By 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.
Perhaps one of the reasons why Angulo felt comfortable in taking on Lara is because he shares the same trainer as Amir Khan in trainer Virgil Hunter, and this has enabled Angulo to get a lot of sparring sessions in with Khan, who has faster hands and feet than Lara.
Angulo might theorize that if he’s able to cut off the ring on Khan and force him to fight than he can do it with a slower Lara. I don’ think Angulo is going to find much success against Lara because this guy can punch and move and he makes it really tough on his opponents.
Lara did struggle in the first part of his last fight against Vanes Martirosyan last November in their fight that ended in a 9th round technical decision. However, Lara got comfortable in the 8th and 9th rounds and he was dominating the action at the time the fight was halted.
Angulo looked bad in his last fight against welterweight Jorge Silva last December in winning a much tougher than expected 10 round unanimous decision victory. Angulo was hit a lot in that fight and if it wasn’t for his steady pressure and good stamina, he would have lost the fight.
Before that fight, Angulo had stopped Raul Casarez in the 1st round in November of last year. But in November of 2011, Angulo was stopped in the 6th round by James Kirkland in a fight where Angulo’s lack of hand speed and stamina problems caused him to lose.
Angulo has the power to beat Lara, but he can’t afford to punch himself out the way he did against Kirkland. Angulo needs to be patient if he hurts Lara and not jump on him as if he’s got a sure thing knockout. If he does that then he’ll likely gas out and get stopped by Lara just like he did against Kirkland.
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