Hatton, Kermit Cintron, Alfonso Gomez, Shane Mosley and Josesito Lopez – move up to 154 to fight him instead of Canelo fighting actual junior middleweights like Erislandy Lara.
On Saturday, March 8th, from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada, former WBC/WBA Junior Middleweight Champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (42-1-1, 30 KOs) will take on former WBO interim title holder “El Perro” Alfredo Angulo (22-3, 18 KOs) in the main event of a superb Showtime PPV fight card.
Boxing journalist and radio commentator Joseph Herron joins talented fight trainer Rick Morones Jr. in this comprehensive video analysis of “Toe to Toe: Canelo vs. Angulo”, as they preview the upcoming Golden Boy Promotions event.