Exciting Fighters; It’s okay to have defense. No, Really it is

lara454By Robert “Big Moe” Elmore: I love to watch every style of boxing, although technical fighters are my favorite. Exciting-all-out-fighters sells tickets and they bring the fans back to see them fight. But they lack one thing that can probably sustain their career and that is defense. It doesn’t have to be that much if they don’t want to. I say just enough not to have your brain rattled to the point of concussion (as Tim Bradley said he had in his post fight interview in his bout with Ruslan Provodnikov).

What I saw last Saturday night from Alfredo Angulo in his bout with Erislandy Lara fight was utterly ridiculous. The man was being hit with the same 1-2 combo repeatedly. Did anybody in Angulo’s corner’ or more importantly Alfredo himself stop say “I need to do something about this. I’m getting hit with same combination”. Was he that focused on trying to finish off Lara or please the crowd that he disregarded safety?

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Erislandy Lara: I want Cotto next

lara5By Dan Ambrose: WBA interim junior middleweight champion Erislandy Lara (18-1-2, 12 KO’s) already has his sights set on the next fight he wants after his impressive 10th round beat down of Alfredo Angulo last Saturday night in Carson, California. Lara says he wants to fight former three division world champion Miguel Cotto (37-4, 30 KO’s) next.

Lara told boxing Publicist “I want Miguel Cotto next.”

Unfortunately, getting a fight with Cotto might prove to be difficult, if not impossible for Lara. Cotto could be facing Cornelius Bundrage on September 28th.

Even if Lara had the full WBA 154 lb. title to himself, I don’t think Cotto would take that fight because he’s too dangerous, too powerful and much too slick for him. Lara would be like Austin Trout 2.0 for Cotto, and I don’t think Cotto wants any part of a better version of Trout.

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Erislandy Lara = The #1 fighter at 154

lara455By Dan Ambrose: Cuban Erislandy Lara (18-1-2, 12 KO’s) may be the best fighter at 154 after defeating one of the toughest speed-bumps in the junior middleweight division in Alfredo Angulo by a 10th round TKO last Saturday night. Lare kind of showed in this fight that he’s the top dog at 154 in my ranking. Saul “Canelo” Alvarez would have run out of gas had he been in the ring with Lara last Saturday because he wouldn’t have been able to handle the fast pace.

Miguel Cotto would probably never agree to a fight against Lara, but if he did it would be a lot more one-sided than his loss to Austin Trout was. Lara is a better puncher than Trout and he’s a lot slicker. I think he’d give Cotto all kinds of problems if the Puerto Rican fighter agreed to fight him.

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Alfredo Angulo to see eye doctor on Monday

angulo78By Allan Fox: Junior middleweight Alfredo Angulo (22-3, 18 KO’s) was checked out at Harbor UCLA Medical Center after his 10th round TKO loss to Erislandy Lara (18-1-2, 12 KO’s) last night to have his injured left eye examined. According to USA Today, the medical staff found no signs of a fractured orbital bone.

However, there weren’t any X-rays or an MRI done on Angulo’s head. Angulo’s co-manager Michael Miller reportedly isn’t happy that Angulo wasn’t checked out with an X-ray or MRI, and he wants to have Angulo see an ophthalmologist this Monday to have him look at Angulo’s left eye.

Miller told usatoday.com “The plastic surgeon at ringside said he thought that not only was it broken, he thought it might be shattered in pieces.

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Maidana obliterates Lopez; Lara stops Angulo

Marcos Maidana vs Josesito LopezBy Dan Ambrose: Moments ago, Marcos Maidana (34-3, 31 KO’s) obliterated Josesito Lopez (30-6, 18 KO’s) by a 6th round TKO on Saturday night at the on Saturday night at the Home Depot Center, in Carson, California, USA. Maidana dropped Lopez in the 6th round from a right to the head.

Maidana then unloaded on a badly hurt Lopez with a nonstop storm of shots causing the referee Lou Moret to stop the fight at 1:18 of the round.

Lopez had fought well in the 4th round where he appeared to hurt Maidana with some hard head and body shots. At point it looked like Lopez had knocked Maidana down, but the referee ruled it a slip. Maidana was kind of pushed down but he was definitely hurt at the time.

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Angulo in tough situation against Lara on Saturday

kirkland343By Dan Ambrose: Junior middleweight contender Alfredo Angulo (22-2, 18 KO’s) has had a nice career but he’s been exposed when he’s stepped up a level. On Saturday, it looks like Angulo is going to get exposed again when he faces Erislandy Lara (17-1-2, 11 KO’s) in a fight for the interim WBA World light middleweight title at the Home Depot Center, in Carson, California, USA.

It’s too bad because Angulo was just now starting to get his career back in order after getting wiped out by James Kirkland in 2011 Angulo has won his last two fights since then, albeit against weak opposition. As far as his fight with Lara goes, Golden Boy Promotions has done Angulo no favors in this one because this is not the type of opponent that Angulo can succeed against.

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Maidana/Lopez, Dawson/Stevenson, Lara/Angulo, Gamboa/Perez – this weekend

maidana32434By Sotoman: Throughout the past few months we have been spoiled with great boxing thrillers, this weekend seems like one of those weekends of boxing that need more talking about.  Lets see!

It looks like Yuriorkis Gamboa will be making his return to the ring under 50 Cents promotional label and looking to help his promoter, after one of 50 cents big name fighters fell in Billy Dib.  Yuriorkis Gamboa looks to score and impressive victory against Darley Perez.  Again, it will be the speed and power of Gamboa that fans will line up to see.  With a win, Gamboa may set himself up for a high profile fight later in the year.

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Angulo-Lara on June 8th at Home Depot Center in Carson, California

angulo8By Eric Thomas: #1 WBA Erislandy Lara (17-1-2, 11 KO’s) puts his high ranking on the line against #3 WBA Alfredo Angulo (22-2, 18 KO’s) on June 8th at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California. Lara, 30, has been waiting for well over a year to get a title shot against WBC junior middleweight champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez.

Now, Lara is ranked at #1 by the World Boxing Association and looking to get a title shot against either Canelo or Floyd Mayweather Jr. One of those two fighters will be weeded out from the top spot by the WBA by virtue of their fight on September 14th. All Lara has to do to put himself in line for the title shot is to beat Angulo on June 8th and he’ll be ready for a shot finally.

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Angulo vs. Lara: Alfredo will need a knockout to win on June 8th

angulo8By Dan Ambrose: Junior middleweight contender Alfredo Angulo (22-2, 18 KO’s) might have made a big, big mistake in choosing to face boxer/puncher Erislandy Lara (17-1-2, 11 KO’s) on June 8th because he does not have the style that will give the 30-year-old Lara any problems.

Angulo says he thinks he likes the fight and he wants to take on the top fighters like Lara, but I think it’s a really match-up for the slow as molasses Angulo.

Lara is beatable, but it takes a fighter with really good inside fighting skills and a high pressure offense to smother what he can do. Carlos Molina was able to stay on top of Lara and force him into an inside war when they fought two years ago in their 10 round draw in 2011. Angulo isn’t as good at cutting off the ring and smothering his opponents the way that Molina.

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