by James Slater – Back before his momentum was temporarily slowed due to his clear points loss to Kermit Cintron, light-middleweight Alfredo Angulo was being hailed in some quarters as the next star to come out of the great fighting country of Mexico. An exciting puncher who looks to destroy his opposition each and every time out, the 27-year-old known as “Perro” seemed to have it all.
Well, having bounced back quickly from the May 2009 loss to “The Killer,” having his first return fight less than three months later, Angulo’s momentum is once again up and running.. Though he was outboxed by Cintron (in a fight that, it must be said, Angulo clams he entered whilst being ill) and though this showed he is not yet the full package, the Mexican warrior is again being looked at as a future star. After all, a mere two fights after the Cintron disappointment Angulo was the WBO interim champ at 154-pounds; courtesy of his brutal stoppage of Harry Joe Yorgey.
Currently 18-1(15) overall and 3-0(3) post-Cintron, “Perro” seems to have lost none of his former confidence. He certainly has lost none of his desire, aggression and raw power. Having KO’d the capable Joel Julio in the 11th-round last time out back in April, Angulo will look to keep his latest KO streak alive on July 17th, when, according to Boxrec.com, he will face the talented and world ranked Joachim Alcine on the under-card of the Timothy Bradley-Luis Carlos Abregu welterweight clash.
A good fight on paper, both men will likely test one another in a serious way. A win for Angulo will move him closer to where he wants to be, while a win for Alcine, the former WBA light-middleweight champ, will show that he is back in the title picture. Both men have just one pro loss each, and this is a fight that could conceivably go either way.
Alcine, the older man at age 34, has a fine 32-1(19) record and he has also bounced back from his sole defeat. Stopped, in sensational fashion, by Daniel Santos back in July of 2008, Alcine, who was making the second defence of the belt he’d taken from Travis Simms the previous summer, has won two in a row since. Not as active as Angulo (just those two return bouts last year and nothing this year until the July clash) “Ti-Joa,” as the Haitian-born Canadian is known, could be the best boxer the Mexican banger will have faced thus far.
Not a huge puncher, Alcine has good skills, fast hands and a good boxing brain; he has also been in a few exciting affairs where he has proven his heart and guts. But Alcine’s game is boxing, and his best bet at getting a win in July will surely be to try and outsmart his young rival. Still, we don’t know how badly affected the Canadian’s confidence was after what Santos did to him in that 6th-round a couple of years ago, and it is possible he could enter the ring in California a little gun-shy.
If, however, Alcine is the force he was in 2007/2008, he could give Angulo real problems. Having what will be his third fight in America (most of Alcine’s fights have been in Canada), “Ti-Joa” must make the most of his big opportunity. Knowing a win will put him back in contention for a major belt, I feel Alcine will do so.
Though I’d make Angulo the favourite to win, it wouldn’t come as a huge shock if he were outboxed and even a touch outclassed by Alcine. As we all know, though, Angulo, with that withering power, always has a chance of winning via a KO. This one promises to be interesting.